With the passage of time, increase in knowledge generation has occurred. Owing to this information flow enhancement, the writers need to package more information in their sentences with the help of less number of phrases. In this respect, noun phrases stay as a prop for the writers. Thus the writers need to understand how noun phrases with complex head nouns can be constructed. Further, they require to know the contexts (pre-modifiers and post-modifiers) in which noun heads stay. Besides, they should be aware how the noun heads are positioned in phrases for the realization of meaning relationships in the sentences. This post presents information in respect of all these requirements.
1. Head Noun
The head noun is the pivot of a noun phrase. It may stand alone or along with modifiers that precede and follow it. The head noun in a noun phrase is typically a content noun (e.g., leaves, people, books, etc.). However, it can be a pronoun, as in something special, those who misappropriate, etc. It can also be an adjective used as a noun, e.g. in “the former looks more appropriate”.
1.1Noun-noun sequences as head nouns
Noun-noun sequences can function as composite nominals e.g., fruit cake, archive writers, etc. These sequences can represent compound nouns, as well e.g., travel agent, wash room, etc. The distinction between composite nominal and compound nouns is based on the status of the pre-modifying noun. It means, whether the pre-modifying noun is a modifier or a complement, e.g., river fish versus computer screen. In “river fish”, river is a modifying noun as its use is optional. Contrarily, in “computer screen” computer is a complement as its use is obligatory. The pre-head complement nouns can also play the role of classifiers, e.g., sports car, university education, etc.
1.2 Noun phrases with non-substantival heads
A noun phrase with non-substantival head is the one in which the head of the phrase is not a typical noun. In this sort of phrase, an adjective or an adverb takes on a nominal function within the phrase. Such phrases occur in specific linguistic constructions where a determiner or quantifier is directly attached to a word that is commonly a modifier. Thus this modifier becomes the head of the noun phrase. For example:
- nothing substantial
- one of the car drivers who caught my attention
- those who had not made decision to leave the spot
2. Formation of the Complex Noun Heads
Nouns, adjectives, multiple pre-modifiers, coordinated pre-modifiers and uncategorized pre-modifiers such as acronym are used to form the complex noun heads. An example of such noun head can be seen in the language acquisition technique suggested by Aqib. In this example, the head is technique which has been pre-modified by a compound noun, i.e. language acquisitions. In addition, nouns, adjectives, and uncategorized pre-modifiers can be used to construct complex noun heads, e.g. the realistic approach that led them. In this example, the adjective realistic modifies the head noun approach. Thus the head noun turns into a complex head which is post-modified by the relative clause that led them…. At times, phrases can modify head noun. In the example, enhancement of the knowledge level which is required for…, enhancement of the knowledge is the pre-modifier of the head level. Being a phrase, it turns the head into a complex head, i.e., the enhancement of the knowledge level. Later, it is also followed by a relative clause “which is required for…”.
Certain elements stay before the head noun and turn it into a complex noun head. These elements are: adjectives, nouns, multiple pre-modifiers, uncategorized pre-modifier and coordinated pre-modifier. For example:
- an old man, colorful flowers, an interesting event, wooden furniture
- the computer table, this mountain peak, an animal behavior
- these two classical war strategies, three delicious food items
- a well-known artist, a cash & carry superstore,
- a floral, lush green, and solacing environment, a big, beautiful house
The head nouns that take that (content) clause are of two types. (1) The nouns that are used to express thoughts, ideas, or information, e.g. truth, fact, idea, news, hint, story, thought, belief, reason, etc. (2) The nouns that are used to report or relay information about someone’s claim or statement, e.g. claim, remark, comment, statement, agreement, etc. It is important to note that when a content clause follows a thinking or communication or reporting noun, that (joining word) cannot be omitted. For example:
- It is his belief that loyalty pays back.
- *It is his belief loyalty pays back.
3. Contexts of Complex Noun Head
A number of constructions, e.g. to-clause, -ing clause, ed clause and prepositional phrase help provide the noun head with contexts.
3.1 to-clause
When to-clauses post-modify the head nouns in NPs, the head nouns are mostly complex as in our prime duty to feed. In this construction, our prime duty is a complex noun head. Further, complex noun heads can be composed of pre-modified coordinated nouns as in an early realization and requirement to purchase transport means. In this construction an early realization and requirement is a complex head.
3.2 -ing-clause
-ing clause can stay as a post-modifier of a complex head noun in a noun phrase as in male and female runners running their marathon.
3.3 -ed-clause
– ed-clause serves as a post-modifier of the complex head noun in a noun phrase. Examples are: in the loading vehicle being examined or as in the common necessities procured.
3.4 Prepositional phrases
The prepositions like behind, over, during, around, by, before, within, of/in + ing-clause, follow the complex head nouns in noun phrases. For example:
- the rough passage through thick forest
- the anticipated sales during winter
- an extreme care in collecting research data
- a common desire of getting success
The modifiers used in the above example constructions is a common feature of academic prose.
4. Semantic Complexity of Head Nouns
In noun phrases with low level of semantic complexity, concrete objects and specific people stay as head noun. For example, Naseem, a table, tree leaves, a doctor in the clinic. At a bit higher level, different nouns stay as head nouns. The first category is the categorical nouns, i.e., collections and location, (e.g. my community, the village). The second is the role nouns (doctor, soldier, shopkeeper). The third is generic nouns (things, cattle, children) and the fourth is temporal nouns (winter, year, second, century). At further higher level, the nouns that stay as head nouns are also of four categories. The first category is non-abstract, high register or rare nouns (e.g. rival, cult, etc.). The second is daily life abstract terms (e.g. tension, competition, etc.) The third is concrete terms given metaphorical extension (e.g. path to success, river of time, pattern of age, etc.). The fourth category is generic temporal nouns (e.g. time). The head nouns with highest complexity level have low frequency. These nouns are non-image able and abstract as well as complex in terms of derivation, e.g. randomness, existence, handsomeness, etc.
5. Syntactic Role of Nominalizations as Head Nouns
When nominalizations are employed as head nouns, these help the writers generate additional meaning relationships in their sentences. The nominalized head nouns are mostly the derivations from intransitive verbs. When such is the case, the pre-modifying noun corresponds to the logical subject, e.g. the clause the knowledge demonstrated turns into the knowledge demonstration. When the head nouns are derived from transitive verbs, the pre-modifying noun corresponds to the logical direct object. For example, the clause the courier delivered the parcel becomes the parcel delivery. At times, the pre-modifying noun indicates the purpose or topical domain of the process by the nominalized head noun, e.g. crime reduction.
The nominalization based constructions can indicate four combinations as detailed below:
- Modifying noun (N1) syntactically stays as a patient or theme of the process expressed by nominalized noun (N2). For example, temperature increases, body movement, economy development, money loss, health recovery, etc.
- Modifying noun (N1) syntactically stays as the logical subject of nominalized noun (N2) such as discipline committee interruption
- Modifying noun (N1) syntactically stays as a logical direct object of the nominalized noun (N2) such as law execution, policy implementation, dream realization
- Modifying noun (N1) indicates the purpose or topical domain of the process that the nominalized noun (N2) describes. For example, research conference, peace negotiation, independence movement, peace agreement
As indicated above, the union of the nominalized head nouns and their pre-modifying nouns are actually the alternatives of the traditional sentences. One thing they do is that they help the writers produce their texts concisely. The other thing is they represent processes and activities (an integral part of academic texts) instead of actions and concrete entities.
This post has first given the noun head introduction and how complex noun heads are formed. Next, the account of various contexts of noun head has been given. Then, semantic complexity of head nouns has been explained. Finally, what syntactic role nominalizations as head nouns perform. Understanding of all these points is extremely important for the learning writers in their academic writing.
Sources Consulted
- Biber and Gray (2011)
- Dušková (2009)
- Mutiara, R. (2019)
- Ravid and Berman (2010)
- Swierzbin (2014)
- Timyam, N. (2024)
