Intersective modifier
In semantics, an intersective adjective is one that when modifying a noun results in a noun of the same class.
For example, a red book is still a book, a beautiful dancer is still a dancer.
However, a fake tree is not a tree, and an alleged criminal may not be a criminal.
In general given adjective A and noun N, if the noun phrase A+N is an N, then A is intersective.
There are different kinds of intersectives:
- pure intersective: blue book; the set of blue things and the set of books are not equal and are said to intersect purely
- subsective: beautiful skater; the person can be beautiful and a skater, or the person can skate beautifully; in the latter case, the adjective qualifies the kind of skater the person is (rather than add non-intersective information); this is known as an subsective adjective; in this case 'beautiful' can be either subsective or pure intersective depending on interpretation (semantic ambiguity)
- relative subsective: big toddler or small elephant; such adjectives are gradable--the baby can be big for a toddler, or the elephant can be small for an elephant
The opposite class include non-intersective adjectives, things like supposed, probable, alleged, etc.