Re: Comparison of adjectives (dumb question department)

ROGER MILLS wrote:
> I wrote:
>>> > Sorry to ask this, but I've forgotten, and can't find the answer on
>>> google
>>> > or wikipedia....
>>>
>>> > In a sentence like : John is older than Henry -- which is the
>>> comparandum,
>>> > which the comparatum?
> ===================================
>
[snip]

> In a more specific discussion of comparatives, I also found that in e.g.
> "John is older than Henry", John is the _target of comparison_ and Henry
> is the _standard of comparison_.  That's still hard to relate to
> comparandum--comparatum.
Naming the _target of comparison_ the 'comparandum' makes perfect sense;
the target is what one is aiming for, so the _target of comparison_
must, presumably, be the 'thing to be compared' (i.e. comparandum). So I
guess the _standard of comparison_ might be termed the 'comparatum'
(thing which has been compared), i.e. "John" is the person who
is-to-be-compared with some one else, and "Henry" is that some one else
who-has-been-compared with John.

I must stress the above is mere guess work based on the meaning of the
Latin terms.

I know I've seen those terms used in relation
> to comparative constructions!! Quite likely here on Conlang-L.....
>
> Help! Ray Brown-- does Trask's dictionary of Ling. Terms have anything
> on this??
Nope - and I've consulted Crystal's book as well. Neither book lists
'comparandum' and 'comparatum' (tho both do, of course, explain
'comparative   :)



--
Ray
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fieri per pauciora.
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