Предыдущая страница реферата | 4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14 | Следующая страница реферата

As for weak adjectives, they also exist in the language. The thing is that one need not learn by heart which adjective is which type - strong or weak, as you should do with the nouns. If you have a weak noun as a subject, its attributive adjective will be weak as well. So - a strong adjective for a strong noun, a weak adjective for a weak noun, the rule is as simple as that.
Thus if you say "a black tree" that will be blжc trйow (strong), and "a black eye" will sound blace йage. Here is the weak declension example
(blaca - black):

Sg. Pl.

Masc. Neut. Fem.

N blaca blace blace blacan

G blacan blacan blacan blжcra

D blacan blacan blacan blacum

A blacan blace blacan blacan

Weak declension has a single plural for all genders, which is pleasant for those who don't want to remeber too many forms. In general, the weak declension is much easier.

The last thing to be said about the adjectives is the degrees of comparison. Again, the traditional Indo-European structure is preserved here: three degrees (absolutive, comparative, superlative) - though some languages also had the so-called "equalitative" grade; the special suffices for forming comparatives and absolutives; suppletive stems for several certain adjectives.

The suffices we are used to see in Modern English, those -er and -est in weak, weaker, the weakest, are the direct descendants of the Old English ones. At that time they sounded as -ra and -est. See the examples: earm (poor) - earmra - earmost

blжc (black) - blжcra - blacost
Many adjectives changed the root vowel - another example of the Germanic ablaut: eald (old) - ieldra - ieldest

strong - strengra - strengest

long - lengra - lengest

geong (young) - gingra - gingest

The most widespread and widely used adjectives always had their degrees formed from another stem, which is called "suppletive" in linguistics. Many of them are still seen in today's English: gуd (good) - betera - betst (or sйlra - sйlest)

yfel (bad) - wiersa - wierest

micel (much) - mбra - mбйst

lэtel (little) - lж'ssa - lж'st

fear (far) - fierra - fierrest, fyrrest

nйah (near) - nйarra - nнehst, nэhst

ж'r (early) - ж'rra - ж'rest

fore (before) - furюra - fyrest (first)

Now you see what the word "first" means - just the superlative degree from the adjective "before, forward". The same is with nнehst from nйah
(near) which is now "next".

Old English affixation for adjectives:
1. -ede (group "adjective stem + substantive stem") - micelhйafdede
(large-headed)

2. -ihte (from substantives with mutation) - юirnihte (thorny)

Рекомендуем скачать другие рефераты по теме: инновационный менеджмент, план дипломной работы, банк курсовых работ бесплатно.



Предыдущая страница реферата | 4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14 | Следующая страница реферата

Поделитесь этой записью или добавьте в закладки