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Not predicative, not partitive
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The following types of adjectives occur neither in the predicative construction nor in the partitive construction:

  • geographical adjectives in -er
  • substance adjectives like houten wooden
  • emotional evaluative relative adjectives
  • superlatives

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Geographical adjectives in -er (the suffix has been glossed as GEO) are excluded both from the predicative construction and from the partitive construction. (1c) shows that they are grammatical in the attributive construction:

1
a. *Dat is Ljouwert-er
that is Leeuwarden.GEO
that is something typical from Leeuwarden
b. *Wat Ljouwert-er-s
something Leeuwarden.GEO.PA
that is something typical from Leeuwarden
c. In Ljouwert-er dokter
a Leeuwarden.GEO physician
A physician from Leeuwarden

Substance adjectives are excluded both from the predicative construction and from the partitive construction. (2c) shows that they are grammatical in the attributive construction:

2
a. *Dat is houten
that is wooden
That is made from wood
b. *Wat houtens
something wood
Something made from wood
c. In houten ramt
a wooden frame
A wooden frame

Emotional evaluative relative adjectives are excluded both from the predicative construction and from the partitive construction. (3c) shows that they are grammatical in the attributive construction:

3
a. *Dat is dealsk / ferdomd / blikstiender
that is devilish damned lightning
That is devilish / damned / informal
b. *Wat dealsks / ferdomds/ blikstienders
something devilish damned lightning
Something devilish / damned / informal
c. In dealskse / ferdomde / blikstienderse jonge
a devilish damned lightning boy
A devilish / damned / informal boy

Superlatives are excluded both from the predicative construction and from the partitive construction. (4c) shows that they are grammatical in the attributive construction:

4
a. ?Dat ding is grienst
that thing is green.SUP
That thing is the greenest
b. *Wat grien-st-s
something green.SUP.PA
Something greenest
c. It grienste ding
the green.SUP thing
The greenest thing

Comparatives are not excluded from either the predicative or the partitive construction:

5
a. Dat ding is griener
that thing is green.CPR
That thing is greener
b. Wat grien-er-s
something green.CPR.PA
Something greener

Note that superlatives also fail to occur with the zero-inflection that is triggered in attributive position with neuter, indefinite nouns; however, superlatives prefixed with alder- may show up there:

6
a. *In grien-st fjild
a green.SUP field
The greenest field
b. In alder-grien-st fjild
a ALDER.green.SUP field
The greenest possible field

Nevertheless, prefixed superlatives also fail to occur as partitives:

7
*Wat alder-grien-st
something ALDER.green.SUP
Something greenest

Some types of adjectives not normally occurring in predicate position can in marginal cases occur there, with a slight meaning shift, and in those cases they can marginally occur in the partitive adjective construction. Examples include time adjectives like wykliks weekly, jierliks yearly, modal adjectives like eventueel possible, potensjeel potential. On the whole, adjectives occurring in the partitive adjective construction tend to have a set-denoting meaning. Adjectives like iennich unique, exceptional, only can only be used in the partitive adjective in their set-denoting meaning ( unique, exceptional), not in their quantificational interpretation ( only).

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