Re: Equatives?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Pavel Iosad" <edricson@...>


> Hello,
>
> > While dabbling with comparatives, I
> > came up with
> > the idea of an "equative" -- a preposition for indicating equality or
> > "just the right amount of", _osa'o_ [?o"sa?o].
>
> [...]
>
> > Anybody else's conlang has this neat feature? :-)
I didn't see the message when it first came out, so I'll answer this one.
As Pavel writes, below, yes indeed: Welsh has an equative ending along with
a comparative and superlative: "Ac ual y llathrei WYNNET y cwn, y llathrei
COCHET y clusteu."  "And as the hounds shown so white, just as red shone the
ears."   It was from the Welsh, of course, that I got the notion way back
when to make an equative in Teonaht, but I also, recently, have an
alterative.  So:

Absolute:    nemta laz   (cloud white, i.e., a "white cloud.")
Equative:    ta  nemta hdo laz (like a cloud as white.)
Comparative:  ta nemta maka laz (than a cloud more white)
Superlative:   ta nemtan hse laz  (of clouds most white)
Alterative:   ta nemta uor laz   (from cloud a different kind of white,
           a different kind of white from that of a cloud.)

Teonaht also has a "just the right amount" of something in the adverb _no~_:

        no~ mohsa, "just big enough,"  no~ aista,  "work enough."

While it suggests equitability, it is not quite the equative.  It's
something that's good enough for the task at hand.


Sally Caves
scaves@frontiernet.net
Eskkoat ol ai sendran, rohsan nuehra celyil takrem bomai nakuo.
"My shadow follows me, putting strange, new roses into the world."

Pavel uarlo krespr:
> In full accordance with ALF, Middle Welsh has an equative degree (but I
> don't think it's used for 'just the right amount of'). Skuodian also has
> it (borrowed from MW, of course, but then Skuodian is a posteriori ;-)).
> And Manoeg, as well.

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