The typology of adjective linkage: Relating NPs to VPs

Adjectives have the logical options of being used predicatively or attributively as well as being conjoined syndetically or asyndetically. Moreover, attributive adjectives may occur prenominally and/or postnominally. On the basis of a sample of fifty-three languages, an analysis is performed of the interaction of syntactic function/position and type of linkage. While predicative adjectives generally prefer syndetic linkage, attributive adjectives are more open to juxtaposition. Further, postnominal attributive adjectives are more likely to be syndetically linked than prenominal ones are. The following adjective use types can be arranged from left to right on a scale of increasing sentence-likeness, which is termed ‘syntacticity’: prenominal attributive > postnominal attributive > predicative. An implicational universal is formulated to the effect that if two left-hand adjectives are syndetically linked, two adjectives to their right on the scale will be also. An attraction model is proposed which is based on the notion that like attracts like. The relevant dimension of similarity is syntacticity. The more similar the syntacticity values, the higher the probability of attraction. Because syndetic linkage is more syntactic than the asyndetic type, predicative adjectives are most likely, postnominal attributive adjectives less likely, and prenominal attributive adjectives least likely to be syndetically linked.