Page:A Manual of the Foochow Dialect in Twenty Lessons.pdf/57

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 * 盡 cêng, [sic] 頂 dīng, [sic] 極 gĭk, [sic] 上 siông, [sic] 禿 tŭk: sign of superlative
 * 平安 bìng-ăng: peace
 * 之至 cĭ-cé: extremely
 * 玻璃 bŏ̤-là̤: glass
 * 賣記的去 mâ̤-gé-dék-kó̤: forgotten
 * 闊 kuák: wide
 * 禿 tŭk: blunt
 * 由 iù: from
 * 容易 ṳ̀ng-ê: easy
 * 遠 huông: distant
 * 年紀 nièng-gī: age
 * 合式 hăk-sék: suitable, proper
 * 謝謝 siâ-siâ: thanks
 * 一疋布 siŏh-pék búo: a piece of cloth
 * 十分 sĕk-hŭng: perfect, completely

1. When we speak of one thing excelling another we place a word or phrase either before or after the descriptive word possessing such a meaning. In Foochow Colloquial, the sign of the superlative comes before as a rule. That man is very good. 那𠆧盡好 Hiā nè̤ng cêng hō̤.

The superlative is formed:&mdash;a. By prefixing to the positive such words as, 盡 cêng, 頂 dīng, 上 siông, 極 gĭk, and the compound words, 上好 siông-hō̤ first rate, 頂好 dīng-hō̤ top good, 野好 iā-hō̤ very good, 極好 gĭk-hō̤ extremely good. b. By prefixing other words which give completeness, emphasis or intensity to the idea. 真 Cĭng truly, 恰 kák very, remarkably, too, 箬 niŏh how many, 禿 tŭk the very end, 十分 sĕk-hŭng ten candareens, wholly, entirely, 十全 sĕk-ciòng ten, complete. c. By reduplicating the adjective and sometimes following it with 着 diŏh which indicates fulness or completeness of quality. 明明着 Mìng-mìng diŏh very clear or plain; 細細着 sá̤-sá̤-diŏh very small; 高高着 gèng-gèng-diŏh very high. d. By suffixes such as, 的極 dék-gĭk, 之至 cĕ-cé, 大的極 duâi dék-gĭk extremely great, 毛理之至 mô̤ li cí-cé extremely unreasonable.