Fergelijkende taalkunde fan Afrikaans en Engels. Comparative Grammar of English and Cape Dutch

IV. O'er di Hoedanighydswoorde.
IV. Adjectives.

1. Idere ding het syn hoedanighyd, en di woorde wat dit uitdruk is hoedanighydswoorde, soos mooi, lelik, oud, jong, ens.	1. Everything possesses some distinguishing attribute or quality and the words indicating such attitude or quality we call adjectives, as beautiful, ugly, old, young, &c.
Anmerking - Party Engelse taalkundes breng ni alleen di Lidwoorde ni, mar oek di Telwoorde onder di Hoedanighydswoorde.	Note. - Some English Grammars classify not only the Articles, but also the Numerals under the Adjectives.
2. Kom di hoedanighydswoord foor di naamwoord, dan kry dit 'n e agteran, om dit te lat ansmelt, soos: dis 'n flukse pêrd; mar kom dit agter di naamwoord, dan blyf dit onferanderd, soos: di pêrd is fluks. Dis di enigste gewone ferbuiging wat ons an di hoedanighydswoorde het. Mar Engels het selfs dit ni.	2. In Cape Dutch, when the adjective is placed before the noun, an e is suffixed for blending together, e.g.: ‘dis 'n flukse pêrd,’ but when the adjective follows the noun, this is omitted, e.g.: ‘di perd is fluks.’ This is the only ordinary declension of adjectives in Cape Dutch, but English has not got it.
N.B. - Hiir word di d oek 'n j, soos goed - goeje, of 'n ie, goed - goeie. By hoedanighydswoorde afgelyd uit ferlede deelwoorde fan werkwoorde, kryg hulle by ferbuiging 'n d of 'n t foor di e, soos ‘di koffi is gemeng - dis gemengde koffi’; ‘di stori is opgemaak - dis n opgemaakte stori.’	Note. - Here also the terminating d becomes j or ie, e.g. goed, goeje, or goeie. Adjectives derived from past participles of verbs take d or t before the e. (See examples parallel column).

[p. 16]

3. Di hoedanighydswoorde het nog 'n aparte soort fan ferandering, dis di sogenoemde trappe fan fergelyking, om di ferskillende grade in di hoedanighyd fan 'n ding an te wys. Gewoonlik neem hulle 3 grade an, Di eerste is net soos 'n ding fan self is, soos 'n grote huis. Di twede graad is as jy di hoedanighyd fan 'n ding wil fersterk deur dit te fergelyk met ander dinge, soos: di huis is groter as di ander. Di derde graad is as di hoedanighyd fan 'n ding bo al di ander wat jy daarmé fergelyk uitsteek, soos: di huis is di grootste fan al di huise an di Kaap. Di 3 trappe word in Afrikaans en Engels amper eenders geform. Di stellende trap is in alby di hoedanighydswoord self, soos: groot, great. Di fergelykende trap word in alby geform deur er agteran te set, soos: groter, greater. Di o'ertreffende trap in Afrikaans deur ste, en in Engels deur est agteran te set, soos: grootste, greatest.	3. Adjectives, however, admit of 3 varieties of form, called Degrees of Comparison, expressing the different degrees of such attribute or quality. Usually 3 degrees are acknowledged. The Positive Degree is the adjective in its simple form, e.g. a great house. The Comparative Degree is used when we wish to indicate that one thing, or a group of things, possesses the same quality or attribute as another, but in a greater degree, e.g. this house is greater than the other. The Superlative Degree is that form of it which shows that a certain thing, or group of things, possesses the attribute denoted by the adjective in a greater degree than any other among several of which it is one, e.g. this house is the greatest of all the houses in Cape Town. These degrees are formed nearly in the same way in English and Cape Dutch, by adding er to the simple form of the adjective in the comparative and est in the superlative degree in English, and est in Cape Dutch, e.g. great, greater, greatest.
4. Party hoedanighydswoorde laat uit hulle aard gen grade fan fergelyking toe ni, in Afrikaans en Engels alby, soos: goue, silwere, dood, splinsternuut, ontelbaar, alomteenwoordig, almagtig, aards, Engels, Frans, dageliks, skriftelik, mondeling, regs, links, ens.	4 Many adjectives, from the nature of the ideas which they express, cannot have comparative and superlative degrees: as golden, silver, dead, innumerable, omnipresent, omnipotent, English, French, daily, verbal, right, left, etc.
5. In Engels word fele grade fan fergelyking onreelmatig geform, waarfan ons 'n lys gé in di Engelse fertaling. In Afrikaans is di uitsonderinge minder. Waar di hoedanighydswoorde uitgaan op r word di fergelykende trap geform deur der agteran te foeg, soos swaar, swaarder; seer, seerder. Di follende trappe fan fergelyking word onreelmatig geform:- goed, beter, beste. feul (baing), meer, meeste. graag, liwer, liifste.	5. In Cape Dutch the formation of the degrees of comparison is very regular. It is only to be noted that adjectives ending already in r form the comparative degree by adding der, as swaarder from swaar, etc. The only irregular formations are the 3 following: - goed, beter, beste, feul meer, meeste; graag, liwers, liifste. The irregular forms in English are the following:- good, better, best: little, lest, least: much (many), more, most: bad, worse, worst: late, later or latter, latest or last: nigh, nigher, nighest or next: fore, former, foremost or first: old, older or elder, oldest or eldest: far, farther, or further, farthest or furthest.

[p. 17]

Oefening: - Skrywe di trappe fan fergelyking uit fan di follende hoedanighydswoorde: - eer, duur, froom, diip, hoog, suur, soet, heet, kwaai, min, baing, pikswart, faal.	Exercise: - Give the comparative and superlative forms of the following adjectives: - good, wise, little, bad, late, near, fore, much, old, frugal, few, valuable, many, patient, high, pretty, black, heavy, hot, fair, far, gentle, able, bitter, green, gay, useful, red, swift, modest, merry, rough.
6. In Afrikaans word meer en meeste oek gebruik in enkele gefalle om di trappe fan fergelyking uit te druk, soos: Hy is meer geleerd as ferstandig. In Engels word dit feul meer gedoen met more en most, soos by alle hoedanighydswoorde met meer as 2 lettergrepe, en by almal met 2 lettergrepe, behalwe by di wat uitgaan op y, er, ble, en waar di klemtoon op di laaste lettergreep fal.	6. In Cape Dutch very seldom the degrees of comparison are formed by adding meer and meeste to the simple adjective, as ‘He is more learned than wise.’ In English this is done by adding more and most to all adjectives of more than 2 syllables, and to all of 2 syllables except those ending in y, er and ble, besides those which have the accent on the last syllable.