gradosgradi

Gradosgradi is a theoretical construct used to describe a scalar measure of gradability in language, applied across adjectives, verbs, and other predication categories. The term combines roots from Romance languages for degrees (grados, gradi) and the notion of gradation, and is typically treated as a unified framework for comparing how languages encode degree or intensity. It is not a widely adopted standard in mainstream linguistics, but appears in experimental typology discussions and in speculative or fictional world-building to illustrate cross-linguistic differences in gradation.

In its basic formulation, gradosgradi treats gradability as a continuum rather than a binary feature. A value is assigned on a closed interval, often [0, 1], where 0 corresponds to no gradation and 1 to maximal gradation. Intermediate values reflect partial or context-dependent gradability. This scalar approach helps formalize how degree modifiers, comparison constructions, and scalar predicates interact across languages and modalities. The framework can accommodate variations such as languages that rely on affixes, tone, or periphrastic constructions to signal degree.

Example uses include comparing how languages encode intensity: one language might prefer explicit degree words (very, extremely) and a high gradosgradi value, while another relies on context or iterative amplification. In computational linguistics, gradosgradi can serve as a modeling assumption for calibrating scalar inference in natural language understanding and generation. In fiction or world-building, it provides a convenient mechanism to describe how different fictional languages encode the concept of degree.

See also: gradation, scalar semantics, morphosyntax, typology, linguistic intensification.