The Semantics and Paradigmatics of Word Order

It is argued here that both semantic and paradigmatic analyses of word order are needed to understand the phenomenon. Attributive adjective position in French is explored in some detail, with an aim to defining the distinctive feature of meaning associated with pre-position of the adjective. To this end, the nature of modification is discussed, as against that of word order. It is argued that modification concerns the intersection of two different parts of speech, while pre-position involves a pre-supposition of the lexical meaning of the noun modified.