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Difference between revisions of "Agreement in Norwegian noun phrases"

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     a    '''Det''' '''[Masc]''' '''Adj''' '''[Masc'''] '''N''' ['''Masc''']
 
     a    '''Det''' '''[Masc]''' '''Adj''' '''[Masc'''] '''N''' ['''Masc''']
 
If one item is feminine gender, they all are:
 
If one item is feminine gender, they all are:
     b    '''Det [Fem]                 Adj [Fem]         N [Fem]'''
+
     b    '''Det [Fem]         Adj [Fem]         N [Fem]'''
 
And if one item is neuter gender, they all are:
 
And if one item is neuter gender, they all are:
 
     c    '''Det [Neut]         Adj [Neut]         N [Neut]'''
 
     c    '''Det [Neut]         Adj [Neut]         N [Neut]'''
Line 21: Line 21:
 
     e    '''Det [Plur]         Adj [Plur]         N [Plur]'''
 
     e    '''Det [Plur]         Adj [Plur]         N [Plur]'''
  
The third marked property is that of definiteness, and if we distinguish just between 'definite' and 'indefinite', then the same 'all-with-one' pattern obtains:
+
The third marked property is that of definiteness, and if we distinguish just between 'definite' and 'indefinite', then the same 'all-with-one' patterns obtain:
  
 
     f    '''Det [Definite] Adj [Definite] N [Definite]'''
 
     f    '''Det [Definite] Adj [Definite] N [Definite]'''
Line 27: Line 27:
 
     g    '''Det [Indefinite]         Adj [Indefinite] N [Indefinite]'''
 
     g    '''Det [Indefinite]         Adj [Indefinite] N [Indefinite]'''
 
 
 
 
As explained in [[The Noun Phrase - Norwegian]], there normally is at most one 'morph' - that is, word part - which signals any of these properties, and when it does, this morph can then signal many of them. That means that in any given sequence 'Det - Adj - N', normally an instance of all of the patterns mentioned show up simultaneously. We willustrate this first in a condensed manner, and then such that you can see exactly which morph carries what information. First, then, we list examples of the eight combinations that are possible:
+
As explained in [[The Noun Phrase - Norwegian]], there normally is at most one 'morph' - that is, word-part - which signals any of these properties in a given word, and when it does, this morph can signal more than one of them. That means that in any given sequence 'Det - Adj - N', the pattern of agreeing Det, Adj and N shows up for all the three dimensions simultaneously. We list examples of the twelve combinations that are possible:
  
  Masculine+Singular+Indefinite (a+d+g):  ''en snill gutt''
+
  Masculine+Singular+Indefinite (a+d+g):  ''en snill gutt'' ('a kind boy')
  
  Feminine+Singular+Indefinite ( b+d+g): ''ei snill jente''
+
  Feminine+Singular+Indefinite ( b+d+g): ''ei snill jente'' ('a kind girl')
  
  Neuter+Singular+Indefinite (c+d+g):  ''et stort hus''
+
  Neuter+Singular+Indefinite (c+d+g):  ''et stort hus'' ('a big house')
  
  Masculine+Singular+Definite (a+d+f): ''den snille gutten''
+
  Masculine+Singular+Definite (a+d+f): ''den snille gutten'' ('the kind boy')
  
  Feminine+Singular+Definite (b+d+f):  ''den snille jenta''
+
  Feminine+Singular+Definite (b+d+f):  ''den snille jenta'' ('the kind girl')
  
  Neuter+Singular+Definite (c+d+f):  ''det store huset''
+
  Neuter+Singular+Definite (c+d+f):  ''det store huset'' ('the big house')
  
 
  Masculine+Plural+Indefinite (a+e+g): ''noen snille gutter''
 
  Masculine+Plural+Indefinite (a+e+g): ''noen snille gutter''
Line 53: Line 53:
 
  Feminine+Plural+Definite (c+e+f): ''de store husene''
 
  Feminine+Plural+Definite (c+e+f): ''de store husene''
  
Below we show the sentences with glossing showing the contribution of each part of the words:
+
We then illustrate such that you can see exactly which morph carries which information:
  
  

Revision as of 17:42, 7 December 2015

This page serves for quick reference related to A Norwegian Grammar Sparrer.

For a broader exposition of the noun and noun phrase, see The Noun Phrase - Norwegian.


In the pattern:

               Det(erminer)	Adj(ective)	N(oun)

all three items have to agree with each other with respect to gender, number and definiteness (and when only two occur, they of course need to agree). So, if one item is masculine gender, they all are:

    a     Det [Masc]		Adj [Masc]		N [Masc]

If one item is feminine gender, they all are:

    b     Det [Fem]	        Adj [Fem]	        N [Fem]

And if one item is neuter gender, they all are:

    c     Det [Neut]	        Adj [Neut]	        N [Neut]

For number it is the same thing - if one item is singular, they all are, and likewise if one of them is plural:

    d     Det [Sing]		Adj [Sing]		N [Sing]
or
    e     Det [Plur]	        Adj [Plur]	        N [Plur]

The third marked property is that of definiteness, and if we distinguish just between 'definite' and 'indefinite', then the same 'all-with-one' patterns obtain:

    f     Det [Definite]		Adj [Definite]		 N [Definite]
or
    g     Det [Indefinite]	        Adj [Indefinite]	 N [Indefinite]
		

As explained in The Noun Phrase - Norwegian, there normally is at most one 'morph' - that is, word-part - which signals any of these properties in a given word, and when it does, this morph can signal more than one of them. That means that in any given sequence 'Det - Adj - N', the pattern of agreeing Det, Adj and N shows up for all the three dimensions simultaneously. We list examples of the twelve combinations that are possible:

Masculine+Singular+Indefinite (a+d+g):  en snill gutt ('a kind boy')
Feminine+Singular+Indefinite ( b+d+g): ei snill jente ('a kind girl')
Neuter+Singular+Indefinite (c+d+g):  et stort hus ('a big house')
Masculine+Singular+Definite (a+d+f): den snille gutten ('the kind boy')
Feminine+Singular+Definite (b+d+f):  den snille jenta ('the kind girl')
Neuter+Singular+Definite (c+d+f):  det store huset ('the big house')
Masculine+Plural+Indefinite (a+e+g): noen snille gutter
Feminine+Plural+Indefinite (b+e+g): noen snille jenter
Neuter+Plural+Indefinite (c+e+g): noen store hus
Masculine+Plural+Definite (a+e+f): de snille guttene
Feminine+Plural+Definite (b+e+f): de snille jentene
Feminine+Plural+Definite (c+e+f): de store husene

We then illustrate such that you can see exactly which morph carries which information:


en snill gutt.
en
en
INDEFSGMASC
ART
snill
snill
kindINDEFSG
ADJ
gutt
gutt
boyMASC
N
ei snill jente.
ei
ei
INDEFFEMSG
ART
snill
snill
kindINDEFSG
ADJ
jente
jente
girlFEM
N
et stort hus.
et
et
INDEFNEUTSG
ART
stort
stort
largeINDEFNEUTSG
ADJ
hus
hus
houseNEUT
N
den snille gutten.
den
den
DEFMASCSG
DET
snille
snille
kindDEF
ADJ
gutten
gutten
boyMASCDEFMASCSG
N
den snille jenta.
den
den
DEFFEMSG
DET
snille
snille
kindDEF
ADJ
jenta
jenta
girlFEMDEFFEMSG
N
det store huset.
det
det
DEFNEUTSG
DET
store
store
largeDEF
ADJ
huset
huset
houseNEUTDEFNEUTSG
N
noen snille gutter.
noen
noen
PLINDEF
QUANT
snille
snille
kindPL
ADJ
gutter
gutter
boyMASCINDEFPLMASC
N
noen snille jenter.
noen
noen
somePLINDEF
QUANT
snille
snille
kindPLINDEF
ADJ
jenter
jenter
girlINDEFPL
N
noen store hus.
noen
noen
somePLINDEF
QUANT
store
store
 PL
ADJ
hus
hus
NEUTPLINDEF
N
de snille guttene.
de
de
PLDEF
DET
snille
snille
kindPLDEF
ADJ
guttene
guttene
boyMASCPLDEF
N
de snille jentene.
de
de
PLDEF
DET
snille
snille
kindPLDEF
ADJ
jentene
jentene
girlFEMPLDEF
N
de store husene.
de
de
PLDEF
DET
store
store
largePLDEF
ADJ
husene
husene
houseNEUTPLDEF
N


We now comment on the forms that can fill the slots exemplified:

Determiners

Determiners as a category comprise articles, demonstrative pronouns and quantifiers. Some of these items are listed below, in the required forms relative to the specification of the noun:

Occurring with a masculine noun

when ‘indefinite singular’: en (article), noen (quantifier, countable), noe (quantifier, non-countable), hver (univ. quantifier), all (quantifier, non-countable)

when ‘indefinite plural’: noen (quantifier), alle (univ.quantifier), ), begge (univ. quantifier for two), disse (demonstrative)

when ‘definite singular’ : den (article or demonstrative), all (quantifier, non-countable), denne (demonstrative)

when ‘definite plural’.: de (article or demonstrative), alle (univ.quantifier), begge (univ. quantifier for two), disse (demonstrative)


Occurring with a feminine noun

– same as for masculine, except for using indefinite singular ei rather then en.


Occurring with a neuter noun

when ‘indefinite singular’: et (article), noe (quantifier, countable), noe (quantifier, non-countable), hvert (univ. quantifier), alt (quantifier, non-countable)

when ‘indefinite plural’: noen (quantifier), alle (univ.quantifier), ), begge (univ. quantifier for two), disse (demonstrative)

when ‘definite singular’ : det (article or demonstrative), alt (quantifier, non-countable), dette (demonstrative)

when ‘definite plural’.: de (article or demonstrative), alle (univ.quantifier), begge (univ. quantifier for two), disse (demonstrative)

The constellations where a (definite) article or demonstrative occurs together with a definite form of the noun (singular or plural) is generally referred to as ‘double definiteness’. Since these manifestations of 'definiteness' can in principle occur independently of each other, we need to distinguish between noun-definiteness and det-definiteness, the former residing in the definite noun suffix, the latter in a definite article, a demonstrative or - to be seen below - a genitive.


Adjectives

When an adjective occurs in the ‘definite’ pattern, it has a so-called weak form, ending in –e.

In the strong form, i.e., when occurring in the indefinite pattern, the adjective has the following inflections:

with a masculine singular noun:

with a feminine singular noun:

with a neuter singular noun: -t

with a plural noun, any gender: -e

(As may be be noted, weak form and strong plural form are identical.)

Adjectives ending in -a generally have in all forms.