308 Randy J. LaPolla and Chenglong Huang
For ordinals higher than 'third', the cardinal numbers plus classifiers are used as or-
dinal numbers, e.g. /y^a-ze/ ('four' + classifier) 'the fourth (one)' (= 'four (of some-
thing)').
Adjectives can be comparative even without overt marking of comparison (ia).
Adding the adverb /-wa/ can clarify that a non-comparative sense is intended (ib).
To specify a comparative sense, an adverbial such as [a-za] ('one' + CL(default clas-
sifier)) 'a little' can be added before the adjective (ic).
(2) (a)
(c)the: tiwi.
3Sg tall
'He is tall/taller.'
the: a-za tiwi.
3sg one-CL tall
'He is a bit taller.'(b) the: tiwi-wa.
3sg tall-very
'He is very tall.'Some adjectives are formed from noun + verb combinations with metaphorical
meanings. Following are some examples using the noun /etei:(mi)/ 'heart':
(3) (a) 6tsi:mi-zdzi 'sad' <
(b) etei:mi-ba 'brave' <
(c) etei-kuS-na 'happy' <
'heart' + 'painful'
'heart' + 'big'
'heart' + 'base' + good'A number of the adjectives in Qiang are Chinese loanwords. When verbs, includ-
ing adjectives (4c)-(/|.h), are borrowed into Qiang, they are borrowed as nouns. In
order to be used as verbs in Qiang, the suffix /-tha/ is added to monosyllabic bor-
rowed verbs, while the verb /pa/ 'to do' is added to polysyllabic borrowed verbs.
Following are some examples:
(4) (a) tuen-tha 'squat' < Chinese dun + AUX
< Chinese shi + AUX
< Chinese Jin 'tight'+ AUX
< Chinese nen + AUX
< Chinese wen + AUX
< Chinese jiao + AUX
< Chinese ben + AUX
< Chinese jiao-ao + 'to do'
< Chinese xunlian + 'to do'
< Chinese dezui + 'to do'
Even if the total phrase borrowed from Chinese involves more than one syllable,
if the verbal part of it is monosyllabic, then /-tha/ is added, as in, for example,
/phitehi fa-tha/ 'to lose one's temper' (< Chinese/apiqi [emit temper]). In the case
of verbs with the /-tha/ suffix, the borrowed verb, with the affix attached, is treated
the same as a native verb, to the extent that it can take the directional prefixes, as
in /sa-phin-tha/ 'become level' (< Chinese ping), and if it is an adjective, it can take
the postpositive adverb /-wa/, as in /khuai-tha-wa/ 'very fast' (< Chinese kuat). In
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
0)tuen-tha
fd-tha
tein-tha
hn-tha
wen-tha
teiau-tha
pdn-tha
teaukau-pd
eunfiian-pd
tetsui-pd'squat'
'spend (money)
'busy'
'tender'
'steady'
'cunning'
'stupid'
'proud'
'train
'offend'