Fokozati

Fokozati is a term used in Hungarian linguistics and grammar to describe elements that express degree or intensity in language. The word stems from fokozat, meaning degree or gradation, with the suffix -i forming an adjective that denotes a relation to degree or gradation. In linguistic descriptions, fokozati refers to phenomena that modify the level of a property, such as the degree of an adjective or an adverb.

In Hungarian grammar, discussion of fokozati topics often covers three traditional degrees of comparison: the positive (alapfok), the comparative (középfok), and the superlative (felsőfok). Fokozati analysis also includes the use of fokozók, that is, words or constructions that intensify meaning, such as very or especially. Examples of fokozó usage include phrases like nagyon jó (very good) or olyan gyorsan (so fast), where the intensifier words modify the base adjective or adverb to increase or modify its degree.

The term fokozati is thus used broadly to categorize both morphological gradation (the formation of comparative and superlative forms) and syntactic or lexical mechanisms that alter the strength of a statement. It appears in grammar descriptions, language pedagogy, and linguistic research as a neutral label for degree-related phenomena, separate from the lexical meaning of individual adjectives or verbs.

In summary, fokozati concerns the way languages encode degree and intensity, through both inflectional systems of comparison and separate intensifying words, with Hungarian providing clear terminology for these gradational concepts.