[Lingtyp] query: comparative constructions

[Denis CREISSELS]

Dear Chenlei,

 

Mandinka (Mande, Senegal) does not have a construction similar to the so-called double-subject construction found in East-Asian languages, but it seems to me that in other respects, the following exemple is quite similar to the Mandarin example you quote :

 

Kàláa lè lá tíñáaróo wàrátá tàmbôo tí.

pen-FOC-GEN-damage-is.big-spear-in.comparison.with

‘The damage caused by a pen is bigger that that caused by a spear’ (proverb)

lit. ‘The damage of a pen is bigger than a spear.’

 

Best wishes,

Denis

 

 

De : Lingtyp [mailto:lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org] De la part de ???
Envoyé : mardi 14 février 2023 23:15
À : lingtyp
Objet : [Lingtyp] query: comparative constructions

 




Dear all,

I would like to ask you about two phenomena of the comparative construction. The first is the separation between the "comparative subject" (ComS) and the "attribute subject" (AttS), which can be seen in Mandarin Chinese:

(1)    daxiang  bizi       bi          qita   dongwu  chang
         elephant nose     than       other animals  long
           ComS   AttS  Compr          St                Adj
         'The elephant's nose is longer than other animals'
(2)    jiage     women  bi          nimen gui.
        price     we         than       you    expensive
        AttS    ComS      Compr  St       Adj
         'Our price is more expensive than yours.' 

The AttS is the argument of the Adj, whereas the ComS-Adj is unacceptable (e.g., 'elephant long' is not what (1) expresses, but 'nose long' ).

I am curious if such expressions are allowed in other languages, especially in languages with the "double-subject construction" such as Japanese and Korean. As far as I know, both "elephant nose long" and "price we expensive" should be valid in those languages. However, I do not know whether this double-subject construction is allowed in a comparative construction, like (1)-(2).

The second phenonema is about the separation between what I termed as "abstract measurement" and "concrete measurement" of the Adj. I found this distinction in Zhoutun, a Chinese variety that is hugely influenced by Amdo Tibetan. Zhoutun distinguishes the two types of measurement in terms of the position:

(3)  a. This that than three meters taller. 'This is three meters taller than that.'
      b. This that than taller much.  'This is much taller than that.'

In (3), whereas the concrete measurement "three meters" precedes the Adj in (3a), the abstract measurement "much" follows the Adj in (3b). I am curious if analogous cases exist in other languages. Any leads or insights would be appreciated!


Best wishes,
Chenlei

--
Zhou, Chenlei
Dept. of Syntax & Semantics,
Institute of Linguistics, 
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
#5 Jianguomennei Street, Beijing, 100732, P.R.China 




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