Scott,
Some recent work in this area (in Italy) calls the natural order of adjectives in the noun phrase its cartography. The grammarian tries different orders to determine the natural order of classification. Hence you might try to make a maximal stretch of adjectives like:
She sold her a certain expensive charming large square ancient green hand woven Armenian carpet at auction.
In this noun phrase there is a ranking of the eight features: origin, style, color, age, shape, size, appeal, and value. The the possible adjective orders map to a scalar value of rank. Such adjectives as classify measures, e.gg., capacity, weight, volume, length, width, etc., might all share the same rank as size. Examples of some even farther from these eight are: sixteenth, equal, similar, chief, which come first (opposite order as given). The investigator tries different orders for pairs of adjectives and determines what the most natural ranking is a step at a time. When two adjectives fall in the same rank, they characterize it as belonging to that particular class. If the order is not natural, or the adjectives fall into the same rank, then a comma is required; sort of like a pause to adjust the thinking relative to their classification.
In my paraphrastic grammar I call this adjective accumulation. The structure of the noun phrase is recursively left-branching. There is a similar phenomenon with the natural ordering of adverbials, but in a right-branching structure. Just for fun I made up a very long sentence with both kinds of accumulation (not advisable, but kinda fun):
"The unique $46,000 92 degree hot uncomfortable large 5-foot by 5-foot by 15-foot two ton almost 12 year old broken-down square open deep dark green American steel Hummer was driven flawlessly by a professional at 6 miles an hour and 3 thousand revolutions per minute for a dozen miles on Route 66 from Albuquerque to the junction twice for four hours on Monday from 8:00 a. m. till noon."
- my troublesome, sweet sister
- my troublesome sweet tooth
In 1, both "troublesome" and "sweet" modify "sister." My sister is troublesome but sweet.
In 2, "sweet" modifies "tooth," and "troublesome" modifies "sweet tooth." My sweet tooth is troublesome.
When two or more adjectives (as in 1) modify a noun in parallel, they are separated by commas. When one adjective modifies a phrase that contains an adjective (as in 2), no comma is used.
Other examples:
- a tall, dark, handsome stranger [tall & dark & handsome] stranger
- the best inexpensive Italian restaurant the [best [inexpensive [Italian restaurant]]]
Dick
On Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 12:38 PM, Scott Woods
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Dear List,
The following phrases seem different to me:
my beautiful gray Persian cat
my large black leather coat
my large gray Persian cat
my beautiful black leather coat
my old sad mangy cat
my sweet old Irish grandmother
my beautiful Irish linen tablecloth
Some of these need commas between some of the adjectives, but others seem not to. Do you agree? How can this be explained?
Thanks,
Scott Woods
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