Increased emphasis or intensity Comparison Function

6.1.4 Juxtaposition of adjectives

Juxtaposing two different adjectives while maintaining their prefixes produces a coordinate structure, while juxtaposing their roots without the prefix, always showing some form of reduplication, produces a single usually intensified meaning. Compare: 103 naŋ 33 ʑa 31 ki 33 aŋ 33 vai 31 aŋ 33 khjaŋ 55 you child fast diligent ‘Your child is dexterous as well as hardworking.’ Xu 2001:95 104 vai 31 vai 31 khjaŋ 55 khjaŋ 55 fast fast work work ‘hardworking’ Xu 2001:93

6.1.5 Reduplication

There are four types of adjective reduplication in Bisu: • The root is reduplicated without the adjectival prefix, giving a bisyllabic word; this bisyllabic word can sometimes be augmented with an additional medial adverb, giving a trisyllabic word: 105 bisyllabic: aŋ 33 moŋ 33 = high; moŋ 31 moŋ 31 = very high Xu 2001:92 trisyllabic: aŋ 33 moŋ 55 = long; moŋ 55 m ɯ 55 moŋ 55 = really long Xu 2001:92 m ɯ 55 =and Xu 2001:115 • The entire bisyllabic adjective can be reduplicated, giving a quadrisyllabic word: 106 complete reduplication: aŋ 33 saŋ 55 = clean; aŋ 33 saŋ 55 aŋ 33 saŋ 55 = very clean Xu 2001:92 • The roots of two complementary adjectives can each be reduplicated and adjoined, producing a quadrisyllabic word: 107 quadrisyllabic: aŋ 33 vau 55 = busy; aŋ 33 ki 55 = hurried; Xu 2001:93 vau 55 vau 55 ki 55 ki 55 = hurriedly, hastily no comment on adverb • The quadrisyllabic word that is formed from two complementary adjectives, each reduplicated and adjoined to form a quadrisyllabic word, can be reduced to a trisyllabic word. This always produces an intensified meaning: 108 trisyllabic: aŋ 33 paŋ 55 = black; aŋ 33 saŋ 55 = clean; paŋ 55 saŋ 33 saŋ 55 = pitch black Xu 2001:93 reduced aŋ 33 pon 31 = white; aŋ 33 saŋ 55 = clean; pon 31 saŋ 33 saŋ 55 = pure white Xu 2001:93

6.1.6 Increased emphasis or intensity

Increased emphasis or intensity can also in addition to trisyllables, as in section 5.4.1, be produced by adding any one of six or seven phrases that all mean ‘really far’ or ‘very far’ after the adjective Xu 2001:94, or by preceding the adjective with a demonstrative, such as ‘this’ Xu 2001:95. Certain forms of the word ‘really’ can precede or follow an adjective to add emphasis Xu 2001:95–96. Reduced emphasis is produced by adding the adjective meaning ‘a little’ or ‘few’ in front of the adjective Xu 2001:94. Equality is stated by preceding the adjective with the word ‘equally’ Xu 2001:96.

6.1.7 Comparison

Comparison of adjectives can be analogized to English ‘-er’, ‘even -er’, and ‘-est’ forms. The simple comparative uses the word ‘above’, in an NP - NP -‘above’- AP order. The higher degrees of comparison use a reduplicated form of the adjective. 109 naŋ 33 x ɣn 31 ga 33 tha 31 ɣ 33 vai 31 you run I above fast ‘You run faster than I docan.’ 110 ʑoŋ 33 x ɣn 31 ne 33 aŋ 33 x ɣn 31 vai 31 vai 31 they run existing action run fast fast ‘They run even faster than that.’ 111 ʑaŋ 33 x ɣn 31 ne 33 aŋ 33 vai 31 vai 31 ma 55 he run existing action fast fast really ‘He runs the fastest.’ Xu 2001:94 Comparisons of the form ‘much -er’ use an adjective such as ‘big’, or ‘full’ after the compared adjective Xu 2001:95. The noun phrase-‘above’-noun phrase order of the ‘hot’ example, below, is seen in another example in Xu’s data 2001:96: 112 ga 33 ʑaŋ 33 tha 31 ɣ 33 moŋ 33 ma 55 I he above tall plump,full ‘I am much taller than he is.’ 113 mi 55 n ɯ 33 s ɣ 55 tha 31 ɣ 33 mi 55 n ɯ 33 loŋ 55 x ɯ 31 last year above this year hot big ‘Last year was much hotter than this year.’

6.1.8 Function

Adjectives may function attributively or predicatively, and sometimes may “modify or complement verbs.” In addition, they may also serve as subjects or objects Xu 2001:96. An adjective functioning as subject or object has the meaning ‘the ___ ones’. The form may be the bisyllabic prefixed form or the monosyllabic root with the prefix aŋ33- followed by the verb particle meaning ‘existing action’ Xu 2001:96: 114 s ɿ 55 ne 33 aŋ 33 men 31 yellow existing.action good ‘The yellow one is good.’ Xu 2001:96

6.2 Lahu adjectives