Keeleadjektiv

Keeleadjektiv, often translated as language adjective, is a grammatical category comprising adjectives that modify a noun to signal the language in which the noun is written, spoken, or studied, or the linguistic variety it represents. They are used to attribute language identity to objects, disciplines, or activities, for example in phrases like English literature, French grammar, or German history.

In usage, keeleadjektiv can function as part of a compound noun phrase and may carry different morphosyntactic properties depending on the language. In English, language adjectives are typically invariable and do not change for number or gender. In languages with richer agreement systems, the keeleadjektiv may inflect to agree with the noun in gender, number, or case, reflecting broader typological patterns of adjective agreement.

Formation and typology vary across languages. Some keeleadjektiv are formed from country names or ethnonyms (French, German), while others come from native terms for languages (English, Español). The same word can serve as a demonym for people, a name for a language, or both, depending on context, which can lead to ambiguity without additional cues.

Distinctions are often drawn between language adjectives and related concepts such as demonyms or endonyms, though overlap is common. Keeleadjektiv are a cross-linguistic phenomenon central to how languages encode linguistic affiliation and origin within noun phrases.

See also: Adjective, Demonym, Endonym, Language, Linguistic typology.