Talk:traffic light

Why is traffic light a noun phrase (current version) and not a noun (previous version)?
A noun phrase has another meaning (in English grammar)!
Where can we find a guide to choose the correct heading?

Because it is a noun consisting of more than one word (in this case, 2 nouns put together). There is no other meaning of ‘noun phrase’. Widsith 08:13, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

I think you are wrong. Read the article noun phrase. In linguistics a noun phrase can (also) consist of one noun and even of one pronoun! The use of noun phrase in the sense of a combination of words is very confusing (and linguistically incorrect).

I'm not wrong. A noun phrase can consist of a noun and a pronoun, but it can also consist of two nouns, as the article makes very clear. Any combination of words which functions together as a noun is a noun phrase. The article even lists noun phrase itself as an example of a noun phrase. It is also sometimes called a compound noun. Widsith 08:24, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

You're right, but that's not really the point. "The slowly fading evening light" is also a noun phrase, but you wouldn't really want a dictionary entry on it, would you? A noun phrase is something that happens in a sentence, while word classes can justifiably be decontextualised. It's kind of like asking someone to pass you the connector for the lower assembly when you really mean a nut and bolt.--BrettR 00:43, 23 October 2006 (UTC)