query: prenominal and postnominal adjectives in Romance

[Max Enrique Figueroa Esteva]

As Guitart has commented, your query is indeed an interesting one. I'd
just like -for the time being- to add this comment to yours: in Russian,
the position of the adjective is prenominal when it "qualifies" the noun
and is usually "postponed" (apparently, I should say) when its function
is predicative:
 Umnaja studentka (A clever or bright she-student)
Studentka umnaja (The she-student is clever or bright)
[With a slight pause and a different intonational pattern]

Occasionally, one may even find a written dash to indicate the pause and
the int. pattern (also, of course, the "missing" copula jest'):
Studentka _ umnaja

This contrast, therefore, must be taken into consideration, along with
the distinction -to which you correctly point- between long and short
adjetives, especially since short adjectives are mostly associated with
the predicative function (long ones, mostly with the "qualifying" function).
Nota bene: I have said mostly, not necessarily.
Best regards. Max

On Tue, 21 Apr 1998, bingfu wrote:

> Dear netters!
>
> I am still organizing the final summary of correspondences to my previous
> query about left-right asymmetries in word order variations.  I should say
> sorry for delay to those who have corresponded to me.
>
> As part of the survay, I need to know more data about the differences
> between prenominal and postnominal modifiers in Romance languages.
>
> The following is my issue and inquiry.
>
>         In some languages, adjectives can occur both on the left side and
> the right side of the head N.  The contrast between pre-N and post-N
> positions resembles the same pattern of that between pre- and
> post-demonstrative positions.  For instance, according to Greenbef 1978,
> in Bedauye, a northern Cushitic language, the order is AN when the phrase
> is definite, but NA when it is indefinite.  Since I do not have direct
> access to Bedauye, I would like know more about Romance languages,
> which,ormally allow both AN and NA orders.
>
>         The following statistic by Klein-Andrew about Spanish also
> indicate that AN order is more correlated with definiteness than NA is.
>
>                 a. For NPs occurring as subjects, as compared to
> nonsubject NPs.
> (77% vs. 54%,
> meaning 77% of the subjects with pre-N modifiers while only 54%
> nonsubjects with pre-N modifiers)
>
>         b. For NPs accompanied by the definite articles el, la, los, las,
> as compared with
>                             NPs accompanied by indefinite articles
> uno(s)/una(s) 'one/a (some)'.
>                 (58% vs. 23%)
>
>         c. For proper nouns (names) as compared with common nouns.
>                         (93% vs. 56%)
>
> I tentatively classify the functional contrasts between prenominal and
> postnominal adjectives as the following four major types.
>
> 1. Purely referential vs. attributive
> French yhmple
> (1)     a.      un ancien roi
> a    ancient kin
> 'a former king'
>
>                 b.      un roi    ancien
>                                 a   king  ancient
> 'an old/ancient king'
>
>         (2)     a.      une autre     éducation
>                         a    different education
>                         'another education/
>
> b.      une éducation autre
>                                 a     education different
>                                 'a different education'
>
>         (3)     a.      une certaine nouvelle
>                         a     certain   news
>                         'a certain piece of news'
>
>                         b.      une nouvelle certime
>                         a    news      certain
>                         'an unquestionable piece of news'
>
>         (4)     a.      la   première cause
>                         the first        cause
>                         'the first, initial cause'
>
>                 b.      la   cause première
>                         the cause first
>                         'the foremost, pjmary cause'
> 2. Specific vs. general
>
>         (5)     a.      un jeune ministre
>                         a   young minister
>                         'a minister younger than most ministers'
>
>                 b.      un ministre jeune
>                         a   minister young
>                         'a minister young in age'
>
>         (6)     a.      heureux poète
>                         happy    poet
>                         'happy post'
>
>                 b.      poète heureux
>                         poet  happy
>                         'successful poet'
>
>         (7)     a.      vie ami
>                         old friend
>                         'a long-standing friend'
>
>                 b.      ami vie
>                         friend old
>                         'old-aged friend'
>
> This type of contrast is similar to that between Russian long-form and
> short form predicate adjectives:
>         (8)     a.      Studentka umnaja (Long form)
>                         student     intelligent
>                         'a student who is intelligent in her role as
> student'
>                 b.      Studentka umna (Short form)
>                         student     intelligent
>                         'a student who is intelligent as a human in
> general'
>
>
> 3. subjective evaluative vs. objective property
>         (9)     a.      un pauvre pays      riche
>                         a   poor     country rich
>                         'a poor rich country'
>                         (poor in value, but rich in wealth)
>
>                 b.      un riche pays      pauvre
>                         a   rich   country poor
>                         'a rich poor country'
>                         (rich in value though poor in wealth)
>
>  4.  Redundant pre-N adjectives
>
>         (10)    la negra noche
>                 the black night
>
>         (11)    dulce miel
>                 sweet honey
>
> Now, my questions are:
> 1. I need more data of type 4. Could you please provide some?
>
> 2. Do you know any other majort|pes of the contrast?
>
>
> I will incorporate the replies to my future summary of left-right
> asymmetries of world order variations.
>
>         Thanks!
>         Bingfu Lu
>         USC
>