Determiner phrase heads are words that function as the heads of determiner phrases. A determiner phrase consist of two or more determiners plus any p-words and functions as a determinative. Only one grammatical form can perform the function of determiner phrase head in the English language. The one grammatical form that can function as the determiner phrase head is:
The following section defines and exemplifies the only grammatical form that can function as the determiner phrase head in English grammar.
Determiners as Determiner Phrase Heads
The only grammatical form that performs the grammatical function of determiner phrase head is the determiner. Determiners are a closed class of words that provide information such as familiarity, location, quantity, and number about a nominal form. For example, the following italicized determiners function as determiner phrase heads:
- all six astronauts (quantifier + numeral)
- these twenty-four sodas (demonstrative determiner + numeral)
- which four books (interrogative determiner + numeral)
- whose three socks (possessive interrogative determiner + numeral)
- many of the counties (quantifier + p-word + article)
- all of her knitting (quantifier + p-word + possessive determiner)
- two of a kind (numeral + p-word + article)
The only grammatical form that can function as the determiner phrase head in the English language is the determiner.
Summary
Determiner phrase heads are words that function as the heads of determiner phrases. A determiner phrase consist of two or more determiners plus any p-words and functions as a determinative.
Determiner phrase head is a grammatical function.
The only grammatical form that can function as the determiner phrase head in English grammar is the determiner.
References
Brinton, Laurel J. & Donna M. Brinton. 2010. The linguistic structure of Modern English, 2nd edn. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Hopper, Paul J. 1999. A short course in grammar. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Huddleston, Rodney. 1984. Introduction to the grammar of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
