The nominalization of adjectives in French: From morphological conversion to categorial mismatch

Abstract

This paper focuses on non-anaphoric nominalized adjectives denoting abstract concepts, such as le vrai 'the truth', du sublime 'the sublime', and suggests that the standard analysis in terms of morphological conversion does not stand up to scrutiny. Abstract nominalized adjectives, for instance, cannot be considered non-syntactic, cannot be integrated without problems into existing patterns of derivation, and exhibit strong restrictions in terms of modification and determination. To solve the categorial mismatch of nominalized adjectives an alternative analysis from the perspective of Construction Grammar is proposed. More specifically, it is argued that, in accordance with the override principle (Michaelis 2003), the adjective conforms to the features of the construction with which it is combined. The fact that the construction in question inherits many of its specifications from the Determination construction, which is typically nominal, accounts for the hybrid nature of phrases headed by nominalized adjectives.