Degrees of Comparision

The suffices we are used to see in Modern English, those -er and -est in weak, weaker, the weakest, are the direct descendants of the Old English ones. At that time they sounded as -ra and -est.

The IE parent language had several suffixes by means of which the comparative degree was formed. But in the individual branches of the parent language, one of the suffixes generally became more productive than the rest. The other suffixes later were preserved in isolated forms. The only IE comparative suffix which remained productive in the Germanic languages is -is-, which became -iz-and then —ir-by Verner's law.

Beside the suffix -iz- there was also in PG a suffix -ōz- or -ōr-which did not exist in IE. This suffix is a special Germanic new formation, and arose from the comparative of adverbs. And then at a later period it became extended to adjectives.

The superlative degree was formed in the IE parent language by means of several suffixes. But in the individual branches of the parent language, one of the suffixes generally became more productive than the rest. The only superlative suffix which remained productive in the Germanic language is -to- in the combination -isto-, formed by adding the original superlative suffix -to- to the comparative suffix -is-.

The simple superlative suffix -to- has been preserved in Greek, Latin, and the Germanic languages in the formation of the ordinal numerals:

Goth, saihsta, OHG sehsto, OE siexta.

The Germanic suffix -ōst- was a new formation like -ōz- in the comparative; -ōst, -ist regularly became -ost, -estin OE.

The regular means used to form the comparative and the superlative from the positive were the suffixes —ra (< -ira, -ōra) and -est/ost.

In some adjectives the root vowel undergoes mutation in the comparative and superlative:

Several adjectives have suppletive forms:

Occasionally, comparative and superlative adjective forms are derived from adverbs:

The comparatives are declined as strong adjectives. The superlatives rarely take the forms of the strong declension and mostly follow the weak declension.

Unit 17

Date: 2014-12-22; view: 1239