Key words:

selectional binding, gradable/non-gradable, scale, scalar/non-scalar, absolute/relative, dimension, intensifier, positive/equative/comparative/superlative, standard of comparison, neutral range, open/closed scale, neutralization

Overview

As discussed in chapter 7, adjectives typically denote properties, many of which are gradable. In this chapter, we examine types of gradable and non-gradable adjectives and go into some detail about the use of dimensional scales (introduced in §6.2.4) to represent adjective meaning. We'll see how such scales can help to clarify aspects of the interpretation of gradable adjectives (e.g. why a deep ocean is deeper than a deep bowl) and the neutralization of some adjectives in some contexts (i.e. why we can say a child is six years old without committing ourselves to the proposition that the child is old). Before exploring these issues, we look at another source of variability in adjective meaning – why, for example, a good knife is sharp, but a good chair is not.