Re: Wenedyk - Adjectives

Jan van Steenbergen c'azdy:

>>>>>>>>>>>
> What's the reason for using Classical Latin suffixes in degrees of
> comparison? |brzewi?r| was rather lofty already in times of Cicero.
Well, I'm still considering the possility of creating an alternative
form of
the type "more short" and "most short". As a matter of fact, I've
always been
sure that for many words it will be the only possibility (like in
Polish, BTW).
I just didn't work out the forms yet.
But I would somehow be sorry if I had to abolish all the |-i?r| forms.
Are you
sure they had already vanished from spoken language that early? It
seems to me
that some remnants of particularly the superlative forms survived in
Italian
("bellissima!")
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In fact, I'm not sure. I'm not a Romance philologist. My sources say
that compound forms became normal in IV-V cc. AD. Suffixal methode was
productive in Old French and Old Provencal. Superlative forms are
still nor,al in Italian in all registers of speech. (Alisova et al.
Intro to Romance Philology. Moscow, 1987)

>>>>>>>>>
About |ma?| and |parzew| I agree. To be honest, that was merely a
"slip of the
finger" (is that an appropriate expression when working on a
computer?). But
AFAIK |brevis| survived at least in French and Italian (I don't have
my books
with me and I don't know a word of Spanish), with makes me think it
must have
existed in Vulgar Latin as well.
<<<<<<<<<<

"short":
Fr. court, bref
It. breve, corto
Sp. breve, corto
Port. curto, breve
Rom. scurt

So this is Românian that confused me! Sorry! Both are possible. Still
|breve| souds a bit bookish to me.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sigh! Where can I find a decent Vulgar Latin word list? It would be
much easier
than checking every Latin word in at least six dictionaries first!
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I have none, but I find searching in dictionaries amusing ;)

>>>>>>>>>>>>
I didn't do it like that, for three reasons:
1. By the time the Romans and the Veneds got into contact with each
other,
   Proto-Slavic must already have had the system you describe,
probably even
   without understanding it themselves. It would be at least a bit
strange if
   on the moment they started to speak Latin they would reapply this
way of
   inflecting adjectives.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Good argument. Counted!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
2. I would find it difficult to make up something credible on the
basis of
   |nov-| and |ill-|. It could be tempting to try, though. Perhaps I
will.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Românian does this, when adj. is in preposition to noun, because
*illus became a postpositive definite article there!
|bàrbatul frumos| versus |frumosul bàrbat| "the handsome man" (<
*barbatus illus formosus)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Well, knowing some details about South-Slavic wouldn't hurt anybody.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

That's true!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>
NB I have been wondering which Latin word to choose for "snake" in
Wenedyk:
|anguis| or |serpens|. I guess I must leave you the choice :)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Fr. serpent m.
It. serpente m.
Sp. serpiente f.
Por. serpente f., cobra f.
Ro. s^arpe

So it may come from |serpens|, but I think smth from |vîpera| would
please me :-))
How it sounds? |wipierz|?

Sövmekte,
Yitzik
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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