komparativische

Komparativische is an adjective used in linguistics to describe phenomena related to the Komparativ, the second degree of comparison in adjectives and adverbs. In German grammar, the Komparativ marks when something has a higher degree of a property than something else. The term komparativische therefore functions as a descriptor of forms or processes that belong to this degree.

Formation and forms: In German, the Komparativ is usually formed by adding the suffix -er to the base adjective, with occasional stem changes such as umlaut (groß → größer, schnell → schneller, alt → älter). There are irregular developments (gut → besser, schlecht → schlechter) that do not follow the regular pattern. The komparativische form is the form itself that expresses the comparison, and it is used in sentences in conjunction with a second item, typically with als: größer als, schneller als.

Usage: The Komparativ answers questions of degree, such as “Who is taller?” or “Which is faster?” It can modify nouns in attributive position (der größere Mann) or function as an adverbial modifier (er läuft schneller). For comparing equality, German uses phrases like so... wie or genauso wie, rather than a simple komparativische form.

Relation to other degrees: The Komparativ is contrasted with the positive degree (Grundstufe) and the Superlativ (höchste Stufe). The Superlativ denotes the highest degree and can be formed in parallel with the Komparativ, yielding expressions like der größte Mann.

In summary, komparativische describes the area of grammar concerned with the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs, most prominently realized through the -er formation and its syntactic usage in German.