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I can also confirm ‘sweet as’ in Australian English. I’ve seen it on advertising billboards. I think the construction ‘X as’ can be somewhat productive - eg I’ve certainly heard ‘dumb as’. There is a particular intonation that goes with the construction -
the ‘as’ is lengthened and has a rise-fall contour so it doesn’t sound incomplete (this is impressionistic - someone may have a better idea of the prosody than me).
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<div>Ilana<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Associate Professor Ilana Mushin<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Reader in Linguistics<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">President, Australian Linguistic Society<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img webkitattachmentid="166167bc-e554-436f-9b85-caefd9cc9de6" width="58" height="78" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D66B4B.271B7B40" alt="/var/folders/lv/m77kqy0n4x1_rcd3pk0j2n900000gq/T/com.microsoft.Outlook/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/il.pb.png" style="width: 0.6041in; height: 0.8125in;" data-unique-identifier="">Co-Editor, <i>Interactional
Linguistics</i> (<a href="https://benjamins.com/catalog/il">https://benjamins.com/catalog/il</a>) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span lang="EN-US">School of Languages and Cultures</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span lang="EN-US">University of Queensland</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span lang="EN-US">St Lucia, QLD 4072.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ph: <a href="tel:(07)%203365%206810" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1">(07)
3365 6810</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">CRICOS Provider No: 00025B<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I acknowledge the Jagera and Turrbal peoples on whose land I live and work. Their sovereignty was never ceded.</b></p>
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<blockquote type="cite">On 12 Apr 2021, at 5:27 am, David Gil <gil@shh.mpg.de> wrote:<br>
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<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">Dear all,<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"><br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">I'm interested in exploring the properties and geographical distribution of a novel (well, to me at least) construction
type which might be termed "Elided Intensification'.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>I'll explain with an example.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In Papuan Malay, property-denoting and some other words may be intensified by the addition of
<i>sampe</i>, a word whose other, more basic functions, include 'arrive' and 'until', e.g.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">(1)
<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Enak sampe</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-tab-count:1">
</span>nice SAMPE</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-tab-count:1">
</span>'Very nice.'</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">My informal "interpretation" of this construction is that it involves, or at least originated in, some kind of understood
expression such as "nice arriving (at complete fulfillment)", or "nice until (completion)".<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>As Papuan Malay is largely head-initial, it kind of feels like something is missing after the word
<i>sampe</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(In Malay/Indonesian, this construction seems to be restricted geographically to the north coast of New Guinea and possibly also Northern Maluku; elsewhere it is absent.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">So far, I am familiar with two other potential cases of Elided Intensification.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>The first is from Ambel, an Austronesian language spoken in the Raja Ampat archipelago of the northwest coast of New Guinea, in a region where Papuan Malay is also spoken.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>As described by Arnold (2018:145, pers comm), <i>aya</i> 'until' is used in a construction closely resembling that in (1):</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">(2)
<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Anlómo aya </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span style="mso-tab-count:1">
</span>bleed.3SG.INAN AYA </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span style="mso-tab-count:1">
</span>‘It bled a lot.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:27.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify:
inter-ideograph;text-indent:-27.0pt;mso-pagination:widow-orphan
lines-together">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Arnold, Laura. 2018.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:
normal">A Grammar of Ambel, An Austronesian Language of West New Guinea</i>. PhD Dissertation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">The second example, which I just came across, and which prompted this query, is Australian English.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>In the Wikipedia entry for Australian English, in a paragraph which deals with the infensification of adjectives, the following rather tantalizing passage occurs:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">"In informal speech, incomplete comparisons are sometimes used, such as "sweet as" (as in "That car is sweet
as.")."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">So here it's comparative 'as' rather than 'arrive'/'until' that comes after the word being intensified, but still,
all these cases seem to involve intensification with the elision of some kind of argument associated with the property word and denoting an extreme extent of the property in question.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">My questions:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">1.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>Could speakers of Australian English please confirm the existence of this construction, and comment on it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>Does it occur in other varieties of English?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>(It was certainly completely new to me!)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">2.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>Is anybody familiar with possible cases of Elided Intensification in other languages, in Australia, New Guinea or elsewhere?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>On the flimsy basis of three examples, it looks like an Australian / New Guinea areal feature: is this the case?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>For the Australia / New Guinea region I'd also appreciate negative data, of the form "no, my language definitely doesn't do this".</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">3.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>Any further comments and suggestions ...</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">Thanks,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US">David</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
David Gil
Senior Scientist (Associate)
Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
Email: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:gil@shh.mpg.de">gil@shh.mpg.de</a>
Mobile Phone (Israel): +972-526117713
Mobile Phone (Indonesia): +62-81344082091</pre>
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