comparrii

Comparrii is a term used in linguistic typology to designate a class of comparative constructions that compare a single target against three or more reference entities in a single clause. The term is used primarily in theoretical discussions and typological surveys to distinguish multi-target comparisons from ordinary, binary comparatives.

Etymology and usage: The name combines the Latin root comparare 'to compare' with a plural suffix -rii chosen in some scholarly works to signal multiple comparees. The concept does not denote a single fixed grammatical form but a set of related realizations across languages.

Typology and syntax: In languages that exhibit comparrii, a dedicated comparative marker or a particular derivational strategy marks the entire clause. The marker may attach to the adjective or to the comparative head, and it can govern a list of referents. Some languages pattern comparrii with extraposition or coordination, while others require per-target phrases linked by a conjunction. The constructions enable discourse-wide judgments such as "A is taller than B, C, and D" or "A is better at X than Y and Z simultaneously."

Example: In a hypothetical language, the sentence "A tall-comparrii B C D" is glossed as "A is taller than B, C, and D."

Relation to other concepts: Comparrii is related to multi-component comparatives and to the broader study of comparative constructions in linguistics. It is distinct from iterative or multiple-argument comparatives that compare different properties across referents. The term remains primarily scholarly and is not universally adopted. Note: In this article comparrii is presented as a hypothetical term used to illustrate multi-target comparative constructions in linguistic typology.