Dalecarlian adverb declension
From UniLang Wiki
Adverbs, made of neuter adjectives, are comparated as adjectives. Examples:
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| duktit (= 'thoroughly') | duktigera | duktigest |
| sjókt (= 'sickly') | sjókera | sjókest |
| lítið [l\i:`teD](= 'little') | minna | minst |
| bra (= 'well') | bettera | best |
| bra (= 'well') | vildera | vildest |
| tungt (= 'heavily') | tyngera | tyngst |
| strítt (= 'quickly') | stríðera | stríðest |
| beint (= 'directly') | beinera | beinest |
| langt (= 'far away') | lengera | lengst |
| mikið (= 'much') | meir | mjast |
| dáli (= 'badly') | sembera | semst |
| dáli (= 'badly') | dáligera | dáligest |
| kleint (= 'sickly, badly') | verra | vest |
<p> Note that mikið comes from the adjective mikin meaning 'great, big' (there is an indefinite pronoun mikin as well meaning 'much'). When the adverb (or adjective) can't be comparated like in the presented tables, one uses meir (= 'more') and mjast (= 'most') instead. Examples: Hann kýteð meir díftir (= 'He ran more in that way'), Blábalden tyðleð mjast suðyfir (= 'The black ball rolled most to the south').
<p> Other adverbs are most often comparated as adjectives as well:<p>
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| gjenna (= 'willingly') | heldr | helst |
| lengi (= 'for a long time') | lengera | lengst |
| úti (= 'out') | ýtr | ýst |
| fram (= 'forward') | fremmera | fremst |
| niðr (= 'down') | niðr | nist |
| kringt (= 'often') | kringera | kringest |
<p> Note here that gjenna is heldr in comparative rather than *heldera. In older Dalecarlian, lengi used to be lengr in comparative form, and the comparative bettera of bra used to be betr (with the corresponding positive vel, which in modern Dalecarlian can't be comparated; thus vel - betr - best > bra - bettera - best. Note though that there is an adverb superlative velest which means 'fortunately', which probably comes from an alternative comparation pattern of old dalecarlian vel.).<p>
Finally, there are adverbs with incomplete comparation pattern:<p>
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| aftr (= 'back') | - | aftest |
| inni (= 'in') | - | innest |
| uppi (= 'up') | - | yfst |
| før (= 'before') | - | fóst |
