Page:An Ainu-English-Japanese dictionary (including a grammar of the Ainu language).djvu/650

92 § III. COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES.

The comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives are not so extensively used as in English, the meaning being often left to be gathered from the context; but should it be necessary to be explicit, the comparative degree is formed by placing the word, “yet; “more,” and the superlative by placing, [sic] , “most” before the positive degree; e.g.

“The comparative with “than” may be expressed in six different ways:—(a) with the word ; (b) with and ; (c) with  and ; (d) with  and ; (e) with  and ; (f) with. One illustration of each method is here given with an example.

(a). The comparative with. originally means “to surpass,” and may be translated by “than;” e.g., “I am faster than you” (lit. than you, I go fast.)

(b). The comparative with and. means “very,” “more,” e.g. ; “the sea is greater than the land” (lit. than the land, the sea is more great.)

(c). The comparative with and. means “excess”:—

,” [sic] this village is nearer than that” (lit. than that village, this village is a nearer village.)

(d). The comparative with and. means “surpassingly”; e.g.

, “a hare is swifter than a horse” (lit. than a horse, a hare is surpassingly swift of foot.)

(e). The comparative with and ; e.g.