Grading of Adjectives in English and Ukrainian

Most qualitative adjectives in English and Ukrainian are gradable. Gradibility in both contrasted languages is achieved by means of the positive (звичайний), the comparative (вищий), and the superlative (найвищий) degrees markers. The way of grading in the contrasted languages may be synthetic or analytical.

The analytical forms of grading are more often employed in English than in Ukrainian, eg: important, more/less important, the most/the least important; interesting, more/less interesting, the most/the least interesting, etc. But: більш/менш, найбільш/найменш придатний, більш/менш економний; більш/менш дозрілий.

In Ukrainian the synthetic way of grading is more often used. It is formed by means of the suffixes -іш-/-ш - and the prefixes най-, що-най-or якнай-, eg: добрий, добріший, найдобріший / якнайдобріший, etc.

Ukrainian adjectives that form their comparative and superlative degrees by means of the suffix -ш- undergo some transformations in their stems which is allomorphic for English adjectives. These are as follows: a) the suffixes -к-, -ок-, -ек- fall out: глибокий, глибший, найглибший; далекий, дальший, найдальший); b) the suffix -ш -changes -ш- into -жч- (дорогий, дорожчий, найдорожчий; близь-кий, ближчий, найближчий; дужий, дужчий, найдужчий); and c) the final consonant d before /т/ changes as the result of dissimila-tion/assimilation processes into /щ/, i. e. /c -» щ, ст -» щ/: високий, вищий, найвищий.

The comparative or the superlative (or both) degrees of some Ukrainian adjectives, as was already shown above, may be formed by analytical means, most of which are intensifying adverbs: більш/мети, найбільше, багато/набагато, значно, куди; eg: більш/менш важливий, багато/набагато важливіший, значно си-льніший; багато/набагато більш індустріальний, куди біль-ший/куди кращий, набагато ліпший.

Of isomorphic nature in the contrasted languages, as was pointed out in the table above, is the existence of suppletivity (in actually the same English and Ukrainian adjectives), eg: good, better, best; bad, worse, worst; little, less, least; добрий, кращий, найкращий; поганий, гір-ший, найгірший; гарний, кращий, найкращий.

Some groups of adjectives in the contrasted languages have no grading. They are a) adjectives denoting a constant feature of the noun referent (blind — сліпий, deaf — глухий, barefooted — босий, nude — голий); b) adjectives expressing the similarity of colour (lilac — бузковий, lemon — лимонний, cream — кремовий, ruby — яскраво-червоний, chestnut — темно-коричневий; с) adjectives denoting colour of hair or eyes (dun — буланий, raven-black — вороний, bay — карий); d) adjectives expressing the intensive property with the help of suffixes or prefixes (bluish, reddish, yellowish; синявий, си-нюватий, жовтуватий, жовтісінький, здоровенний, злющий, прегарний, супермодний).

Isomorphic is the process of adjectivation of some parts of speech, eg: prince charming (чарівний принц), beaten track (битий шлях). In English some infinitives and adverbs can also become adjectivised which is an allomorphic feature unknown in Ukrainian. Eg: the president elect (новообраний прези-дент), clasp-knife (складаний ніж), the only chance (єдина можлива нагода), the well-to-do people (заможні люди), the then trainer (тодішній тренер).

Isomorphic is also the process of substantivisation of adjectives in English and Ukrainian, there being distinguished a) wholly substantivised adjectives (a native, a relative, a black/white, a monthly/weekly, the pink, the orange, Italian, Ukrainian, Brown/the Browns). Similarly in Ukrainian: диспетчерська, прийомна, (-а, -і), їздовий; family names like Береговий, Вороний, Глухенький, Степовий, Сліпий, Тихий; b) partially substantivised adjectives in both languages have no plural or singular and gender or case distinctions (in English); eg: the poor, the rich, the young; the English/French (nation); the beautiful, the useful, the un-employed; (for) the best, (in) the open, (in) the negative, (in) the affirmative. Partially substantivised adjectives in Ukrainian are usually of neuter gender, eg: головне, важливе/найважливіше, основне/в основному, в найголовнішому, (ходити в) теплому/шовковому, etc.

The functions of adjectives in the sentence are common in the contrasted languages.