neuterattributive

Neuterattributive is a linguistic term used to describe the attributive use of neuter gender in languages that mark nouns for grammatical gender. An attributive element, typically an adjective or determiner, appears directly before a noun and must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case. When the noun is neuter, the attributive form takes the neuter inflection, producing endings that differ from those used with masculine or feminine nouns. The specific endings depend on the language and its declension pattern.

In German, for example, attributive adjectives show gender- and article-dependent endings. With a definite article, neuter nominative singular yields das kleine Kind (neuter, “the little child”), where -e is the weak ending for the adjective. With an indefinite article, ein kleines Kind shows the mixed/strong pattern, producing -es in neuter nominative. Similar distinctions occur across other Germanic languages, reflecting the broader system of attributive agreement.

Swedish provides another illustration: a neuter noun such as hus often takes an attributive adjective in the neuter form, as in ett stort hus (“a large house”), where the adjective takes a distinct neuter ending in the singular. In languages without a neuter category or with fewer concord rules, such as English, attributive adjectives do not inflect for gender, making the notion of a neuter attributive less prominent.

Overall, neuterattributive describes how neuter-noun phrases realize agreement through adjective or determiner inflection in languages with grammatical gender. It contrasts with predicative use (where the adjective follows a linking verb) and with languages that lack obligatory gender agreement.