Prenoun is the term for adjective-like prefixes that attach to nouns in Algonquian languages, Japanese, and Korean language.[Mühlbauer, Jeff, Reduplication in Nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree), section 2.2 ]
Algonquian languages
For example, in Nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree), the term for "cat" is
minôs. With the addition of the prenoun
wâpiski- ("white"), the term
wâpiski-minôs means "white cat."
[Mühlbauer, Jeff, Reduplication in Nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree), section 2.2, example 17. ] With the prenoun
misi- ("big"), it becomes
misi-minôs, meaning "big cat."
[Mühlbauer, Jeff, Reduplication in Nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree), section 2.2, example 18 ]
Prenouns can also be attached to verbs and then are referred to by the term "preverb";
Korean
In Korean, prenouns are used to modify
, numerals, and
. They are different from
in Korean. While adjectives may be conjugated in Korean, prenouns cannot. As well, prenouns modify but adjectives merely indicate the state of an object:
|
| 그는 | 맛있는 | 고기를 | 좋아해요. |
| He | delicious | meat | likes |
In that sentence, the word "delicious" is a prenoun. It is not conjugated and modifies the object of the sentence. Compared with the following sentence:
|
| 이 고기는 | 맛있어요. |
| This meat | delicious |
"Delicious" is there conjugated and also becomes an adjective. It is used to indicate the current state of the object.
