Mixed Categories: The Morphosyntax of Noun Modification

This book explores the phenomenon of mixed categories, which are adjectives and adjective-like attributive forms derived from nouns and retain certain nominal properties. It raises important theoretical questions about the nature of lexemic identity, the inflection-derivation divide, and the relationship between word structure and phrasal syntax. It proposes a new formal framework that models cross-linguistic and cross-constructional variation in noun modification constructions, providing new insights into grammar.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 419 pages
Publication date: 09 June 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This comprehensive book delves into the fascinating phenomenon of mixed categories, offering a groundbreaking exploration of how languages employ nouns to modify other nouns. It conducts an in-depth investigation into noun-adjective hybrids, such as adjectives and adjective-like attributive forms, which have originated from nouns and retain specific nominal characteristics. These rarely discussed types of mixed categories raise crucial theoretical questions regarding lexemic identity, the inflection-derivation divide, and the broader relationship between word structure and phrasal syntax.

To address these issues, the book presents a novel formal framework that models cross-linguistic and cross-constructional variations in noun modification constructions. This framework empowers readers to explicitly map word structure to syntactic structure, providing fresh insights into and influencing existing grammatical theories. By unraveling the complexities of mixed categories, this book contributes to a deeper understanding of language structure and its implications for linguistic analysis and theory.

The exploration of mixed categories in this book marks a significant milestone in linguistics, shedding light on the intricate ways in which languages manipulate nouns to convey meaning and shape language structures. Its innovative approach and insightful findings will undoubtedly inspire further research and advance our understanding of grammar and language in general.

ISBN-13: 9781108401524