Degrees of comparison as a grammatical category

The category of comparison is a system of opposemes showing quantitative distinctions of qualities (long – longer – the longest), i.e. it shows whether the adjective denotes the property of some substance absolutely or relatively as a higher or the highest amount of the property in comparison with that of some other substances.

Traditionally (Otto Gespersen) the adjectives have 3 degrees of comparison: 1) the positive; 2) the comparative; 3) the superlative. The positive degree is not marked, it has zero exponent, the comparative and superlative are expressed in 3 ways. 1) synthetically (with the help of the suffixes –er, -est); 2) analytically (by means of more and most); 3) suppletively (by means of different roots). Suppletive opposemes are few in number , but occur often: good – better – the best; bad – worse – the worst.

There are different opinions about the number of members of opposemes. Smirnitsky was of the opinion that there are three forms of comparison: positive and relative, the latter is expressed in two variants: comparative and superlative. Some other grammarians also consider that only 2 degrees of comparison are to be found in adjectives: 1) the comparative degree, 2) the superlative degree, while the so called positive degree doesn’t express any degree, doesn’t have any grammatical form and is considered to be the basic form to build up the degrees of comparison. V. Plotkin is of the opinion that the adjectives and adverbs have no paradigms, for degrees of comparison have lost the status of morphological category. He gives the following reasons: the morphemes –er, -est have become suffixes (i.e. lexico-grammatical morphemes), because their use is limited to a few adjectives and adverbs (monosyllabic and some syllabic) – polite, narrow, clever, able. On the other hand, the form-words more, most are not equivalents of the suffixes –er, -est as they retain some lexical meaning of their own and are also used with a limited number of adjectives (polysyllabic ones).

With regard to the category of comparison English adjectives are classed into comparables and non- comparables, the latter are derived adjectives: Crimean, woolen, wooden, mathematical, etc. And are called relative adjectives, the former – qualitative ones. Some of the qualitative adjectives have no degree of comparison, they are: 1) those expressing the highest degree: supreme, extreme; 2) those having the suffix –ish: reddish, yellowish; 3) denoting incomparable qualities: deaf, dead, lame.

The superlative often occurs with an absolute meaning (elative) showing a very high degree of quality: the room was furnished in the most refined style. (элатив обозначает безотносительно высокую степень качества - ближайший).

In English speech adjectives can express meaning different from grammemes they belong to: the positive may express comparative or even superlative meanings: as brave as a hare, among them there was no one as brave as John. The analytical forms more, most are used with monosyllabic adjectives when emphasis is intended: e.g. he looked more stern (than his father) then.

English relative adjectives change for degrees of comparison when used figuratively: she has a more iron will than u have. Professor Smirnitsky point out that the grammatical meaning of the degrees of comparison may be lexicalized: his eldest brother is very young.

Questions

1) What is the adjective as a part of speech?

2) What are the degrees of comparison?

3) How are they formed?

4) What adjectives have no degrees of comparison?

5) What is elative?

Lecture 10

Syntax