The syntax and semantics of attributive adjectives in Romance

This paper deals with the syntax and semantics of adjectival modification in a number of Romance languages. Some evidence is provided showing the existence of two sources for attributive adjectives, which differ in their (in)ability to function as predicates: non-predicative (or Functional) adjectives are proposed to be merged as specifiers within the functional projection of the NP, whereas predicative (or lexical) adjectives are generated as DP-internal predicates. The paper then examines the syntax of attributive adjectives in Romance, showing that in these languages adjectival modifiers are realized in their Merge position (with the exception of relational adjectives, for which a specific proposal is developed).