[log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> Johanna Rubba wrote:
>
> > ...Subject-complement attributes in English are expressed as
> > adjective phrases (exclusively?).
>
> Johanna:
>
> I'm not sure I understand this.  Aren't all three of the following subject
> complements?
>
>   * Elvis is dead. (adjective phrase)
>   * Elvis is a deceased musician. (noun phrase)
>   * Elvis is in Rock 'N Roll Heaven. (adverbial phrase)
>
> Could you clarify?
>
> Dick Veit

I was distinguishing attributes from either locations or noun phrases. I
guess in this case I mean 'qualities' or 'features' of the person, such
as 'dead'. I think English codes these as adjective phrases when they
are subject complements, but I'm not sure if that is an absolute rule.
(In other words, I'm saying that noun phrases and adverbial phrases
don't express attributes; I'm giving a narrow definition to 'attribute'.)

In your last example, the adv. phrase would be a locative expression. I
don't feel that these are subject complements; I think they modify the
verb 'is', similar to time adverbials like 'the test is Thursday'.

Does that make more sense?

Johanna

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Johanna Rubba   Assistant Professor, Linguistics
English Department, California Polytechnic State University
One Grand Avenue  • San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Tel. (805)-756-2184  •  Fax: (805)-756-6374 • Dept. Phone.  756-259
• E-mail: [log in to unmask] •  Home page: http://www.calpoly.edu/~jrubba
                                       **
"Understanding is a lot like sex; it's got a practical purpose,
but that's not why people do it normally"  -            Frank  Oppenheimer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~