336

The Loom of Language

In Teutonic languages the adverb may be the same as the neuter
singular (Scandinavian) or the predicative form of the adjective (Ger-
man) English alone is encumbered with a special form (p. in) Classi-
cal Latin had several types of adverbs denved from adjectives In
modern Romance languages,, nearly all the irregular ones have disap-
peared Notable exceptions are bene and male In French these have
become hen-mal, in Italian bene-male, and in Spanish bien-mal The
previous luxuriance of adverbs formed from adjective-roots has given
place to a standardized pattern like the English -ly derivative French
adverbs are formed by adding -merit to the adjective, e g facile-facile-
merit The procedure is the same throughout the Western Romance
languages In Italian the corresponding forms are faale-facilmente^ and
in Sparnshfactl-fdalmente

IRREGULAR COMPARISON OF ROMANCE ADJECTIVES*

ENGLISH
FRENCH
SPANISH
LATIN
ITALIAN

good
bon (-«$)
bueno (-a)
bonzes (-a3 -urn)
buono (-a)

better
meilleur (-e)
mejor
melior
migliore

(mas bueno)

(piii buono)

best
le meilleur
el mejor
optima
il migliore

bad
mauvais (-e)
malo
malws
cattivo (-a)

worse
plus mauvais
peor
pejor
peggiore

(pire)
(mds maid)

(piti. cattivo)

worst
le plus mauvais
el peor
pessimzw
il peggiore

(lepire)

big
grand (-e)
grande
magnws
grande

bigger
plus grand
mas grande
major
piu grande

(mayor}

(maggiore)

biggest
le plus grand
el mas grande
maximzis
il piu grande

small
petit (-e)
pequeno (-a)
parvws
piccolo (-a)

smaller
plus petit
mas pequeno
minor
pm piccolo

(motndre)
(menor)

(minore)

smallest
le plus petit
el mas pequeno
mirumws
il piu piccolo

(le moindrs)

The germ of this new structure appears in Classical Latin When the
Roman wanted to indicate that something was done in a certain way,
he sometimes used the ablative (mente) ofmens (mind), and qualified it
by means of an appropriate adjective, e.g obstinata mente (with an
obstinate mind)3 or bona mente (in good faith) Since mente always
* In italics alternatives which have a more restricted use m common speec}it
Jn Frencrj only bon has no regular comparative^