Superlative

Superlatives are identical to comparatives, but have only one noun argument. All superlatives include the same verb moj ‘to be a lot’.

In the case of the adjective ‘good’ specifically, the lexical-content adjective can even be omitted, and moʄ can alone put across the meaning of superlative goodness:

(1)

 okiin omoʄu xe		         wiin moʄu we
 okiin omoʄu faax xe                    wiin moʄu we mbaax
 ‘the best person’                      'the best people'

(2)

 okiin oxe moʄ na                       wiin we moʄ na
 okiin oxe moʄ na faax                  wiin we moʄ na mbaax
 ‘the person that is best’	         'the people that are best'

The adverbial superlative precedes the adjective it modifies, and remains close to it without any intervening words or constituents.

The superlative verb, as can be seen above, can predicate of the noun phrase complex as a whole when the relativizing strategy is used, or can be embedded within it when the -u modification is used.

(3)

 pis dik ke [moʄ na ñof]	
 ‘the two horses [that are fastest]’

(4)

 omoon ole [moʄ na meɗ]	
 ‘the bottle [that is heaviest]’

(5)

 pis ɗik [moʄu ñof] ke
 'the two [fastest] horses'

With -u modification there is flexibility in the positioning of the moʄ-adverb, but this changes the reading to a predicational clause:

(6)

 pis keek moʄu ñof
 'These are the fastest horses.'

Superlatives (and Comparatives) in Wh-interrogatives

In which-questions, since there is no change in word order, the same ordering of adverb-adjective and positioning of the determiner still hold in questions:

<gl id="ex2" fontsize=12> \gll o- tew o- xum moʄ -u jigit sg-Cl woman Agr Wh most Adj tall \trans Which girl is the tallest? </gl>

As discussed in the section on predication strategies, because wh-questions are inherently focal, the wh word acts as a pronoun to which refu behaves as an attributive adjective, resulting in 'which x is the x that...'.

<gl id="ex2" fontsize=12> \gll o- xum ref -u o- tew oxe moʄ na njigit sg-Cl Wh is Adj Agr woman pro most Rel tall \trans Which woman is it that is the tallest? </gl>

<gl id="ex2" fontsize=12> \gll o- xum ref -u oxe moʄ na njigit sg-Cl Wh is Adj pro most Rel tall \trans Which is it that is the tallest? </gl>

In a comparative construction, the noun being compared to is introduced with a differential-object-marking particle a:

<gl id="ex2" fontsize=12> \gll o- xum ref -u oxe moʄ na njigit sg-Cl Wh is Adj pro most Rel tall \trans Which girl is taller than Jegan? </gl>

Go back to: Degrees of Comparison

Oana 23:54, 7 December 2012 (UTC)