Submitted by AbleReporter565 t3_10pkxtj in explainlikeimfive
suedehelpme t1_j6ox9cy wrote
Reply to comment by czbz in ELI5: Why does the order of adjectives matter? by AbleReporter565
It doesn't really matter whether we call it an adjective or not. The point is that brick and wall co-occur so much, that we register it as a single entry in our mental dictionary. We wouldn't typically call a wall made of concrete bricks or Lego bricks a "brick wall", meaning that the term refers to something distinct from "a wall that's made of bricks". The intonation of "brick wall" is also distinct from "tomato wall", since the latter is pronounced with a rise on tomato. That's pretty good evidence of whether or not something has essentially become a fused expression. Compare how you'd pronounce "cheese dip" and "cheese shoes".
czbz t1_j6oz1j3 wrote
Interesting, thanks. Hadn't noticed the tone difference before.
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