Syntactic function ntpost-N
transitive noun, i.e. a noun which is semantically transitive on the one hand, and for which the semantic object is expressed explicitly
The notion that not only abstract nouns but also concrete nouns can be transitive is current from many studies in the valency of words. MEL'CUK 1984-1999 presents in commendable detail many relevant cases in what he calles the "regime" of a noun. The notion of a ruler is transitive because a ruler is only a ruler to the extent that he is a ruler of a realm. A protector is only a protector to the extent that there is something which he protects. A murderer is only a murderer to the extent that there is someone he has killed. All agent nominalisations of transitive verbs retain the transitivity of the verb from which they derive in this abstract sense. Even the notion of a "wife" differs from that of a woman that the former is relational and technically speaking transitive whereas the latter is not. Thus the class of transitive nouns that are modified by other nouns that precede them in this specific "transitive" way is considerable. A large number of what are now still simply nouns in TLS will have to be reclassified as ntpost-N.
Usage
- Lexical entries:
- Found 31 attributions