comparativesense

Comparativesense is a term used in linguistics to denote the study of how comparative constructions express judgments about sensory properties. The word combines comparative grammar with the notion of sense or perception, highlighting how speakers evaluate sensory experiences relative to alternatives. It is not a universally standardized label, but it appears in discussions of how sensory predicates behave within comparative contexts.

Core ideas of comparativesense center on the relation between scale structure and reference points in sensory language. Expressions such as sweeter, louder, brighter, or hotter encode a relative magnitude along a perceptual scale and depend on a comparison class or baseline. The meaning of a comparative statement can shift with changes in context, calibration of the scale, or the choice of reference object. For example, “This wine is sweeter than that one” relies on an implicit or explicit frame of taste scale and the relative judgments of the speaker.

Cross-linguistic variation is a key area of interest. Languages differ in how they form comparatives for sensory adjectives—some do morphological inflection, others use periphrastic constructions or different sensory categories. The same sensory property may be framed differently across cultures, leading to different scales or reference points for comparison.

Methodologically, comparativesense overlaps with semantics of gradability, degree semantics, and scale architecture, and with psycholinguistic work on processing comparative phrases. Researchers may use corpus studies, perception experiments, or cross-linguistic surveys to examine how people interpret and use sensory comparatives.

Overall, comparativesense describes a facet of meaning construction where sensory judgments are relative, context-dependent, and shaped by linguistic and cultural factors. It remains a niche term within broader debates on gradable adjectives, scale interpretation, and sensory expression.