Noun-Modifying Adjectives In Hpsg

This paper proposes an analysis of adjectival constructions in HPSG, focussing on the behaviour of adjectives in NP, and develops an account of the familiar observation that adjectives without complements typically precede the noun, while those with complements or post-modifiers typically follow the noun. 1. INTRODUCTION Adjectives in English appear in a number of different contexts, including the following: (1) a. a tall person pre-nominal b. a person fond of children post-nominal c. a hard to pronounce name `complex As' d. a hard problem to solve `hard nuts' e. somebody interesting indefinite pronouns f. too good a chance to miss `big messes' (2) a. Sam is guilty. subject complement b. They consider Sam guilty. object complement/small-clause c. They hammered the metal flat. resultative d. Sam drinks beer cold. depictive e. Drunk, Sam came in, and fell over. free adjunct f. With Sam drunk, the problem was compounded. absolutive (1) are sometimes (misleadingly) called `attributive' us..