southern vs southernness

southern is not a noun while southernness is a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
southern	No	Yes	No	No
southernness	Yes	No	No	No

southern (noun)	southernness (noun)
	the property of being to the south

southern (adjective)	southernness (adjective)
situated in or coming from regions of the south
in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
from the south; used especially of wind
situated in or oriented toward the south