Abstract
This article studies the function of Copular Predicate Constructions in everyday English conversation. We compare predicate adjective constructions (PA) and constructions with a predicate nominal containing an adjective (PAN). We ask whether the attributive function of the adjective or the presence of a noun in the PAN leads to a difference in function in the two constructions. We propose that in most cases the adjective determines the function of the construction, leading to many parallels in usage between the PA and PAN constructions. A comparison with predicate nominal constructions (PN), in contrast, shows that not including an adjective in the constructions leads to a different set of meanings and implications. The conversational usage of these constructions provides evidence for a partial correspondence of form to function: Copular Predicate Constructions often constitute a complete turn in conversation, and if not a full turn, form their own prosodic units. Other properties of these constructions—the definiteness of the NP and the presence or absence of a N—correspond to different interactional work. A comparison of all three constructions shows that the adjective plays a determining interactional role, despite differences in syntactic configuration.
Highlights
Clauses with non-verbal predicates have long been of interest in functional and typological linguistics (e.g., Hengeveld 1992; Overall et al 2018; Dixon [1970] 2010; Narahara 2002; Clements 2006)
This article addresses this question by considering a pair of English constructions built around the copula, those in which the predicate is an Adjective or an Adjective + Noun
Focusing on these two constructions highlights the traditional distinction between the attributive and predicative roles that adjectives can play in a clause, as the predicate adjective constructions (PA) is predicative and the adjective within the predicate nominal containing an adjective (PAN) is in an attributive construction
Summary
Clauses with non-verbal predicates have long been of interest in functional and typological linguistics (e.g., Hengeveld 1992; Overall et al 2018; Dixon [1970] 2010; Narahara 2002; Clements 2006). In the context of the current Special Issue, we would like to ask how the structure and content of these clauses relate to the role they play in conversation This article addresses this question by considering a pair of English constructions built around the copula, those in which the predicate is an Adjective (the Predicate Adjective construction, or PA) or an Adjective + Noun (the Predicate Adjective Noun construction, or PAN).. In the PAN construction, where the adjective can be argued to be playing both roles: it premodifies a noun in an NP, but that NP is doing predicate work in its clause. We argue that the lexical meaning of the adjective is an important determinant of the interactional work accomplished by the Predicate Copula Constructions.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
