9. The noun. The category of article determination.

N – as a part of sp is singeled out on the basis of the following criteria:1) categ-al lexico-gram mng of substance & thinghness: concrete objects, human beings, animals2)Morph-al cat-s of number, case, gender, article determination) 3) typical w-building patterns (suffixation, compounding, conversion)

4)combinability: a) left-hand prep combinability with N, adj, v, adv, casal comb( N’s +N), contact comb(N+N)-stone wall constr(speech sound), comb with art & other determiners b)syntactic: subj, obj, other funct less typical.

Ns denoting things- nucleus of the fild, marginal-process, quality, abstract notions.

Classification : common/ proper; in/animate, un/countable, concrete/abstract

The category of article determination Art determination- binary opposition which contrasts the N with the def art against the N with ind/zero art. Peculiarities: 1)spelt separately from the N, 2)can be separated from N by other ws, 3)its position can be occupied by demonstr/ possessive pronoun 4)does not change grammatically 5)Art has its own meaning. Ind art – oneness, classification. Def art- definiteness, specification.

Zero article- meaningful absence of the article . before countable n-s in the Pl and uncoun , it has the classifying value, like the Ind art.

Art as a determine: definite(def art, demonstrative and possessive ptonoun, N’s) and indef (ind art, pronouns some, any, absence of any determine). In discussing the use of art it is essential to distinguish btw specific and generic function. Art help to structure information (theme-def art rheme-ind art)

10.The adjective. The category of degree of comparison

The adjective expresses the categorial semantics of property of a substance (either permanent or temporary). It presupposes relation to some noun the property of whose referent it denotes (material, colour, dimension, position, state, etc.). Semantically adj-s fall into 2 groups: qualitative (desctiptive and limiting) and relative Form: invariable, but some form degrees of comparison( for qualitative adj.).

As for Derivational features: typically, suffixation and pref: -ful, -less, -ish, -un, -un, -

Combinability: nouns both preceding and occasionally following them; with link-verbs (functional and notional); with modifying adverbs (very large)

Function: either an attribute or a predicative , an objective predicative (painted the door green).

The class of adj can be represented as lex-gram field of adj. the centre is constituted by those adj that possess a lex-gram mng of non-temporal properties, have degrees of comparison, can be used attributively and predicatively. Adj which lack one or more of these defining characteristics form the periphery of the lex-gram field of adj.

There are three degrees of comparison: positive (or absolute), comparative and superlative. There is the problem of the analytical forms of comparison.

an analytical form: 1) The actual mng of formations like more difficult, (the) most difficult does not differ from that of the degrees of compar larger, (the) largest. 2) Qualitative adj, like diff, express properties which may be present in diff degrees, and therefore they are bound to have degrees of comparison.

a free phrase: 1) The words more and most have not lost their ;ex mng, e.g. more time, most people, etc. 2) they can be contrasted to the words less\least. there are also the phrases less difficult, (the) least difficult, and there is no sufficient reason saying that more difficult is an analytical form, while less difficult is not. Besides, the very fact that more and less, (the) most and (the) least can equally well combine with difficult, would seem to show that they are free phrases and none of them is an analytical form

There are 3 ways of forming the comparative and the superlative degrees: synthetic, analytical and suppletive. Synthetic: suffix –er to the comparative degree and the suffix -est to the superl degr.

Analytical: comp word more, the superlative ― most:

Suppletive (Irregular):good ― better ― best

Amd mau be substantivized -become nouns by conversion (zero-derivation) => adjs acquire some morphological charact of N: sg or pl,used with or without an art & other determiners

Adjectivization of nouns -N becoming adj. A N may stand before another N & modify it: stone wall, speech sound.