Re: Degrees of adjectives

On Friday, February 4, 2005, at 10:06 , Tristan McLeay wrote:

> On 4 Feb 2005, at 6.47 pm, Ray Brown wrote:
>
>> There is another degree that is found in the Insular Celtic langs (a
>> feature which AFAIK they do _not_ share with the Semitic langs!) and
>> that
>> is the _equative_: as X is as adj as Z.
>> Cf. Welsh:
>> cryf (strong)   cryfed (as strong [as])   cryfach (stronger)   cryfa
>> (strongest)
>> da (good)       cystal (as good [as])     gwell (better)       gorau
>> (best)
>
> Nifty feature :). Is _gwell_ borrowed from/related to English 'well'?
I am fairly certain it is not a borrowing - the meaning is not right for
one thing. I do not know the etymology for certain, but I suspect it may
be cognate with the same set of words as:
Germanic: English _well_ <-- OE _wel_; Gothic _waila_; German _wohl_; and
           English _will_ <-- OE _willan_; Gothic _wiljan; German _wollen_.
Latin:   _uollo:_, _uelle_ --> Fr. _vouloir_, It. _volere_ etc

I.e. a root common to the Celtic, German & Italic IE langs.

Ray
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Anything is possible in the fabulous Celtic twilight,
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as of the reason."      [JRRT, "English and Welsh" ]