Re: Terms of Endearment

I don't know, I'm having to widen it again lol because this seems like
standard english to me. Okay, so adjectives can be used as nouns:

a) collectively (the old etc)
b) in a few instances such as blond(e) to refer to an individual with
the trait
c) to present alternatives when it is obvious what the adjectives refer to.

I don't think you could say for instance "I saw a small" for I saw a
small man, but when there are alternatives involved, like for instance
if someone is showing you dresses, I think all dialects of english would
allow you to say
"Which dress do you prefer, the green or the pink?" As in your example,
and to reply
"I prefer the green [not the pink]."
The point is I think that what is being talked about (the dress) either
has been mentioned earlier, or is extremely obvious from context,
whereas in some european languages, you can introduce it when it is not
extremely obvious and it will be assumed that "a small" means a small
person etc.
 Back to my original point though... the terms of endearment, love/like
distinction anyone, and commoness of adjectives being allowed as nouns
in conlangs/natlangs anyone?

Chris.

BTW I find "one" a perfectly acceptible way to refer to people and to
things in this context, ie "Which guy is smartest?" "The brown haired one."

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