Saigudfin

Hello, Saigudfin, and welcome to the Simple English Wiktionary!

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Good luck and happy editing! --Brett (talk) 16:09, 9 July 2019 (UTC)

Keeping it simple

Thank you for your recent edits! Despite its use in CGEL, the term compound determinative is not likely to be understood by the target audience of this wiktionary. Similarly, explanations like "used to introduce non-finite and verbless clauses" are not likely to be understood by the target audience of this wiktionary. Please, go through your recent edits and revert or simplify as needed.--Brett (talk) 16:14, 9 July 2019 (UTC)

Do you call sufficient an adjective only? See CGEL 396 page. It belongs to both adjective and determinative category. Saigudfin (talk) 05:25, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

Format of examples

One more thing. Please, italicize examples, and avoid multiplying examples that do not exemplify significantly different uses or collocations.--Brett (talk) 16:23, 9 July 2019 (UTC)

Keeping it simple

Thank you. I will keep them as simple as possible. While creating or editing pages, I will follow modern grammar (CaGEL). A lot of learners are looking for a good modern dictionary, but no dictionary explains according to the concept of modern grammar except this one. I don't want to misguide anyone. Function and category should be clear. I have seen someone mistakingly add the function level determiner. Modifier ends with er and determiner ends with er. So, they both belong to function. Adjective ends with ive and determinative ends with ive. So, they both belong to category. Saigudfin (talk) 19:00, 9 July 2019 (UTC)

Your motivation is good, but it is not a mistake to use the term determiner. Teminological choices vary. Even though CGEL uses determiner for the function and determinative for the category, most dictionaries make the terminological choice to use determiner for the category. This is neither modern nor traditional. It's merely a choice, in the way that people differ about the words they use for soda/pop/soft drink or sneakers/runners/running shoes. Please, revert all the determinative changes you've made to determiner.--Brett (talk) 19:30, 9 July 2019 (UTC)

Keeping it simple

OK. I am gonna revert them. All I wanted is to use terminology following CGEL. This is the only one grammar that I find logical. I don't know if there is any grammar that uses fused-determiner model. For example - Few are chosen. CGEL calls few a determinative here, but the others call it a pronoun. In Simple English Dictionary, you are calling it a determiner, not pronoun. That is, your are following CGEL too, but not using terminology the way CGEL does. Isn't this a type of mixture?

If we are to use the term "determiner", then it is much better to call it a pronoun. This is exactly what other grammarians call it. They don't use fused-head model. What's wrong if we follow a single framework? Saigudfin (talk) 04:37, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

Thank you for your cooperation and for your interest in getting things right!

I'm very familiar with CGEL, and to a very large extent, the categories here follow those in CGEL with some very minor exceptions. For example, once, twice, etc. are not determinatives in CGEL, but in a later paper, Huddleston, Payne, and Pullum reanalyzed them as determinatives, and so here they are grouped with the other determinatives. Another exception is to as a highly defective auxiliary verb, as per Pullum's analysis.

Following the CGEL analysis, however, does not compel us to follow the CGEL terminology. We could call CGEL's "determinatives" something like "group 3 words" or "specifiers" or anything really. Labels are not definitions.

The CGEL analysis of few as a determinative functioning as a fused determiner-head is compelling, and I see no reason to ignore it, thus putting few in the same group as you. It should be categorized as a determiner under our terminology.--Brett (talk) 12:16, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

Preposition

In this dictionary, up is called an adjective. I quote an example "It is an up day". Why do you call it an adjective? Is it because it is a modifier of the noun "day"? In that case, it can be called a prepositional phrase functioning as a modifier, can't it? What's the use of calling it an adjective? The meaning of 'up' is positive. Does this meaning motive you to call it an adjective? But it will be problem then, bringing semantics in syntax analysis. Saigudfin (talk) 15:37, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

See my reply on my talk page.--Brett (talk) 17:26, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

Traditional vs Modern

We Bangladeshis don't act like this.

I know that we is a determinative here. What's wrong if we analyze we as a pronoun and call Bangladeshis an apposition? In fact, traditional grammar calls it a pronoun Saigudfin (talk) 02:27, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

The word 'we' functions as a dependent rather than a head. If we analyze it as a pronoun, then 'we' functions as a head. Victor Bob (talk) 02:23, 28 January 2023 (UTC)