Adjectivity

Adjectivity is a linguistic concept describing the property and behavior of words or elements that function as adjectives within a language. Words with adjectival status typically modify nouns or noun phrases, contribute attributive meaning, and often appear in predicative position after linking verbs (for example, the apple is red).

Core features of adjectivity include syntactic position, agreement, and degree. In many languages, adjectives appear before or after the noun they modify and may agree with the noun in gender, number, or case. In English, adjectives generally do not inflect for agreement and can occupy attributive positions (red car) or predicative positions (the car is red). Adjectives can be gradable, allowing degree modification (very tall), though some adjectives exhibit non-gradable or restricted gradability (perfect, complete).

Adjectivity also interacts with other word classes. Some languages distinguish adjectives from related categories such as stative verbs, participles, or numerals, while others treat certain forms as adjectives by function or syntax rather than by strict class membership. In addition, many languages employ adjectival phrases, comparative or superlative forms, and agreement morphology to express modification. Some languages place adjectives before the noun, others after, and several permit both positions with subtle meaning differences.

Cross-linguistic variation is a central concern in adjectivity. Typological studies examine how languages encode agreement, noun-adjective order, and the extent to which adjectives participate in inflectional systems. They also explore adjectival derivation, where adjectives form from other parts of speech, and the interface between adjectives and determiner systems.

In summary, adjectivity encompasses the behavior, structure, and typology of adjectives as a grammatical category, including how they modify nouns, participate in predication, and vary across languages.