Elative (gradation)

{{Short description|Comparative or superlative in Semitic languages}}

{{distinguish|Elative case}}

In Semitic linguistics, the elative ({{langx|ar|اِسْمُ تَفْضِيل}} {{Transliteration|ar|ismu tafḍīl}}, literally meaning "noun of preference") is a stage of gradation that can be used to express comparatives or superlatives. The Arabic elative has a special inflection similar to that of colour and defect adjectives but differs in the details. To form an elative, the consonants of the adjective's root are placed in the transfix {{Transliteration|ar|’aCCaC}} (or {{Transliteration|ar|’aCaCC}} if the second and third root consonants are the same), which generally inflects for case but not for gender or number.{{cite book|last1=Ryding|first1=Karin|title=Modern Standard Arabic Reference Grammar|date=2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=9780511114809|page=246}} Furthermore, elatives belong to the diptote declension. E.g. {{lang|ar|صغير}} {{Transliteration|ar|ṣaghīr}} 'small' derives the elative {{lang|ar|أصغر}} {{Transliteration|ar|’aṣghar}} 'smaller', {{lang|ar|جديد}} {{Transliteration|ar|jadīd}} 'new' derives {{lang|ar|أجد}} {{Transliteration|ar|’ajadd}} 'newer', {{lang|ar|غني}} {{Transliteration|ar|ghanī}} 'rich' (root {{Transliteration|ar|gh-n-y}}) derives {{lang|ar|أغنى}} {{Transliteration|ar|’aghnā}} 'richer'.

However, there are several words that have particular feminine and plural forms when the elative is prefixed with the definite article,{{cite book|last1=Bennett|first1=Patrick R.|title=Comparative Semitic Linguistics: A Manual|date=1998|publisher=Eisenbrauns|isbn=978-1575060217}} although the agreement is not always observed in modern usage.{{cite book|last1=Badawi|first1=El-Said|last2=Carter|first2=M. G.|last3=Gully|first3=Adrian|title=Modern Written Arabic: A Comprehensive Grammar|date=2003|publisher=Routledge|page=250|isbn=978-1575060217}} The feminine singular in such cases takes the transfix CuCCā, the masculine plural takes ’aCCaCūna or ’aCāCiC, and the feminine plural takes CuCCayāt or CuCaC. These feminine and plural forms had much more extensive use in ancient poetry.{{cite book|last1=Haywood|first1=J. A.|title=A New Arabic Grammar of the Written Language|date=1965|publisher=Lund Humphries|location=London|isbn=0-85331-585-X|page=88}} E.g. The adjective {{lang|ar|كبير}} {{Transliteration|ar|ALA|kabīr}} 'big' changes to {{lang|ar|أكبر}} {{Transliteration|ar|’akbar}} in the default elative, and then {{lang|ar|كبرى}} {{Transliteration|ar|kubrā}} in the feminine singular, {{lang|ar|أكابر}} {{Transliteration|ar|’akābir}} in the masculine plural and {{lang|ar|كبريات}} {{Transliteration|ar|kubrayāt}} in the feminine plural.

The adjectives {{lang|ar|آخر}} {{Transliteration|ar|ALA|’āḫar}} 'other' and {{lang|ar|أول}} {{Transliteration|ar|ALA|’awwal}} 'first' also take elative forms even though they do not have comparative meaning.