Adjective type order rules are the best-kept secret in English, I was literally never taught this and I’ve got a degree in technical communications. XD
I think it’s because the thing is either too obvious (if you’re native) or too specialized (if you’re a linguist). E.g. Chinese seem to also have a strict adj. order, but we only got to study it by pure chance.
I would also guess that many languages that usually don’t have a strict order will have parts that do, e.g. in Spanish it seems you may shuffle some words but not everything
Opinion – limiter adjectives (e.g. a real hero, a perfect idiot) and adjectives of subjective measure (e.g. beautiful, interesting) or value (e.g. good, bad, costly)
Adjective type order rules are the best-kept secret in English, I was literally never taught this and I’ve got a degree in technical communications. XD
(1 Opinion. 2 Size. 3 Shape or physical property. 4 Age. 5 Color. 6 Origin. 7 Material. 8 Qualifier/Purpose)
Big bad wolf.
Ablaut reduplication trumps adjective order
Overriden by ablaut reduplication.
I think it’s because the thing is either too obvious (if you’re native) or too specialized (if you’re a linguist). E.g. Chinese seem to also have a strict adj. order, but we only got to study it by pure chance.
I would also guess that many languages that usually don’t have a strict order will have parts that do, e.g. in Spanish it seems you may shuffle some words but not everything
The image above transcribed:
Opinion – limiter adjectives (e.g. a real hero, a perfect idiot) and adjectives of subjective measure (e.g. beautiful, interesting) or value (e.g. good, bad, costly)
Size – adjectives denoting physical size (e.g. tiny, big, extensive)
Shape or physical quality – adjectives describing more detailed physical attributes than overall size (e.g. round, sharp, swollen, thin)
Age – adjectives denoting age (e.g. young, old, new, ancient, six-year-old)
Colour – adjectives denoting colour or pattern (e.g. white, black, pale, spotted)
Origin – denominational adjectives denoting source (e.g. Japanese, volcanic, extraterrestrial)
Material – denominational adjectives denoting what something is made of (e.g. woollen, metallic, wooden)
Qualifier/purpose – final limiter, which sometimes forms part of the (compound) noun (e.g., rocking chair, hunting cabin, passenger car, book cover)