adjectivedeterminer

Adjectivedeterminer is a term used in some linguistic traditions to describe a word class that can function both as an adjective and as a determiner. Such words can modify a noun directly and, within the noun phrase, help determine reference or quantity. In practice, they commonly appear in attributive position immediately before the noun.

English examples often cited as adjectivedeterminers include demonstratives like this, these, that, those; and quantifiers such as many, several, some, any, all. Words like such and enough are also discussed as having dual behavior in some analyses. The same item may be analyzed as a determiner in one framework and as an attributive adjective in another; some grammars treat these words as a subcategory of determiners, others as a subset of adjectives.

Semantic function: Adjectivedeterminers convey reference (this book), quantity (many options), or type/degree (such extreme measures). They typically participate in the noun phrase and can often co-occur with other adjectives, though their primary role is to specify reference or quantity rather than to describe inherent properties of the noun.

Syntactic position and behavior: They usually occupy the pre-noun position and may not have a separate predicative use in the same way as ordinary adjectives, depending on the theoretical framework. In some languages, the distinction between adjectives and determiners is clearer, while in others these functions merge.

Cross-linguistic perspective: The boundary between adjectives and determiners varies by language. Some languages have a dedicated determiner class with clear morphology, while others rely on adjectives with determiner-like semantics or use determiners that resemble adjectives in form.

See also: Determiner, Adjective, Quantifier, Demonstrative, Attributive.