Adjectives and adverbs are inflected for
comparison. The inflection for such comparison gives two forms which are
formed fromthe positive which is base form. When two things are compared,
comparative is sued; when more than two things are compared superlative is
sued. In Bhumij, comparative is expressed with the marker -tea ‘from’ which
is originally a casemarker source. Superlative is expressed with the marker
jototea ‘from everybody’.
1.
Comparative :
1.
moyon
gai
moyon
hati - tea
huiŋ
- tan - a
one
cow
one
elephant
comp.
small-tense-cop
‘A cow is smaller than an elephant’
2.
seta
pusi-tea
maraŋ-tan-a
dog
cat-comp.
big-tense-cop
‘The dog is bigger than the cat’
3.
koahona
kuihon-tea
haŋa
- tan -a
boy
girl-comp.
tall-tense-cop
‘The boy is taller than the girl’
4.
a?e
a?e-a
suŋgu:ti-tea
kam - e - a
he
he-poss
friend-comp
work -PT - cop
‘He works better than his friend’
5.
a?e
a?e-a
haga-tea jur
dhau
- e - a
he
he-poss
brother-comp.
fast run -PT-cop
‘He runs faster than his brother’
2.
Superlative :
1.
ia
digbhag-re
jototea
maraŋ
gaa
heke
this
area-in
superlative
big
river
is
‘This is the largest river in this area’
2.
joto
kuihon-ko
bitarre
han
kuihona
bejaiŋ
all
girl-pl
among
that
girl
very
hehra
beautiful
‘She is the most beautiful among all the
girls’
3.
a?e
joto-h-ko
bitarre
bugin
kamih
he
all-man-pl
among
good
worker
‘He is the best worker among all the workers’
The superlative may be expressed with joto............bitarre
‘all......... among’, to say that one is best among
all as shown in the above examples 2 and 3.
iŋ
- tan - a
a
haŋa
- tan -a
ia
hehra
