Comparison.
106. Adjectives and adverbs regularly formed their comparative by prefixing plüs to the positive, and their superlative by prefixing the definite article to the comparative: cara, plüs cara, la plüs cara. This method of comparison goes back to Vulgar Latin times.
1. ‘Than’ is expressed by que and de.
107. Some adjectives preserved their old comparative in -ior. These comparatives had an inflection similar to that of sęnher: cf. § [101], (3) and § [101], (3), 1.
| POSITIVE | COMPARATIVE | ||
| altus: | aut | —— | aussọr |
| ✱bellātus = bĕllus: | —— | bellaire bellázer-s | bellazọr |
| gĕnĭtus: | gen | génser-s | gensọr |
| ✱grĕvis = gravis: | gręu | gręuger | —— |
| grŏssus: | grǫs | gruęysser | —— |
| laið: | lai | láiger | —— |
| largus: | larc | —— | largọr |
| lĕvis: | lęu | lęuger | —— |
| lŏngus: | lonc | —— | lonhọr |
| (grandis): | (gran) | máier | maiọr |
| (bŏnus): | (bon) | męlher | melhọr |
| (paucus): | (pauc) | mẹnre-s | menọr |
| nūgālis: | —— | —— | nüalhọr |
| (malus): | (mal) | pęier | peiọr |
| (mŭltus): | (mọlt) | —— | plüsọr[88] |
| sŏrdĭdus: | sorde | sordẹier | sordeiọr |
108. The following neuter comparatives were used as adverbs: gensẹis gensẹs gensẹtz (＜ génser influenced by longẹis, sordẹis); longẹis longẹitz ＜?✱longĭtius (＜ longĭter + lŏngius); mais ＜ magis; męlhs ＜ mĕlius; mẹns ＜ mĭnus; pęitz ＜ pĕjus; sordẹis ＜ sordĭdius; viatz ＜ vivacius. Mais, męlhs, mẹns, pęitz were used also as neuter pronouns. Viatz lost its comparative sense.
109. A few adjectives, most or all of them learned, preserved the old superlative form with an intensive sense: altisme, carisme, pęsme, prǫsme, santisme.