Stassen (2013): WALS chapter 121 on comparative constructions

[Sta13b] [DH13b] [Has01]

WALS Chapter 121 by Leon Stassen covering comparative-construction typology across 167 languages: the five-way classification (locational | exceed | conjoined | particle | mixed) and its areal distribution.

This study file holds cross-linguistic generalisations that consume the Fragment-side def comparison : ComparativeProfile data with non-trivial semantic content (particle_implies_svo_in_sample, conjoined_no_degree_marking, morph_comp_implies_morph_super, etc.). Per-language Fragment-vs-WALS data-equality theorems are deliberately absent — see feedback_no_per_lang_wals_grounding_in_studies for the rationale.

WALS aggregate distribution theorems live in the substrate (Linglib/Typology/Comparison.lean). Stassen's 1985 fine-grained 6-way typology and the chaining-based universals live in Studies/Stassen1985.lean.

def Stassen2013Comparison.allLanguages : List Comparative.ComparativeProfile

The 17-language sample drawn from per-language Fragment Comparison files. Sample shrunk from the dissolved file's 18 (dropped Martuthunira: no Fragments/Martuthunira/ directory exists).

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_size : allLanguages.length = 17

Sample size.

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_locational_count : Comparative.countByType allLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.locational = 6

Sample comparative-type distribution.

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_exceed_count : Comparative.countByType allLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.exceed = 5

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_conjoined_count : Comparative.countByType allLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.conjoined = 1

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_particle_count : Comparative.countByType allLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.particle = 4

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_mixed_count : Comparative.countByType allLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.mixed = 1

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.all_types_represented : Comparative.countByType allLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.locational > 0 ∧ Comparative.countByType allLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.exceed > 0 ∧ Comparative.countByType allLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.conjoined > 0 ∧ Comparative.countByType allLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.particle > 0 ∧ Comparative.countByType allLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.mixed > 0

All five comparative types are represented in the sample.

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_degree_word_count : Comparative.countByDegree allLanguages Comparative.DegreeWordType.hasDegreeWord = 5

Sample degree-word distribution.

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_morph_count : Comparative.countByDegree allLanguages Comparative.DegreeWordType.morphological = 5

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_no_degree_count : Comparative.countByDegree allLanguages Comparative.DegreeWordType.noDegreeMarking = 7

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.degree_counts_sum : Comparative.countByDegree allLanguages Comparative.DegreeWordType.hasDegreeWord + Comparative.countByDegree allLanguages Comparative.DegreeWordType.morphological + Comparative.countByDegree allLanguages Comparative.DegreeWordType.noDegreeMarking = allLanguages.length

Degree-word counts sum to sample size.

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_morph_superlative : Comparative.countBySuperlative allLanguages Comparative.SuperlativeStrategy.morphological = 6

Sample superlative-strategy distribution.

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_def_comp_superlative : Comparative.countBySuperlative allLanguages Comparative.SuperlativeStrategy.definiteComparative = 3

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_exceed_all_superlative : Comparative.countBySuperlative allLanguages Comparative.SuperlativeStrategy.exceedAll = 3

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_comp_univ_superlative : Comparative.countBySuperlative allLanguages Comparative.SuperlativeStrategy.comparativeUniversal = 3

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_elative_superlative : Comparative.countBySuperlative allLanguages Comparative.SuperlativeStrategy.elative = 1

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sample_no_superlative : Comparative.countBySuperlative allLanguages Comparative.SuperlativeStrategy.none = 1

def Stassen2013Comparison.particleLanguages : List Comparative.ComparativeProfile

All particle languages in the sample (English, German, Russian, French) are SVO (or V2). This reflects [Has01]'s identification of the comparative particle as a Standard Average European feature.

Equations

• Stassen2013Comparison.particleLanguages = List.filter (fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.hasType Comparative.ComparativeType.particle) Stassen2013Comparison.allLanguages

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.particle_languages_count : particleLanguages.length = 4

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.particle_implies_svo_in_sample : (particleLanguages.all fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.isSVO) = true

def Stassen2013Comparison.exceedLanguages : List Comparative.ComparativeProfile

Exceed-comparative languages in the sample include Yoruba (W Africa), Mandarin (E Asia), Swahili (E Africa), Thai (SE Asia), and Tagalog (Austronesian).

Equations

• Stassen2013Comparison.exceedLanguages = List.filter (fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.hasType Comparative.ComparativeType.exceed) Stassen2013Comparison.allLanguages

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.exceed_languages_count : exceedLanguages.length = 5

def Stassen2013Comparison.conjoinedLanguages : List Comparative.ComparativeProfile

Equations

• Stassen2013Comparison.conjoinedLanguages = List.filter (fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.hasType Comparative.ComparativeType.conjoined) Stassen2013Comparison.allLanguages

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.conjoined_languages_count : conjoinedLanguages.length = 1

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.conjoined_no_degree_marking : (conjoinedLanguages.all fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.noDegree) = true

Conjoined-comparative languages universally lack overt degree marking in the sample: comparison without any morphological apparatus.

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.conjoined_no_superlative : (conjoinedLanguages.all fun (p : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => p.superlative == Comparative.SuperlativeStrategy.none) = true

Conjoined-comparative languages also lack dedicated superlative strategies — if you can't grammaticalize "more than", you typically can't grammaticalize "most" either.

def Stassen2013Comparison.sovLanguages : List Comparative.ComparativeProfile

SOV languages in the sample (Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Hindi-Urdu, Navajo, Latin) tend toward locational comparatives.

Equations

• Stassen2013Comparison.sovLanguages = List.filter (fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.isSOV) Stassen2013Comparison.allLanguages

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sov_languages_count : sovLanguages.length = 6

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.sov_locational_dominant : have locCount := Comparative.countByType sovLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.locational; have excCount := Comparative.countByType sovLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.exceed; have parCount := Comparative.countByType sovLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.particle; locCount > excCount ∧ locCount > parCount

Among SOV languages, locational is the dominant single type.

def Stassen2013Comparison.svoLanguages : List Comparative.ComparativeProfile

Equations

• Stassen2013Comparison.svoLanguages = List.filter (fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.isSVO) Stassen2013Comparison.allLanguages

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.svo_languages_count : svoLanguages.length = 9

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.svo_exceed_particle_split : have excCount := Comparative.countByType svoLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.exceed; have parCount := Comparative.countByType svoLanguages Comparative.ComparativeType.particle; excCount > 0 ∧ parCount > 0

Among SVO languages, exceed and particle types are both attested.

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.exceed_mostly_no_morphology : have noMorph := List.filter (fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.noDegree) exceedLanguages; noMorph.length ≥ 3

Exceed-comparative languages in the sample mostly lack bound comparative morphology on adjectives. Comparison is expressed via the verb.

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.morph_comp_implies_morph_super : have morphComp := List.filter (fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.hasMorphComp) allLanguages; (morphComp.all fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.hasMorphSuperlative) = true

Languages with morphological comparative degree marking ('-er'/'-ee') also have morphological superlatives in the sample.

def Stassen2013Comparison.locationalLanguages : List Comparative.ComparativeProfile

Every locational comparative in the sample uses a standard marker that also has spatial/ablative meaning ('from', ablative case, partitive case). This is definitional but worth verifying: the standard marker is never semantically empty.

Equations

• Stassen2013Comparison.locationalLanguages = List.filter (fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.hasType Comparative.ComparativeType.locational) Stassen2013Comparison.allLanguages

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.locational_languages_count : locationalLanguages.length = 6

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.locational_has_standard_marker : (locationalLanguages.all fun (p : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => p.standardMarker != "") = true

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.particle_has_degree : (particleLanguages.all fun (p : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => p.hasDegWord || p.hasMorphComp) = true

Particle comparatives in the sample all have overt degree marking (free word or comparative morphology).

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.exceed_degree_split : have withDeg := List.filter (fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.hasDegWord) exceedLanguages; have withoutDeg := List.filter (fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.noDegree) exceedLanguages; withDeg.length > 0 ∧ withoutDeg.length > 0

Exceed comparatives show a split on degree words (Mandarin/Tagalog have them, Yoruba/Swahili/Thai do not).

theorem Stassen2013Comparison.no_comparative_no_superlative : have noDedicated := List.filter (fun (x : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => x.hasType Comparative.ComparativeType.conjoined) allLanguages; (noDedicated.all fun (p : Comparative.ComparativeProfile) => p.superlative == Comparative.SuperlativeStrategy.none) = true

Conjoined-comparative languages (which lack a dedicated comparative construction in Stassen's terms) also lack dedicated superlative strategies. Implicational universal: SUPERLATIVE → COMPARATIVE (contrapositive).