Trying to speak about "logiciel libre"

[phil hunt]

On Wednesday 15 May 2002  7:21 pm, Tomasz Wegrzanowski wrote:
> On Wed, May 15, 2002 at 05:00:47PM +0100, phil hunt wrote:
> > Personally, I think "freedom software" would be a good term, since
> > it loses the ambiguity ...
>
> .... and gramatical correctness.

On the contrary, "freedom software" *is* grammatically correct, even 
if it is a bit odd-sounding. The grammar-rule in question is something
like:

   noun_expression : modifier noun

   modifier : adjective | noun

IOW, an ordinary noun can be used as a modifier.

You can tell whether a modifier is an adjective by seeing if it can 
be used after "be". Examples:

   "the red car" > "the car is red"
 
Therefore "red" is an adjective 

   "the image conversion" > *"the conversion is image"

Therefore "image" is a noun

-- 
<"><"><"> Philip Hunt <philh at comuno.freeserve.co.uk> <"><"><">
"I would guess that he really believes whatever is politically 
advantageous for him to believe." 
                        -- Alison Brooks, referring to Michael
                              Portillo, on soc.history.what-if