CHAPTER V—THE ADJECTIVE

Adjectives are primitive or derived. Primitive adjectives have no specially characteristic terminations. Derived adjectives are mostly formed by adding _ek_ to a noun or verb, which may be said to answer to _ous_, _ful_, etc., in English. Thus:—

_gallos_, power; _gallosek_, powerful.

_own_, fear; _ownek_, fearful.

_lowena_, joy; _lowenek_, joyful.

_marthes_, wonder; _marthesek_, marvellous.

_moreth_, grief; _morethek_, mournful.

_ponfos_, trouble; _ponfŏsek_, troubled.

_anfês_, misfortune; _anfêsek_, unfortunate.

_whans_, desire; _whansek_, desirous.

_colon_, heart; _colonnek_, hearty.

The feminine of an adjective is formed in two ways.

1. By changing the initial to the second state, if it is mutable. This only happens when the adjective _follows_ a feminine singular noun. When the adjective _precedes_ the noun, singular or plural, and when it follows a masculine singular noun or a plural of either gender, the initial of the adjective remains in its first state, unless by reason of other circumstances than agreement, e.g. preceding prepositions, pronouns, etc., or when the article _an_ precedes an adjective qualifying a noun of feminine singular. Unlike Breton, but like Welsh, an adjective qualifying and following a masculine plural does not change.

2. Rarely and irregularly, by the alteration of the root vowel as well as by the change of initial. This, however, though mentioned by Lhuyd and occasionally found in MSS., was practically obsolete long before his time.

The plural of adjectives is formed by the addition of _yon_ or _on_. Rarely, chiefly in poetry, this plural is found in agreement with a plural noun, but usually qualifying adjectives are treated as indeclinable, but for the initial mutation, and the plural form is only used, as a general thing, when an adjective is used as a noun.

The normal position of the adjective is after the noun. Sometimes it precedes it, and in that case it changes the initial of the noun to the second state, unless the adjective is in the comparative or superlative degree, when the initial is unchanged. The adjectives that most commonly precede the noun are _drôg_, evil; _hen_, old; _lên_, full; _hager_, ugly; _fals_, false; _cam_, crooked. _Mer_, great, may come before or after.

The comparative degree is formed by adding _ah_ and the superlative by adding _a_ to the positive, but as in English they can also be formed by the use of _moy_, more, and _moyha_, most. There are, of course, the usual irregular comparisons. The comparative or superlative adjective usually precedes the noun which it qualifies, though for the sake of verse or on account of emphasis it may follow it, sometimes with the definite article intervening. _Than_ after a comparative is _es_ (older _ys_ or _ages_) or _vel_.

Examples of the use of adjectives:—

_Dên gallosek_, a powerful man.

_Benen deg_, a fair woman.

_Mergh dewon_, or _mergh dew_, black horses.

_Benenes teg_, fair women.

_An hen dhên_, the old man. (The more usual expression is _an den coth_).

_An hen venen_, the old woman. (More usually _an venen goth_).

_An lowenegyon_, the joyful ones.

_Brassah gallos_, greater power.

_gwîn a’n gwella_ / _an gwella gwîn_ / _gwîn gwella_ } the best wine.

_whekkah es mel_, sweeter than honey.

_Bron Ewhella_, the highest hill (now Brown Willy).

The irregular comparisons are:—

_Da_ (or _Mas_), good; _gwel_, better; _gwella_, best.

_Drôg_, bad; _gwêth_, worse; _gwêtha_, worst; but generally _lakkah_, comparative of _lak_ (loose, remiss, lax), is used to signify _worse_.

_Mêr_, great; _moy_, greater or more; _moyha_, greatest or most; but also _bras_, comp. _brassah_, super. _brassa_.

_Bîan_, little; _leh_, less; _lŷha_, least; but there is also a comp. _behadnah_, and super, _behadna_, from an earlier form, _behan_.

_Ogas_, near; _nes_, nearer; _nessa_, nearest.