10_Adjective

10. The adjective, degrees of comparison.

The adjective expresses the categorial meaning of property of a substance, e.g.: hard work. Normally, the adjective stands in preposition, occasionally – in postposition. Semantically, adjectives are divided into relative and qualitative.

English scholars (Zandvoort, Close, Leech) don’t discriminate relative and qualitative adjectives, they classify adjectives on the basis of function: when combined with nouns, adjectives perform the function of an attribute, e.g.: a suspicious man; when combined with link verbs they perform the function of a predicative (part of a compound nominal predicate), e.g.: The man was very suspicious of his wife.

Henry Sweet recognises two kinds of adjectives:

• adjectives proper: relative and qualitative (traditional approach)

• free adjectives (traditionally – partially substantivised)

Otto Jespersen’s classification:

• qualitative adjectives - qualifiers (express quality)

• quantitative adjectives – quantifiers (express quantity)

The category of degrees of comparison

Traditionally the category of degrees of comparison of adjectives presents a gradual opposition

(Positive – comparative - superlative).

Means:

• Syntactical (-er, -est)

• Analytical (auxiliaries more/less, the most/the least)

• Suppletive (from different roots)

Problems:

1. Ilyish, Smirnitsky: the positive degree of comparison, whether it’s a degree of comparison or just a form.

2. Otto Jespersen recognises two forms of comparison: positive and relative degrees.

comparative superlative

3. O. Jespersen: the linguistic status of analytical forms of degrees of comparison (more, most = auxiliary) OR they are free word combinations, because they have their own lexical meaning.

4. Vorontsova, Blokh (non-traditionally) speak on two sets of degrees of comparison:

• an ascending row (-er, -est)

• a descending row (less, least)

5. The ‘elative-most’ construction, whether it’s a superlative degree or it’s an adverb having its own meaning.

Substantivisation of adjectives

Partially substantivised adjectives are not recognised by Smirnitsky: it’s either a free word combination or an adjective used without a noun. (the poor, the blond, opera house, silver watch)

The ‘Stone Wall’ problem (noun + noun, e.g. tennis shoes, the car door, orange juice):

1. The linguistic status of the whole unit is a problem. Smirnitsky says they are phrases, compound nouns, though highly unstable.

2. The linguistic status of the 1^st component. H Sweet – a noun, an adjective. Shubin – a separate part of speech.