Adjective Classes - A Cross-Linguistic Typology

8 The Russian Adjective 205

mation is available in attributive and predicative use. There is also a suffixal super-
lative, now restricted in the adjectives to which it can apply, and often with an
intensive rather than genuinely superlative force, for example sloznejsij (< sloznyj
'complex') suggests 'very complex'. There is an analytic superlative with naibolee
'most', which functions like the comparative with bolee, but tends to be restricted
to formal written Russian.

6 The derivational potential of adjectives

Here we note the derivations which have adjectives as their base. Adverbs are of
particular interest.

• Derivation of nouns: there are several available suffixes. A particularly frequent
  one is -ost', which gives rise to abstract nouns, for example staryj 'old' gives star-
  ost' 'old age'.


• Derivations of verbs: again there are several possibilities; for example, staret'
  grow old' from staryj 'old'


• Derivations of adjectives: a typical example is: zelenovatyj greenish' from zelenyj
  green'.


• Derivations of adverbs: the main type consists of the adjective stem and the suf-
  fix -o, for instance, krasivo 'beautifully' from krasivyj 'beautiful'. Thus the derived
  adverb is frequently, but not always, identical to the short form neuter (Lopatin
  ipSob). Other possibilities include a derivation from the abstract noun which
  is equivalent to the neuter long form, thus novoe 'the new' gives the adverb po-
  novomu 'in a new way'. From adjectives denoting languages there are adverbials
  according to the pattern russkij 'Russian giving po-russki 'in Russian. The syn-
  thetic comparative of adjectives is typically available as a comparative adverb
  too, thus sil'nee is both stronger' and 'more strongly'.

7 Further syntactic properties of adjectives

In this section we discuss the syntactic properties of adjectives in greater detail,
making comparisons where appropriate with nouns and verbs.

/.I. COMPLEMENT OF COPULA

As we noted earlier, canonical adjectives can occur as the complement of a copu-
la (like nouns).^7 In this use, there are three morphosyntactic options, best viewed
as two binary choices. First, the adjective may appear in the short form or the long
form. Second, if it appears in the long form, there is then a choice between nomi-
native and instrumental case (as for the noun).

(^7) According to Zemskaja (1987: 86), in conversation the more common use of adjectives is pre-
dicative.