Positive - Comparative - Superlative

Hello all,
And thanks to those who helped me get to digest mode. Sharing a phone line
with 12 others does not allow one to surf to search for such information. I
am home now recuperating and thinking deep conlang thoughts.

Along the way there has been a thread regarding the comparison of
adjectives. I apologize if I'm duplcating anything; hospitaliztion has a way
of setting aside much. I have had an idea of my own in this regard. Perhaps
the collected wisdom of those reading can help.

My modern language studies have alwyas laid out the comparison of adjectives
in three layers, postitive comparative and superaltive, big, bigger,
biggest. I'm thinking of a system (and I spend hours on end thinking before
I would ever put out any of my thoughts) I find this a constriction rather
than a freedom.

I have seen some conlangs that extend this system as if in a mirror with a
reverse side sort of

ante-superlative ante-comparitive positive comparative superlative, 5 points
on a continuum instead of 3 on a continuum. I'd like to see this expanded
even more. The problem is how to express the continuum.

For example. I play the oboe. There are five oboes in the oboe family. They
are as follows

oboe-musette
oboe proper
oboe d'amore
cor anglais
bass oboe.

The oboe-musette is the smallest of the five and the bass oboe is the
largest. How can I show a unique relationship between the five of them
without repeating "bigger than the one above it," or "smaller than the one
below it?" I'd like some succint ways to handle this rather than the "ante"
method above and the simple three step process.

Anyone?

Scott Hlad

===============================
Scott W. Hlad
Teran, a Conlang
http://www.teran-conlang.org
mailto:scott@kohath.org

Replies