• Dutch1
  • Frisian
  • Saterfrisian
  • Afrikaans
Show all
Non-attributive
quickinfo

Certain non-attributive adjectives cannot occur as predicates in the full range of predication constructions.

readmore

There are some idiomatic non-attributive cases, in which the Adjective Phrase (AP) is restricted to complementive use only: wei dead (literally away), klear ready, ree ready. They seem themselves responsible for the ban on attributive usage. These facts are illustrated below:

1
a. Har man is wei
her husband is dead
Her husband is dead
b. *Har weie man
her dead husband
Her dead husband
c. It wurk is klear / ree
the work is ready / ready
The work is done
d. *it kleare / reeë wurk
the ready ready work
The work that is done

The quantifier allinne alone, only can easily be used supplementively and appositively, and is banned attributively:

2
a. De widdo bleau allinne
the widow stayed alone
The widow remained alone
b. *De allinne widdo
the alone widow
The lonely widow
c. De widdo waard allinne nei it plysjeburo brocht
the widow was alone to the police office brought
The widow was brought to the police office alone
d. De widdo, allinne
the widow alone
The widow, alone

The adjective wei dead cannot be used supplementively, but appositive use is acceptable.

3
a. *Har man waard wei yn bêd fûn
her husband was dead in bed found
Her husband was found dead in bed
b. ?Har man, al oeren wei
her husband DCP hours dead
Her husband, dead for hours already

In the idiom braak lizze lie fallow, the AP cannot be used attributively, nor supplementively, and appositive use is marginal at best:

4
a. It lân leit braak
the land lies fallow
The land lies fallow
b. *It brake lân
the fallow land
Lit: The fallow land
c. *De boer ploegde it lân braak
the farmer ploughed the land fallow
The farmer ploughed the land fallow
d. ?It lân, al jierren braak, waard lang om let bebouwd
the land DCP years fallow was long at late cultivated
The land, (that had lain) fallow for years, was finally cultivated

Apparently, the AP forms an idiomatic combination in which the presence of the verb is indispensable. Correspondingly, analogues of the ungrammatical cases are perfect once the verb is added:

5
a. It braak lizzende lân
the fallow lying land
The fallow lying land
b. Amper braaklizzend waard it lân al wer bebouwd
hardly fallow.lying was the land DCP again cultivated
Hardly having lain fallow, the land was cultivated again
c. It lân, al jierren braaklizzend
the land already years fallow.lying
The land, already having lain fallow for years

In the idiom deilis wêze be at odds, the AP cannot be used attributively or supplementively, but appositive use seems acceptable. Apparently, wêze be is not an obligatory part of deilis wêze be at odds, unlike lizze lie in braak lizze lie fallow.

6
a. The buorlju binne deilis
the neighbours are at.odds
Lit: The neighbours are at odds
b. *De deilisse buorlju
the at.odds neighbours
The neighbours that are at odds
c. *De buorlju bestjoere de auto deilis
the neighbours drive the car at.odds
The neighbours drive the car at odds
d. ?De buorlju, al jierren deilis
the neighbours already years at.odds
The neighbours, already at odds for years

It is unclear, though, why no supplementive examples can be construed. It always seems to be the case that appositive use is more restricted than supplementive use. The adjective gelyk identical is used predicatively but not attributively:

7
a. Dy twa boesgroentsjes binne gelyk
those two shirts are identical
Those two shirts are identical
b. *Twa gelike boesgroentsjes
two identical shirts
Two identical shirts

The same applies to the adjective ûngelyk not identical. The adjective gelikens identical is used attributively, but not predicatively:

8
a. Twa gelikense boesgroentsjes
two identical shirts
Two identical shirts
b. *Dy twa boesgroentsjes binne gelikens
those two shirts are identical
Those two shirts are identical

The same remarks apply to the adjective ûngelikens not identical. The adjective lyk alike is used predicatively but not attributively:

9
a. De twa keaplju binne lyk
the two merchants are even
The two merchants are alike
b. *De twa like keaplju
the two even merchants
Lit: The two alike merchants

The supplementive construction only allows the form gelyk identical:

10
a. Ik ha de twa boesgroentsjes gelyk tekene
I have the two shirts identical drawn
I have drawn the two shirts as identical
b. *Ik ha de twa boesgroentsjes gelikens tekene
I have the two shirts identical drawn
I have drawn the two shirts as identical
c. *Ik ha de twa boesgroentsjes lyk tekene
I have the two shirts identical drawn
I have drawn the two shirts as identical

The appositive construction likewise has a preference for the form gelyk identical, as shown below:

11
a. De twa boesgroentsjes, wakker gelyk / lyk
the two shirts quite identical
The two shirts, quite identical
b. ?De twa boesgroentsjes, wakker lyk
the two shirts quite identical
The two shirts, quite identical
c. *De twa boesgroentsjes, wakker gelikens
the two shirts quite identical
The two shirts, quite identical

extra
Literature

More details can be found in Hoekstra (1988) and Tamminga (1963:160-164).

References
  • Hoekstra, Jarich1988Gelyk, gelikens, lykFriesch Dagblad05-03Taalsnipels 67
  • Tamminga, Douwe Annes1963Op 'e taelhelling. Losse trochsneden fan Frysk taellibben. IBoalsertA.J. Osinga
printreport errorcite