Subsective modifier

Key takeaways

Subsective modifier belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Subsective modifier to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Subsective modifier from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In linguistics, a subsective modifier is an expression which modifies another by delivering a subset of its denotation. For instance, the English adjective "skilled" is subsective since being a skilled surgeon entails being a surgeon. By contrast, the English adjective "alleged" is non-subsective since an "alleged spy" need not be an actual spy.

[ [ skilled surgeon ] ] ⊆ [ [ surgeon ] ] {\displaystyle [\![{\text{skilled surgeon}}]\!]\subseteq [\![{\text{surgeon}}]\!]}

A modifier can be subsective without being intersective. For instance, calling someone an "old friend" entails that they are a friend but does not entail that they are elderly. The term "subsective" is most often applied to modifiers which are not intersective and non-intersectivity is sometimes treated as part of its definition. There is no standard analysis for the semantics of (non-intersective) subsective modifiers. Early work such as Montague (1970) took subsective adjectives as evidence that adjectives do not denote properties which compose intersectively but rather functions which take and return a property which may or may not make an intersective semantic contribution. However, subsequent work has shown that variants of the property-based analysis can in fact account for the data. For instance, vague predicates often pass standard tests for nonintersectivity, e.g. "Neutrons are big subatomic particles" doesn't entail that neutrons are actually big but have in fact be analyzed as intersective using degree semantics. Current work tends to assume that the phenomenon of subsectivity is not a natural class.

Adverbial readings Subsectivity can arise when an adjective receives an adverbial reading. For instance, the subsective modifiers in the examples below do not express intrinsic qualities of the subject but rather the manner in which the subject typically performs a particular action. (Without the parenthetical, these examples would be ambiguous between an adverbial reading and a garden variety intersective reading.)

Oleg is a beautiful dancer (even though he himself is ugly). Vanessa is a meticulous experimentalist (even though she's a slob). Shaggy is a fierce advocate of gluttony (even though he's a coward). Examples of this sort have been analyzed within a Davidsonian semantics as modifying an event variable introduced by the noun. In this analysis, an agentive noun such as "dancer" is formed by applying a generic quantifier gen to a predicate) which is true of dancing events. The quantifier gen provides a habitual-like meaning, taking a predicate of events and returning a predicate) which is true of an individual if they are the agent of the typical such event.

[ [ dance ] ] = { e | e is a dancing event } {\displaystyle [\![{\text{dance}}]\!]=\{e\,|\,e{\text{ is a dancing event }}\}}

[ [ {\displaystyle [\![} gen dance ] ] = { x | x is the agent of all contextually relevant dancing events } {\displaystyle \!{\text{ dance}}]\!]=\{x\,|\,x{\text{ is the agent of all contextually relevant dancing events }}\}}

In this analysis, adjectives such as "beautiful", "meticulous", and "fierce" can denote properties either of events or of individuals.

[ [ beautiful 1 ] ] = { e | e is beautiful } {\displaystyle [\![{\text{beautiful}}_{1}]\!]=\{e\,|\,e{\text{ is beautiful }}\}}

[ [ beautiful 2 ] ] = { x | x is beautiful } {\displaystyle [\![{\text{beautiful}}_{2}]\!]=\{x\,|\,x{\text{ is beautiful }}\}}

When the adjective takes scope above gen it must be interpreted as a predicate of individuals; when it scopes below gen it must be interpreted as a predicate of events. In this latter case, the denotation of the adjective can still compose intersectively.

[ [ beautiful 1 dance ] ] = { e | e is beautiful } ∩ { e | e is a dancing event } {\displaystyle [\![{\text{beautiful}}_{1}{\text{dance}}]\!]=\{e\,|\,e{\text{ is beautiful }}\}\cap \{e\,|\,e{\text{ is a dancing event }}\}}

Thus, on this analysis, to say that Oleg is a beautiful dancer is to say that he is the typical agent of typical beautiful dancing events. This is technically an intersective reading since it is derived by intersecting the modifier with the noun. However, it does not look like a typical intersective meaning since it does not require that Oleg himself be an element of that intersection—rather that he be the agent of certain events in that intersection.

See also Adjective Grammatical modifier Intersective modifier Privative adjective

References

External links The dictionary definition of subsective at Wiktionary

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Subsective modifier

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Subsective modifier claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Subsective modifier before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Subsective modifier ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Subsective modifier

In research: Subsective modifier appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Subsective modifier in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Subsective modifier is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Adjectives by type, Formal semantics (natural language), Grammar, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Subsective modifier outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Subsective modifier in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Subsective modifier means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Subsective modifier out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Subsective modifier in simple terms?

In linguistics, a subsective modifier is an expression which modifies another by delivering a subset of its denotation. For instance, the English adjective "skilled" is subsective since being a skilled surgeon entails being a surgeon.

Why does Subsective modifier matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Subsective modifier?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Subsective modifier.