Re: Adjectives as Verbs

On Tue, 6 Jul 2004 17:40:50 +0100, Chris Bates
<chris.maths_student@...> wrote:
> If anyone has any I'd really like examples from as many different
> languages as possible which have verbs fulfilling the role of adjectives
> on how it works, how they do comparitives/superlatives, how they make
> the verb relative (are there any which use a relative pronoun? Or do
> they all inflect the verb to mark it as relative? etc). Thanks in Advance,
OK, here are some languages I can think of that use verbs for adjectives:

==Japanese==
===Verbs as adjectives===
Japanese native adjectives (keiyoushi) can be used either
predicatively or attributively:

ki wa ookii
tree TOP big
The tree is big (predicative)

sono ki wa ha ga ookii
that tree TOP leaf SUBJ big
As for that tree, the leaves are big / That tree has big leaves (predicative)

Omoshiroi hon wo yonde imasu
Interesting book OBJ reading am
I'm reading an interesting book (attributive)

===Comparatives and superlatives===
Comparatives use the pattern "A wa B yori Q" for "A is Q-er than B", e.g.

Watashi wa anata yori se ga takai
I TOP you PART stature NOM tall
I am taller than you

Superlatives use the pattern "A wa ichiban Q" for "A is the Q-est", e.g.

Sono yama wa ichiban takai
that mountain TOP first tall
That mountain is the tallest

===Relatives clauses===
Japanese uses the base form of the main verb to form relative clauses. Compare:

Ano hito wa hon wo yonde iru
that person TOP book OBJ reading is
That persin is reading a book

Hon wo yonde iru hito
book OBJ reading is person
The person who is reading a book

Watashi ga yonda hon
I SUBJ read book
The book which I read

==Klingon==
===Verbs as adjectives===
Klingon uses stative verbs as adjectives; these can be either
predicative or attributive.

Daj paqvam
be-interesting book-this
This book is interesting

paq Daj
book interesting
The interesting book

===Comparatives and superlatives===
Comparatives use the pattern "A Q law' B Q puS" for "A is Q-er than B", e.g.

paqwIj Daj law' paqlIj Daj puS
book-my interesting many book-your interesting few
My book is more interesting than yours

Superlatives use the pattern "A Q law' Hoch Q puS" for "A is the Q-est", e.g.

HuDvetlh tIn law' Hoch tIn puS
mountain-that big many everything big few
That mountain is the biggest

===Relative clauses===
Klingon verbs take the type-9 suffix -bogh to form relative clauses. A
fairly canonical examples is

yaS qIppu' puq
officer hit-PERF child
The child hit the officer

yaS'e' qIppu'bogh puq
officer-TOP hit-PERF-REL child
The officer whom the child hit

yaS qIppu'bogh puq'e'
officer hit-PERF-REL child-TOP
The child who hit the officer

==Toki Pona==
===Verbs as adjectives===
Toki Pona also uses verbs as adjectives:

tomo ni li suli
house this PRED big
This house is big

tomo suli
house big
The big house

===Comparatives and superlatives===
I haven't found information on how to form these in the grammar I've
read so far (it's a fairly minimal language). Personally, I'd be
tempted to steal the Klingon construction "A Q many B Q few" / "A Q
many everything Q few".

===Relative clauses===
No relative clauses in Toki Pona; Toki Pona uses coordination rather
than subordination.

For example, "I saw the man who built the house" would probably be
something along the lines of

mi lukin e jan. jan li pali e tomo.
I see OBJ person. person PRED build OBJ house.
I saw a man. The man built the house.

==Lojban==
===Verbs as adjectives===
Lojban doesn't have Indo-European parts of speech such as verbs,
nouns, and adjectives; however, its brivla are fairly verb-ish on
their own and noun-ish when combined with gadri ("articles").

le tricu cu barda
ART tree PRED big
The tree is big

le barda tricu
ART big tree
The big tree

===Comparatives and superlatives===
Comparatives usually involve zmadu "x1 exceeds/is more than x2 in
property/quantity x3 (ka/ni) by amount/excess x4" or mleca "x1 is less
than x2 in property/quantity x3 (ka/ni) by amount x4"; superlatives
involve traji "x1 is superlative in property x2 (ka), the x3 extreme
(ka; default ka zmadu) among set/range x4".

In both cases, the comparison can be either explicit or implicit (as
part of a combined word).

My grasp on the grammar is not that strong, so _caveat lector_. Here's a guess:

le tricu cu zmadu le xrula le ka barda
ART tree PRED exceed ART flower ART QUAL big
The tree exceeds the flower in the property of bigness; the tree is
larger than the flower

le tricu cu bramau le xrula
ART tree PRED size-exceed ART flower
The tree is larger than the flower

("bramau" is composed of "barda" and "zmadu".)

le cmana cu traji le ka galtu
ART mountain PRED superlative ART QUAL high
The mountain is the highest

le cmana cu galrai
ART mountain PRED high-superlative
The mountain is the highest

===Relative clauses===
Relative clauses are introduced by particles such as "noi" (for a
non-restrictive relative clause) or "poi" (for a restrictive relative
clause). They can use "ke'a" to refer to the head but need not do so
if the head is the x1 place of the selbri of the relative clause
(rough analogy: if it is the subject)

le prenu cu pu citka le cakla
ART person PRED AFTER eat ART chocolate
The person ate the chocolate

le prenu poi pu citka le cakla
ART person REL AFTER eat ART chocolate
The person who ate the chocolate

le prenu poi mi pu viska ke'a
ART person REL I AFTER see RELPRON
The person whom I saw

Cheers,
--
Philip Newton <philip.newton@...>