[Ads-l] the platypus of languages

Arnold M. Zwicky zwicky at STANFORD.EDU
Mon Jul 15 22:26:03 UTC 2019


> On Jul 15, 2019, at 2:43 PM, Arnold M. Zwicky <zwicky at STANFORD.EDU> wrote:
> 
>> On Jul 15, 2019, at 2:23 PM, Andy Bach <afbach at GMAIL.COM> wrote:

>> ... "Duck-billed" is just a descriptor that gets added on to it in folk
>> parlance,
> 
> yes, it's an appositive modifier rather than a restrictive one. there are various uses for appositive modifiers, and some appositive modifier + head combinations have become fixed as idioms.

on appositive modifiers:

...

8/15/14: Briefly noted: an appositive adjective:

https://arnoldzwicky.org/2014/08/15/briefly-noted-an-appositive-adjective/

about "illegal prostitution", with a link to a longer Language Log posting on "flightless drone", which also has the contrast between restrictive "the industrious Chinese" 'the/those Chinese who are industrious' and appositive "the industrious Chinese" 'the Chinese, who [all of whom] are industrious'

...

7/17/18: Chard semantics, chard art, and chard food:

https://arnoldzwicky.org/2018/07/17/chard-semantics-chard-art-and-chard-food/

the "Swiss" of "Swiss chard"

...
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