Why does English use the adjective structure "noun-doing" instead of "doing-noun"?

Question

A similar question is Using the structure "noun-adjective" as a noun (e.g. "innovation-inclined"). The structure "noun-done" ("innovation-inclined") makes sense to me, because it is consistent with the normal English order "object be done" ("innovation is inclined to") where the noun is the object, and the subject isn't necessarily clear.

However, "noun-doing" defies the English "subject verb object" order where the noun is the object. It sounds like Japanese "S-O-V" to me. One example is "degree-granting campus" instead of "granting-degree campus", whereas the sentence order is "campus grants degree". Why does such structure exist in English?

Answer 1

In a noun phrase, modifiers generally precede the noun they modify. It is more common to say a brick wall, than a wall of bricks.

Now with compound adjectives, you need the hyphen to establish a unit modifier as M-W explains:

Compound adjectives are combinations of words that work together to modify a noun—technically, they work as unit modifiers. As unit modifiers, they are distinguished from other strings of adjectives that may also precede a noun.

Unit modifiers are mostly hyphenated. Hyphens not only make it easier for readers to grasp the relationship of the words but also aid in avoiding confusion. For example, the hyphen in

a call for a more-specialized curriculum

removes any ambiguity as to which the word more modifies.

Your question is why within the unit modifier the noun comes before the -ing form of the verb and not the other way round. If you think of compound nouns such as:

• bird-watching (also spelt birdwatching or bird watching)
• bee-keeping (same variants available)
• babysitting

you see that the object of the verb used here in its -ing form comes first, although in a SVO simple sentence, the standard word order would be respected:

I am watching birds.

This is simply how English works. This is most probably why we say

degree-granting campus.

The hyphen immediately helps us identify the unit modifier degree-granting which naturally precedes the noun it modifies. Within the unit modifier, degree must precede the word it modifies: it is not just any kind of granting, it is a degree-granting (that is, granting of degrees).

I found an interesting article on Thought.co about premodification which says:

As noted by Douglas Biber et. al. in Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English,2002

Premodifiers are condensed structures. They use fewer words than postmodifiers to convey roughly the same information. Most adjectival and participial premodifiers can be rephrased as a longer, postmodifying relative clause.

Answer 2

One example is "degree-granting campus" instead of "granting-degree campus", whereas the sentence order is "campus grants degree". Why does such structure exist in English?

degree granting campus = a campus that is contextually associated with the granting of degrees.

granting is a verbal noun. [This becomes apparent as there are no adverbs.]

degree granting is thus [noun1]+[noun2]

In the same way, a beer bottle is [noun1]+[noun2] and means a bottle that is contextually associated with beer. Thus we can say

[noun1]+[noun2] = [noun2] that is contextually associated with [noun1]

We can extend this to [noun1]+[noun2]+[noun3] in "a beer bottle shape" = A [noun3 =shape] that is contextually associated with [noun2=bottle] that is contextually associated with [noun1=beer]

{degree granting} = the granting that is contextually associated with degrees.

Now we have a third noun "campus"

degree granting campus = the campus that is contextually associated with granting that is contextually associated with degrees.