ABSTRACT
The nominal group is that class of the unit 'group' which operates at the subject, complement, Z-element and vocative elements in clause structure, and also certain subclasses operate at the adjunct. The reason why only one class is set up to account for the first four elements is that there is a large degree of overlap in the exponents of these elements. It is therefore economical to establish only one class. At primary degree of delicacy, the nominal group is treated as a multivariate structure, that is, one that contains more than one structural value. An inventory of its primary elements of structure is: modifier, head and qualifier. The modifier may be differentiated into four secondary elements: deictic, ordinative, epithet and nominal. The intensifier is expounded by a class of items which includes the following: more, most, very, rather, quite, awfully. These items are known as submodifiers. The qualifier, unlike the modifier, is mainly a univariate structure.
