ambiguous meanings of a bass button holder?

[spoon]

Hi, everyone!!! ^.^

I need your help!!!
1. what are the two meanings of 'a brass button holder'?

2. " of 'the king of England's people'?

Thanks in advance.
Spoon

[Casiopea]

First, what are your thoughts?
I've used those examples on assignments.

[spoon]

O.k. These are my thoughts.


(1) a. a person who holds a brass button
b. a button holder which is brass

=> I don't know what 'a button holder' is. Does this Noun Phrase indicate a thing, not a person?

(2)a. people of the king who is(or lives) in England
b. the king of people who live in England


Am I right or wrong? plz correct my answers, Casiopea!

[Casiopea]

A brass button holder
(1) b. a button holder which is brass

The adjective brass modifies the noun phrase button holder:

a brass [button holder] (the button holder is brass)

A button holder is something that holds buttons. For example, click on these links:

eBay: Vintage Button holder and Green Plastic Case! (item 230104800828 end time Mar-21-07 17:34:37 PDT)

and here.

Now, what other word could brass modify?

[spoon]

Thanks a lot.

I have wanted to know what a button holder is.

Because I'm studying Syntax with Radford's Transformational Grammar, I need to discuss the ambiguity of the phrase.

I think I can describe the ambituity by focusing on the meanings of 'holder'.

I can draw two structures as these!

a [brass button] holder-> a person

a brass [button holder] ->as a tool

Thanks again.
Have a nice day!
Here Korea, it's already mid-night!
Spoon

[Casiopea]

You're welcome, Spoon.

Note! The noun holder doesn't refer to a person, although you could argue that. People aren't usually described as button holders. You might want to reconsider your answer here, a [brass button] holder -> a person who holds brass buttons. But that's not the answer you should get. There is another one. The adjective brass can modify two things:

[1] brass button holder <the buttons are brass, not the holder>
[2] brass button holder <the holder is brass and it holds different kinds of buttons: plastic, wood, metal, etc.>

Here's another example:

The Spanish English teacher
The Spanish teacher <a person who teaches Spanish>
The Spanish teacher <a Spanish person who teaches, say, English>



The following is cited at http://www.bartleby.com/68/27/327.html:

On paper a Spanish teacher may be “a teacher of Spanish” or “a Spanish person who teaches,” but stress in speech usually clears up any ambiguity: stress on Spanish makes Spanish teacher a compound, meaning “a teacher of Spanish”; stress on teacher makes Spanish teacher “a Spanish person who is a teacher.”

[keitin]

i also have the same question about the of in the NP "the king of Egland's people".

one structure is the king [of England' people] (the Egland's people's king)
but i cannot wonder another possible meaning and structure