Re: Question about a grammatical term

 --- John Cowan wrote:

> > >Next is superlative of nigh!
> >
> > What's teh comparative?
>
> Historically it was "near":  nigh, nigher > near, nighest > next.
> In practice this conjugation has broken up, but not without leaving
> some impact on the resulting words.
Dutch is much more regular in this respect: na, nader, naast. The positive and
the comparative are not used often, but they exist. "Naast" is most commonly
used as a preposition: "next to", "at the side of".
I'm curious if this "na" is cognate with the preposition "na" (cf. German
"nach", "nahe").

> "First" and "last" are similarly frozen superlatives.
Similarly:
eer "before", eerder "earlier", eerst "first, earliest"
laat "late", later "later", laatst "last, latest".

Jan

=====
"Originality is the art of concealing your source." - Franklin P. Jones

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