positive, comparative, and superlative
Examples? Good, better, best? And for 0, -1, -2, and -∞, would it be pink, bad, worse, and worst? Isn't superlative a term for any "most extreme" thing, meaning that -∞ also corresponds to superlative? Also, why does comparative correspond to 2? Only reason I can think of is if their functions are essentially multiplicative, in which case we have descriptive (1), comparative (positive, real, ≠1), and superlative (0, ∞). On Sun, Dec 19, 2010 at 2:41 PM, Bill Gosper <billgosper@gmail.com> wrote:
Most(?) human languages have positive, comparative, and superlative, corresponding to 1, 2, and infinity. But we clearly need forms for 0, -1, -2, and -infinity. (Provisionally: inoperative, depreciative, pejorative, and besmirchative.) Also adverbial forms. Tongue-in-cheeklier, --rwg