Adjective Ordering

This section discusses the ordering constraints (or lack thereof) when multiple modifiers layer on a noun.

In typical citation form as well as in clausal context, modifiers follow the noun they modify. (There is one instance of the noun following the verb: ga'am omosu koor "I saw the handsome man". However, this is the only such occurrence, and it may be possible due to some information-structure principles.) That is the only ordering constraint, since in cases with multiple modifiers, there is no ordering rule amongst the modifiers.

<gl id="ex1" fontsize=12> \gll xa- degit xa- ɗaq xa- pelu xa- maak xa- ʃokolaat xe pl-Cl pieces pl-Cl two pl-Cl good pl-Cl big pl-Cl chocolate Det \trans two delicious big pieces of chocolate </gl>

<gl id="ex2" fontsize=12> \gll xa- degit xa- ɗaq xa- maak xa- pelu xa- ʃokolaat xe pl-Cl pieces pl-Cl two pl-Cl big pl-Cl good pl-Cl chocolate Det \trans two big delicious pieces of chocolate </gl>

The following illustrates not only the free relative ordering of adjectives in the noun phrase, but also the free positioning of the adverb in the clause (as is clear in 4, see Adverbs for more details):

'He quickly eats [two delicious sour fruit].'

 1. añofa ñaam [xaɓiy xapodaxu xaɗaq]		‘He hurries and eats... ’
 2. añofa ñaam [xaɓiy xaɗaq xapodax oxe]	'He hurries and eats...'
 3. añaama ñofu [xaɓiy xapodaxu xaɗaq]		‘He eats hurriedly...’
 4. añaama [xabiy xaɗaq xapodaxu] ñofu		‘He eats...hurriedly’

The modification chain may include both -u modifiers and na modifiers, but not intermixed:

<gl id="ex1" fontsize=12> \gll xa- ɓii xa- ɗaq xa- mbel na xa- mbodax na pl-Cl fruit pl-Cl two pl-Cl good Rel det-prox sour Rel \trans two fruits that are good that are sour. </gl>

Numeral ordering

In the post-nominal ordering of adjectives, numerals can appear in any position in the modifier chain, as long as it stays within the noun phrase. The expressions in (1) are noun phrases but in (2) they are clauses. Nevertheless, in (2) the numeral quantifier remains within the noun phrase:

(1)

 xaɓiy xaɗaq xapelu xapodax axe		        ‘the two delicious sour fruits’
 xaɓiy xapelu xapodax xaɗaq axe
 xaɓiy xaɗaq xapodax xapelu axe

(2)

 [xaɓiy xaɗaq xapel oxe] ambodaxa		‘the two delicious fruit are sour’
 [xaɓiy xapel oxe xaɗaq] ambodaxa
 [xaɓiy xapel xaɗaq oxe] ambodaxa

(3)

 rew daduk mosu xoƈu we                         'the three beautiful women'
 rew daduk xoƈu mosu we
 rew mosu xoƈu daduk we
 rew xoƈu mosu daduk we
 rew xoƈu daduk mosu we

See Numerals for details on the morphophonemics of numerals.

Oana 09:31, 14 December 2012 (UTC)