The category of Comparison

The category of adjectival comparison gives a relative evaluation of the quantity of a quality. The category is constituted by the opposition of the three forms (degrees of comparison):

1. the basic form (positive degree) – shows that the quality exists but is not stated in any relation to a similar quality in any other being or thing;

2. the comparative degree form – has the feature of restricted superiority (which limits the comparison to two elements only);

3. the superlative degree form – has the feature of unrestricted superiority.

On the upper level of presentation there is the opposition of the superiority degrees (the marked member) against the positive degree (the unmarked member). On the lower level of presentation there is the comparative degree (the weak member) against the superlative degree (the strong member) – a gradual ternary opposition.

The synthetical forms of comparison (in inflexions -er and -(e)st) coexist with the analytical forms of comparison (the auxiliaries more and most).

The analytical forms of comparison (used with the evaluative adjectives that, due to their phonemic structure /two-syllable words with the stress on the first syllable ending in other graphophonemic complexes than -er, -y, -le, -ow or words of more than two-syllable composition) cannot normally take the synthetical forms of comparison) perform a double function:

1) they are in categorial complementary distribution with the synthetical comparison forms;

2) they are used to express emphasis, thus complementing the synthetical forms in the sphere of this important stylistic connotation (E.g.: The audience became more and more noisy, and soon the speaker's words were drowned in the general hum of voices).

The less/least-combinations constitute specific forms of comparison – forms of reverse comparison. Therefore the whole category includes not three, but five different forms, making up the two series:

1) direct

2) reverse.

The reverse superiority degrees are of far lesser importance than the direct one and the reverse comparatives and superlatives tend to be rivalled in speech by the corresponding negative syntactic constructions.