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Modification of referential partitive nouns
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The referential partitive noun has the following possibilities for modification: it may be modified by adjectives, by a quantifier or by a demonstrative.

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The referential partitive noun can be modified in different ways.

i. Modification of referential partitive nouns by adjectives:

The referential, concrete partitive nouns may be modified by attributive adjectives in the bare partitive construction. The following example involves a referential partitive construction in which the referential partitive noun is modified by attributive adjectives:

1
a. 'n groot boks sjokolade
a big box chocolate
a big box of chocolates
b. 'n reuse homp botter
a enormous lump butter
a big fat lump of butter
c. 'n gesonde trop tarentale
a healthy herd guinea.fowl
a healthy flock of guinea fowl

It stands to reason that the same holds for constructions joined by met with or vol full.

2
‘n geskeurde sak met hout
a torn bag with wood
a torn bag full of wood

ii. Modification of referential partitive nouns by quantifiers:

The referential partitive noun may be modified by quantifiers. The following examples involve a referential partitive construction in which the referential noun is modified. The first example in (a) involves modification by a universal quantifier alle all, the second example in (b) involves modification by a negative quantifier in the form of the negative pronoun niks no.

3
a. Alle blikke hondekos is verkoop
all cans dog.food be.AUX.PASS.PST sell.PASS
All cans of dog food have been sold.
b. Ek het niks blokkies sjokolade gekry nie.
I have.AUX nothing blocks.DIM chocolate get.PST PTCL.NEG
I did not get any pieces of chocolate.

iii. Modification of referential partitive nouns by demonstratives:

The referential partitive noun can refer on its own in the bare partitive construction, but the content noun cannot.

The following pair of sentences shows that the referential noun in a referential partitive cannot refer on its own:

4
a. Hierdie blikke hondekos
these cans dog.food
These cans of dog food
b. *Die blikke hierdie hondekos
the cans these dog.food
These cans of dog food

Independent reference for the content noun is perfectly acceptable in case the two nouns are joined by a preposition:

5
Die blik met hierdie hondekos het gif by
the can with these dog.food have poison with
The can with this dog food has added poison

These facts may perhaps be taken as an indication that the bare partitive construction is a special case of the prepositional partitive construction.

References
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