Typological Database of the Volga-Kama Finno-Ugric Languages

(Komi-Permyak)

AdjNoNSuff / AdjNoN=Adj

AdjNoNSuff: Adjectives can appear without a noun; this requires the use of a nominalizer suffix.

AdjNoN=Adj: Adjectives can appear without a noun; the bare adjective appears with no morphological change.

(1)	eta	görd	jörnös.
	this	red	shirt
	’This is a red shirt.’ (L. P.)

(2)	görd-ys	pyzan	vylyn.
	red‑3SG	table	on
	’The red one is on the table.’ (V. E.)

(3)	– köd-ö	bośt-a-n?
	which‑ACC	take‑PRS‑2SG
	– görd-sö.
	red‑ACC.3SG
	’– Which would you like? – The red one.’ (L. P.)

– kyčöm	röm	te	śörti	med-basök?
which	colour	you	from	SUPERL‑nice
– śöd.
black
’– Which do you think the nicest colour is? – Black.’ (V. E.)

In Komi-Permyak there is no sharp boundary between nominal and adjectival word categories (cf. Batalova 2002: 63–76). Adjectives in functions associated with nouns (subject, object, adverbial) usually take a possessive suffix that can also be analyzed as a definite article (2)–(3) (L. P.). Alternatively, such adjectives can be used without this suffix as well (4).

Author: Nikolett F. Gulyás

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