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1. Definition In contrast with nouns and verbs, adjectives are a disputed category. Arabic has figured prominently in discussions about whether they constitute a special word class, or just special cases of nouns or verbs (see, e.g., Hengeveld 1992; Bhat 1994; Baker 2003). Here, we adopt the minimal theoretical requisite in the matter of word classes, to be found in the so-called ‘functionalist’ perspective of Croft (1991) or in the ‘paraminimalist’ approach of Baker (2003): the unmarked function of nouns is reference; the unmarked function of verbs is predication; a third function is p…