Template talk:da-infl-adj

Indefinite superlative attributive?

@CodeCat Using a superlative attributively to modify an indefinite noun would mean constructions like *a tallest man, *some largest houses, *a brightest star, which makes no sense.__Gamren (talk) 07:23, 18 September 2016 (UTC)

What should it be, then? —CodeCat 11:49, 18 September 2016 (UTC)

What should what be?__Gamren (talk) 07:06, 19 September 2016 (UTC)

@CodeCat Pending your response, I have removed the note. While here, I invite you to consider the following: your table does not make clear that, as you no doubt know, positive adjectives modifying definite singular nouns only take the -e ending when used attributively. It also fails to convey that a similar phenomenon is effective with the superlatives, except that here, the ending is always dropped in the predicative environment independent of number, gender and definiteness, making it more accurate and straightforward to interpret the superlatives in terms of attributiveness/predicativeness (keeping in mind that superlatives cannot be used attributively with something indefinite). Also, it duplicates forms where it might be more helpful to make cells span several rows. Lastly, I think these kinds of templates are usually named with first the language, then the POS, and the rest afterwards, as in {{da-adj-infl}}; that is, at least, where I would have looked first.__Gamren (talk) 16:02, 19 September 2016 (UTC)

The POS after the language only applies for headword templates. Other kinds of templates are generally named differently.

As I understand it, then, the "definite" line should really be two rows, one with the -e (attributive) and one without it (predicative)? I'm not familiar with this myself, as I don't think a comparable distinction exists in Swedish. In Swedish, you'd say han är den stora mannen I think. If I understand you correctly, the Danish equivalent would have uninflected stor instead? —CodeCat 16:10, 19 September 2016 (UTC)

No? I may have used the wrong terminology, but in the sentence han er den store mand, I would consider store to be attributive, whereas it is predicative in manden er stor. See also: det store dyr, dyret er stort, de store hunde, hundene er store and Hunden/en hund er størst, den største hund. I don't speak Swedish, but these excerpts provided by QQ suggest Swedish works the same way:

1. • 2012, Bodil Malmsten, Det är fortfarande ingen ordning på mina papper, Albert Bonniers Förlag →ISBN

     ... lyckas peta ner de förbannade krassefröna, visar det sig att det är en hybrid av dvärgkrasse vid namn Tom Pouce. Den svenske mannen är stor och blond, ser ut som en filmstjärna, inte Tom Cruise. Vi sitter på mitt golv och En svensk man ...

   • 2012, Bengt Ohlsson, Se till mig som liten är, Albert Bonniers Förlag →ISBN

     Dörren öppnas, ett par i femtioårsåldern står där, kvinnan har glasögon och gråsprängt hår, mannen är stor och röd i ansiktet, som om han går på solarium. Eller kanske har han bara haft ett långt sommarlov. Det borde han ha råd med. De har ...

   • 2015, Camilla Grebe, Åsa Träff, Eld och djupa vatten, Massolit Förlagsgrupp →ISBN

     Och här har vi honom! Gerd kommer in i vardagsrummet och pojken vänder sig om, ställer sig upp och tar blygt i handen. Kurator Susanne ser fortfarande sträng ut. Mannen är stor och ser lite ut som en gorilla. Han ler brett och klappar pojken  ...__Gamren (talk) 17:08, 19 September 2016 (UTC)

Now I see what you mean. I would not call that the definite inflection though, because there is no preceding definite word. There's a verb in between. The definite inflection only applies with a preceding definite word. This is the same not just in Swedish, but also in Dutch and German. So I would not consider this a separate grammatical category; it's just part of the rules as to when you use one inflection or the other. —CodeCat 17:18, 19 September 2016 (UTC)

I don't speak Dutch either, but in German the adjective is always uninflected when predicative (I presume you mean "succeed" rather than "precede"), whereas in Danish, it still has to agree with gender and number, cf. my examples above. I, too, would find it odd to say that there is a "definite predicative" category, because it depends on number and gender. There is, however, a "plural and definite singular attributive", which is probably a better term than "e-form". Nonetheless, if your purpose is to explain grammar to someone with little or no knowledge of Danish, you need to make this clear.__Gamren (talk) 10:09, 20 September 2016 (UTC)

In Dutch, predicative adjectives don't inflect, but in attributive position the definite inflection is used only when a definite word precedes. In that latter sense, it's the same as Danish, as the definite inflection occurs in the same environments. The difference is actually in where the inflected indefinite forms are used. The common-gender indefinite form has -e in Dutch, whereas it's endingless in Danish, and the neuter-gender indefinite form is endingless in Dutch, while it has -t in Danish. Then, of course, the predicative adjective inflects like an indefinite adjective in Danish, while it's always endingless in Dutch. —CodeCat 18:54, 20 September 2016 (UTC)

I still don't feel that is clear from your table. Regardless, will you update the creation rules as per wt:About Danish?__Gamren (talk) 10:41, 22 September 2016 (UTC)

@CodeCat Here is a table (shown here), which presents the forms in a way I find meaningful. I can't be bothered to fiddle with your module.__Gamren (talk) 11:34, 23 April 2017 (UTC)

funky

According to DDO, this adjective does not change when it is inflected. @User:Gamren, can you please change the template so that it can better deal with Danish adjectives that have no differences in their inflections, or otherwise have unpredictable inflections? (i.e. t= e= etc.) PseudoSkull (talk) 02:39, 21 May 2017 (UTC) @PseudoSkull Please see what I wrote to CodeCat above.__Gamren (talk) 14:26, 23 May 2017 (UTC)