Samanburðargerð

Samanburðargerð, literally the “comparison construction,” is the term used in Icelandic linguistics for the set of grammatical devices by which two or more entities are evaluated on a shared property. It covers both the morphologically marked comparative forms of adjectives and adverbs and the periphrastic constructions that express comparison when a suffixal form is unavailable or stylistically preferred. The construction is a core part of Icelandic syntax and interacts with sentence structure and word order.

Two broad strategies are used to form comparisons. Morphological comparatives attach to adjectives or adverbs to express the degree of difference, such as “more” or “bigger.” Periphrastic comparisons employ degree words such as meiri (more) and minni (less) together with the conjunction en (than), as in constructions like A er meira en B or A er minni en B. Some adjectives have irregular or suppletive comparative forms and do not follow the regular suffixal pattern; in such cases, the periphrastic approach is common. Equality can be expressed with eins og (as … as), and the same constructional space is used for adverbs and numerals when appropriate.

Syntax of samanburðargerð typically places the comparison within a copular clause, with the part of the sentence expressing the degree following the pattern or linking to the element being compared via en. The comparative phrase can modify nouns, adjectives, or adverbs, and it participates in discourse by allowing emphasis, contrast, or evaluation. Dialectal variation exists in preferred strategies, but the basic distinction between morphological and periphrastic forms is widely recognized in Icelandic grammar.