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Advances in the Syntax of DPs: Structure, agreement, and case
Edited by Anna Bondaruk, Gréte Dalmi and Alexander Grosu
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 217] 2014
► pp. 221–246

On pre-nominal classifying adjectives in Polish

The article discusses adjectival modification in Polish, focusing on pre-head attributive adjectives. Pre-nominal position is often associated with qualifying (i.e. descriptive) modifiers while classifying modifiers (which express inherent properties of nouns) are typically assigned to the post-head position in Polish. Thus, the contrast arises between QualAdj+Noun and Noun+ClassAdj sequences, as illustrated by the expressions młoda foka ‘young seal’ (QualAdj+N) vs. foka szara ‘grey seal ( Halichoerus grypus )’ (N+ClassAdj). However, it is argued here that pre-nominal adjectives can be ambiguous between classifying and qualifying reading. The article considers also the question whether pre-nominal classifying adjectives can be regarded as informationally marked.
Published online: 14 October 2014
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https://doi.org/10.1075/la.217.09cet
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