Difference between revisions of "Agreement in Norwegian noun phrases"

Revision as of 23:30, 1 December 2015

In the pattern:

  Det		Adj		N

both the determiner and the adjective agree with the noun with respect to gender, number and definiteness:

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

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

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

d     Det [Sing]		Adj [Sing]		N [Sing]

e     Det [Plur]	        Adj [Plur]	        N [Plur]

f     Det [Definite]		Adj [Definite]		 N [Definite]

g     Det [Indefinite]	        Adj [Indefinite]	 N [Indefinite]
		

The forms used in these patterns are not always distinct from those in other patterns, as shown below. Moreover, the words or forms carrying these types of information often carry more than one type of information at the same time, so that one phrase normally exemplifies three patterns combined. The following are examples of such combined patterns:

Masculine+Singular+Indefinite (a+d+g):  en snill gutt

Feminine+Singular+Indefinite ( b+d+g): ei snill jente

Neuter+Singular+Indefinite (c+d+g):  et stort hus

Masculine+Singular+Definite (a+d+f): den snille gutten

Feminine+Singular+Definite (b+d+f):  den snille jenta

Neuter+Singular+Definite (c+d+f):  det store huset

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

Below we show the sentences with glossing showing each part of the words:

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: -Ø

with a feminine singular noun: -Ø or –a

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.)