Legend: Definitions, Terms, <Text>, [IPA], -Tags-, and "Glosses".
The possible elements of a scalar construction are the scale of comparison, the direction of comparison, the subject of comparison, the standard of comparison, the degree of comparison, the precision of comparison, and the comparison function.
The scale of comparison is the quality according to which the comparison is made; it's represented by the scalar verb. The direction of comparison is either positive, negative, neutral, or absolute. Each scalar verb is inherently positive or negative (scalar verbs tend to come in pairs of opposites, e.g. ? "heavy" and ? "light"). The suffix -? (-NA) derives a form used for both neutral and absolute directions. It's most often applied to the positive scalar root, e.g. ?? "possessing weight".
Possibly, the neutral and absolute forms are different.
The subject of comparison is the entity being compared and the standard of comparison is the entity that the subject (of comparison) is compared to. The subject is represented by a noun phrase, a pronoun, or a verb prefix. How the standard is represented depends on the specific construction. Some functions use a postpositional phrase using the postposition ? "adjacent" with the standard of comparison being the object.
The degree of comparison is an optional amount and may be represented by a degree adverb or a phrase specifying a quantity along with the appropriate unit noun. Note that what is traditionally called the degree is handled by the comparison function here. The degree adverbs include ? "to a normal degree", ? "to the same degree", ? "to the maximum extent", ? "to a sufficient degree", "enough", and ? "to what degree?", "how?".
The precision of comparison modifies the degree and is either tight, medium, or loose. Tight and loose precision are represented by the preceding adverbs ? (TP) and ? (LP), respectively, while medium precision is null. The translation of these adverbs depend on the function.
Except for the superlative of selection, which is phrasal, all of these are clausal (sometimes with non-comparison elements). The positive and the normative may also appear as participles.
The positive uses the positive or negative verb and an implicit standard signifying a norm appropriate to the subject of comparison. The degree doesn't appear, but precision is possible with TP translatable as "slightly" and LP translatable as "very".
The normative also has an implicit standard signifying a norm appropriate to the subject of comparison. It uses the positive, negative, or neutral-absolute verb with the degree adverb ? signifying a neutral or "normal" quality. Precision is possible with TP translatable as "precisely" and LP translatable as "roughly".
The absolute uses the neutral-absolute form of the verb to name the scale. The degree is required, specifying an absolute value. There is no standard. Precision is possible with TP translatable as "precisely" and LP translatable as "roughly".
The superlative of capacity (traditionally called absolute superlative) uses the positive or negative verb with the adverb ? signifying an extreme degree. There is no standard and precision doesn't appear.
The interrogative uses the positive, negative, or neutral-absolute verb with the adverb ?. There is no standard and precision doesn't appear.
The satisfactive uses the positive or negative verb with the degree adverb ? signifying sufficiency for some event specified elsewhere. Precision is possible with TP translatable as "just" and LP translatable as "by a large margin".
The explicit equative uses the positive, negative, or neutral-absolute verb with the degree adverb ? signifying that the subject of comparison is the same in quality as the standard. The standard is expressed by an adjunct clause, as described in a prior subsection. Precision is possible with TP translatable as "precisely" and LP translatable as "roughly".
The implicit equative uses the positive, negative, or neutral-absolute verb with the degree adverb ? signifying that the subject of comparison is the same in quality as the standard, which is the subject of comparison at an earlier time. Precision is possible with TP translatable as "precisely" and LP translatable as "roughly".
The explicit comparative uses the positive or negative verb. The comparative function is indicated by the presence of an explicit standard, expressed as an adjunct clause described in a prior subsection. If the degree appears, it represents the amount by which the subject of comparison exceeds the standard (if positive) or is exceeded by it (if negative). Precision is possible with TP translatable as "precisely" and LP translatable as "roughly".
The implicit comparative uses the comparative form of the positive or negative verb. The implicit standard is the subject of comparison at an earlier time. If the degree appears, it represents the amount by which the subject of comparison exceeds the standard (if positive) or is exceeded by it (if negative). Precision is possible with TP translatable as "precisely" and LP translatable as "roughly".
In the superlative of selection, a subset of a whole is selected through set-wise comparisons. The construction consists of a phrase representing the part preceded by a genitive phrase denoting the whole. For the part, the superlative form of a positive or negative verb is used, optionally preceded by a quantity word specifying the cardinality of the selected subset.
The following table summarizes the syntax of the clausal functions.
| Name | Standard | Degree | Precision | Adverb | Direction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute | - | required | optional | absolute | not signif. | |
| Positive | - | - | optional | - | significant | |
| Comparative | Explicit | required | optional | optional | - | significant |
| Implicit | - | comparative | ||||
| Superlative of Capacity | - | - | - | extreme | significant | |
| Satisfactive | - | - | optional | enough | significant | |
| Interrogative | - | - | - | how? | not signif. | |
| Normative | - | - | optional | normal | not signif. | |
| Equative | Explicit | required | - | optional | equal | not signif. |
| Implicit | - | |||||
page started: 2016.Aug.02 Tue
current date: 2016.Aug.06 Sat
content and form originated by qiihoskeh
Table of Contents