Maybe I'm missing sth here, but I thought "unusually" was an anverb. It also acts as a linking expression, of course.
Postpositions are like prepositions except they com after the noun, not before it like prepositions. Some languages have postpositions instead of prepositions.
As far as I know English only has one postposition - "ago".
Whatever else it may be, "unusually" isn't a postposition.
something unusually happened or something unusual happened
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Andrew Patterson
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Stephen Jones
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Yeah,
That's exactly what I was trying to say. I guess the term 'post-positional' would have been clearer.
I guess the question that remains is why 'unusual' is post-positional in the phrase "something unusual happened", because such structures are fairly rare in English. Most seem to be idiomatic expressions, based largely on French influence in government and culture such as the aforementioned notary public, as well as prince regent, military attache, haute couture and idiot savante.
Interestingly, we have nouveau riche (What do the French say?)
However, unusual doesn't seem to occur post-nominally except after 'something'. It sounds right to me to say "an unusual sound" but not "a sound unusual" and "something purple" but not "purple something". So, there must be something about words like somethingor somewhat that makes them force the adjective to the back .
Something is an amalgamation of some + thing. Ordinarily, the adjective would go between a determiner and a noun; however, in the case of something (and other indefinite pronouns), there is no place for the adjective to go since it can't go inside the word itself.
some terrible thing
something terrible
X- terrible some thing
X- terrible something
no gained thing
nothing gained
X- gained no thing
X- gained nothing
That's exactly what I was trying to say. I guess the term 'post-positional' would have been clearer.
I guess the question that remains is why 'unusual' is post-positional in the phrase "something unusual happened", because such structures are fairly rare in English. Most seem to be idiomatic expressions, based largely on French influence in government and culture such as the aforementioned notary public, as well as prince regent, military attache, haute couture and idiot savante.
Interestingly, we have nouveau riche (What do the French say?)
However, unusual doesn't seem to occur post-nominally except after 'something'. It sounds right to me to say "an unusual sound" but not "a sound unusual" and "something purple" but not "purple something". So, there must be something about words like somethingor somewhat that makes them force the adjective to the back .
Something is an amalgamation of some + thing. Ordinarily, the adjective would go between a determiner and a noun; however, in the case of something (and other indefinite pronouns), there is no place for the adjective to go since it can't go inside the word itself.
some terrible thing
something terrible
X- terrible some thing
X- terrible something
no gained thing
nothing gained
X- gained no thing
X- gained nothing
I have a little something to say to this idea that 'unusual' is a post-positional adjective.
What seems to me to be happening is that we lack a device available to German-speakers ( and maybe speakers of other many languages - Slavic? ...?), which is to use a "nominalized adjective":
"Ungewöhnliches ist passiert" says "Unusual has happened" where the adjective "ungewöhnlich" functions as a noun. In English all we can do is use the word "something" to signal that the adjective following it is in effect the subject of the verb.
As I demonstrate in my first sentence, if we signal "something" as a noun by giving it an article then adjectives will precede it.
I do not believe that "a little something" and "something little" mean the same thing.
Harzer
What seems to me to be happening is that we lack a device available to German-speakers ( and maybe speakers of other many languages - Slavic? ...?), which is to use a "nominalized adjective":
"Ungewöhnliches ist passiert" says "Unusual has happened" where the adjective "ungewöhnlich" functions as a noun. In English all we can do is use the word "something" to signal that the adjective following it is in effect the subject of the verb.
As I demonstrate in my first sentence, if we signal "something" as a noun by giving it an article then adjectives will precede it.
I do not believe that "a little something" and "something little" mean the same thing.
Harzer
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Stephen Jones
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