Nouns as modifiers are interpreted according to their semantic
relation towards the governing noun. The rule of thumb when assigning a
noun modifier a functor is paraphrasing the noun phrase with a
prepositional phrase. When any paraphrase is impossible and no other
functor seems plausible, the default functor for a noun as modifier is
APP (appurtenance) whenever one can paraphrase the
semantic relation of X (the governing noun) to Y (the modifier) as: "X
has Y". Discussions over concrete data after interannotator-agreement
tests have resulted in a table of prototypical cases, which the
annotators agreed to interpret with certain functors. We have attempted
to group them. The groups have been build purely on the basis of analogy
seen by intuition, and rather on the basis of family resemblances than
one shared feature. The list is naturally incomplete and subject to
constant changes. New data is to be annotated by analogy with this list,
which in turn results in changes. The modifiers marked with bold font
are the ones that determine the functor themselves, similarly to the
adjective modifiers. In all other word combinations it is the governing
noun that plays the more important role in assigning the functor of its
noun modifier.
Table 8.2. Nouns as noun modifiers and their functors
| yesterday, yesterday's | bread | TFRWH | |
| yesterday, yesterday's | meeting, earthquake | TWHEN | |
| yesterday, yesterday's | dancing partner | TWHEN | |
| every-year | THO | ||
| one-centimeter | improvement | DIFF | |
| trade, consumption, computer, intellectual property, unfair-trade | law, tax, business, rights, investigations | REG | |
| shareholder | rights | ACT | |
| mortality, interest | rate, fraction, percentage | MAT | |
| Vermont, Boston, Boston's | University, Institute | APP | |
| board | meeting | ACT | |
| lobster, chocolate | consomme, mousse | RSTR | raw material + product |
| future | TWHEN | ||
| red-carpet | treatment | RSTR | like CPR, but too implicit |
| trade | deficit | REG | |
| government | figures | APP | it is not sure that the government has made them but it has and uses them |
| trade, bankruptcy, commerce, licensing | Ministry, Institute, school, association, court, commission, group, company | REG | specializing in X, concerned with X, in charge of X's cases - but: deaf.APP organization because it is the deaf who organize themselves |
| "topic" | dispute, discussion | PAT | deverbal nouns |
| circulation, reorganization | plan | PAT | both X plans to do y and X plans the details/rates of y. |
| bankruptcy | proceedings | REG | but bankruptcy.PAT report - deverbal noun |
| electricity | demand | PAT | deverbal noun (homograph) |
| operating, trade | efficiency | REG | |
| trade | diplomacy | REG | |
| reorganization | process | RSTR | |
| outside | bidder | RSTR | not really a local meaning |
| US Treasury, XY-Company's | secretary, vicepresident | APP | |
| oil, power, chemicals | plant, factory, concern (company) | REG | producer of X - not deverbal noun |
| average | refund | RSTR | not EXT |
| construction | expense, cost (cost is not deverbal noun) | AIM | |
| year | start, end, begin, duration, course | APP | probably not to be regarded as deverbal nouns |
| year-to-year | increase | THO | |
| passenger | car | RSTR | product designed for x, to do x |
| control | device | RSTR | product designed for x, to do x |
| motor | vehicle | RSTR | product with its main feature |
| household | appliance | RSTR | product designed for x, to do x |
| desktop | computers | RSTR | product with its main feature |
| housekeeper | system for PCs | RSTR | |
| disk | drives | RSTR | |
| holding | company | RSTR | |
| watch, wish | list, survey, review, summary | RSTR | |
| stiff-trade | sanctions | CAUS | |
| fair-trade | award | CAUS | |
| video-viewing | parlors | AIM | |
| intellectual-property | case, instance, example, norm, pattern | RSTR | |
| videocassette | piracy | RSTR | |
| voting | stock | RSTR | |
| stock | holding | RSTR | a term |
| joint | venture | RSTR | a term |
| debt | load | RSTR | |
| operating | profit | RSTR | |
| consulting | carreer | REG | |
| composite | trading | RSTR | |
| high-yield, bank | debt | RSTR | all debts get RSTR |
| management | group | REG | like institute when management is focused. When group focused, then APP, when the number of people is focused, then MAT |
| faculty | member | APP |