D. V. Demidov

4. The notional and functional parts of speech. 
In accord with the described criteria, words on the upper 
level of classification are divided into notional and functional, 
which reflects their division in the earlier grammatical tradition 
into changeable and unchangeable.
To the notional parts of speech of the English language 
belong the noun, the adjective, the numeral, the pronoun, the verb, 
the adverb. 
The features of the noun within the identificational triad 
―meaning – form – function‖ are, correspondingly, the following: 
1) the categorial meaning of substance (―thingness‖); 2) the 
changeable forms of number and case; the specific suffixal forms 
of derivation (prefixes in English do not discriminate parts of 
speech as such); 3) the substantive functions in the sentence 
(subject, 
object, 
substantival 
predicative); 
prepositional 
connections; modification by an adjective.
The features of the adjective: 1) the categorial meaning of 
property (qualitative and relative); 2) the forms of the degrees of 
comparison (for qualitative adjectives); the specific suffixal forms 
of derivation; 3) adjectival functions in the sentence (attribute to a 
noun, adjectival predicative). 
The features of the numeral: 1) the categorial meaning of 
number (cardinal and ordinal); 2) the narrow set of simple 
numerals; the specific forms of composition for compound 
numerals; the specific suffixal forms of derivation for ordinal 
numerals; 3) the functions of numerical attribute and numerical 
substantive. 
The features of the pronoun: 1) the categorial meaning of 
indication (deixis); 2) the narrow sets of various status with the 
corresponding formal properties of categorial changeability and 
word-building; 3) the substantival and adjectival functions for 
different sets. 

---

50 
The features of the verb: 1) the categorial meaning of 
process (presented in the two upper series of forms, respectively, 
as finite process and non-finite process); 2) the forms of the verbal 
categories of person, number, tense, aspect, voice, mood; the 
opposition of the finite and non- finite forms; 3) the function of the 
finite predicate for the finite verb; the mixed verbal – other than 
verbal functions for the non-finite verb. 
The features of the adverb: 1) the categorial meaning of 
the secondary property, i.e. the property of process or another 
property; 2) the forms of the degrees of comparison for qualitative 
adverbs; the specific suffixal forms of derivation; 3) the functions 
of various adverbial modifiers. 
Contrasted against the notional parts of speech are words 
of incomplete nominative meaning and non-self-dependent, 
mediatory functions in the sentence. These are functional parts of 
speech. 
On the principle of ―generalised form‖ only unchangeable 
words are traditionally treated under the heading of functional