280 The Loom of Language

(c) root + suffix -ty when associated with a singular neuter noun not
preceded by a demonstrative or possessive, e g

a young child ett ungt bain et ungt Barn

The oddest feature of the Scandinavian clan is the behaviour of the
definite article If a singular noun is not preceded by an adjective^ the
definite article has the same form as the indefinite but is fused to the
end of the noun itself e g

en bok = a book = en Bog boken = the book = Bogen

ett barn = a child = et Barn barnet = the child = Barnet

If the noun is plural the suffix -na (Swed ) or -ne (Dan. and Norweg )

is tacked on to it when the last consonant is r If the plural does not end

in -T3 the definite article suffix is -en (Swed) or -ene (Dan and Norweg),

eg

gator = streets = Gader gatorna = the streets = Gaderne

barn = children = Bern barnen = the children = B0rnene

If an adjective precedes a noun the definite article is expressed by
the demonstrative den (com \ det (neut), de (plur) which otherwise
means that In Swedish it is still accompanied by the terminal article^
eg

de goda hundarna = the good dogs = de gode Hunder

The fusion of the terminal definite article with the noun is so complete
that it comes between the latter and the genitive -ss e g

a dog's the dog's the dogs'
en hunds hundens hundarnas
en Hunds Hundens Hundernes

a child's the child's the children's
ett barns "hornets barnem
et Barns Barnets B0rnenes

Comparison* of the Scandinavian (p. 190) is like that of the English
adjective. Comparatives and superlatives have no separate neuter form
A pitfall for the beginner arises from the fact that our much and many
have the same comparative and superlative forms Thus we have
mycket-mera-mest much-more-most meget-mere-meste
mdnga-flera-flest many-more-most mange-flere-fleste
Scandinavian adverbs are formed from adjectives by adding the neuter
suffix -t (also by adding -vis or -en) The -t is not added to Danish and
Norwegian adjectives which end in ~hg