A generalization: two positions, two classes of adjectives

Following a long tradition (Bolinger 1967; Chierchia and McConnell-Ginet 2000), I will label the two subclasses of pre- and postnominal adjectives as non-predicative and predicative, respectively.¹ These two types of adjectives differ as to their denotation. A non-predicative adjective denotes a function from adjective denotations to adjective denotations; it maps properties to properties. A predicative adjective denotes a function from individuals to truth values or a property of individuals.

Adjectives that can be analyzed as properties of individuals can also be analyzed as functions from properties to properties, and as also noted by Chierchia and McConnell-Ginet, “the differences in logical type may actually explain certain distributional properties of classes of expression and thus constitute a substantive component of their behavior” (2000: 466). In other words, a large number of adjectives belong to both categories of predicative and non-predicative adjectives: adjectives like alegre ‘funny,’ rojo ‘red,’ prudente ‘wise,’ sabio ‘learned,’ estúpido ‘stupid,’ redondo ‘round,’ saludable ‘healthy,’ etc., can appear both pre- and postnominally without any significant change in their lexical meaning but with the previously analyzed differences in reading.

Given this background, the following questions arise: Are such configurations and interpretations due to the intrinsic meaning of the adjectives? Or are they rather due to the syntax of the expression, or perhaps to the combination of both factors? As I have anticipated, I think the latter is the right answer.

1 Many authors use the term attributive to refer to adjectives that Chierchia andMcConnell-Ginet call non-predicative.