Adjectives: From Latin to Old French
Adjectives
Latin Adjectives
Adjectives in Modern French
Comparatives and Superlatives
Invariables
Latin Adjectives
| Masc Sg | Masc Pl | Fem Sg | Fem Pl |
| Nom | BONUS | BONI | BONA | *BONAS |
| Acc | BONUM | BONOS | BONAM | BONAS |
| OFNomTD> | bons | bon | bone | bones |
| OFObl | bon | bons | bone | bones |
(-e emerges as a feminine marker)
Sub-Groups
- a. Adjectives which have a stem in -s or -z are invariable in the masculine:
| Masc Sg | Masc Pl | Fem Sg | Fem Pl |
| joios | joios | joiose | joioses |
- (Others include: cortoise, faus,
franceis, gros, ploros, , precios, bas, tierz, faitiz, gros, mauvais, etc.)
- b. Adjectives which have a stem in -e (for phonetic reasons) follow the same pattern of -s marker as bons, e.g. estranges, riches, sages, dobles, pales, amiables, foibles, quites, tristes, cointes, roges, simples, pales, malades, sauvages, etc. (a
nd they are still masculine).
| Masc Sg | Masc Pl | Fem Sg | Fem Pl |
| Nom | ivres | ivre | ivre | ivres |
| Obl | ivre | ivres | ivre | ivres |
- c. Adjectives which derive from Latin adjectives in -er do not have an -s marker in the masculine singular, similar to the pere type of substantives. E.G.:
DEXTER > destre
ASPER > aspre
TENER > tendre
also
altre, maigre, mestre, povre, senestre aigre
| Masc Sg | Masc Pl | Fem Sg | Fem Pl |
| Nom | destre | destre | destre | destres |
| Obl | destre | destres | destre | destres |
Phonetic and graphic variations caused by the addition of -e or -s:
| Masc Nom | Masc Obl | Fem Sg |
| vis | vif | vive |
| chaus | chauf | chauve |
| nues | nuef | nueve |
| naïs | naïf | naïve |
| frans | franc | franche |
| blans | blanc | blanche |
| lons | long | longe /londze/ |
| venduz | vendu | vendue |
also
| dolenz | dolent | dolente |
| droiz | droit | droite |
| vuiz | vuit | vuide |
| maus | mal | male |
| biaus | bel | bele |
| vieuz | vieil | vieille |
| las | las | lasse |
| englois | englois | englesche |
| tretiz | tretiz | tretice |
Adjectives in Modern French
:
Classification of Modern French Adjectives based on Spoken Forms
Invariable
- I. Identical orthographic forms: ferme, rouge, jeune, pauvre, simple
- II. Consonant final: cher/chère, direct/directe
- III. Vowel final: vrai/vraie, bleu/bleue, marié/mariée
Variable
Deletion of final consonant:
- haute/ haut
- grande/ grand
- fausse/ faux
- heureuse/ heureux
- blanche/ blanc
- longue/ long
- gentille/ gentil
- soûle/ soûl
Deletion of final consonant and change of vowel:
- sotte/ sot
- folle/ fol
- légère/ léger
- belle/ beau
- vieille/ vieux
Nasalization of vowel:
- fine/ fin
- brune/ brun
- bonne/ bon
- paysanne/ paysan
Replacement of final consonant
Replacement of suffix
- créateur/ créatrice
- trompeur/ trompeuse
- enchanteur/ enchanteresse
Comparatives
| Masc Sg | Masc Pl | Fem Sg | Fem Pl |
| Nom | MÉLIOR | *MELIORI | MELIOR | MELIORES |
| Acc | MELIÓREM | MELIORES | MELIOREM | MELIORES |
| Nom | mieudre | meillor | mieudre | meillors |
| Obl | meillor | meillors | meillor | meillors |
others:
PEJOR > pire
PEJOREM > peor
MAJOR > maire (as in "mayor" of a city)
MAJOREM > maour, maior
MINOR > mendre
MINOREM > menor
GRANDIOR > graindre
GRANDIOREM > graignor
SENIOR > sire
SENIOREM > seignor
FORTIOR > fortre
FORTIOREM > forçor
JU(VE)NIOR > joindre
JU(VE)NIOREM > joignor
*BELLATIOREM > bellezour (in St Eulalie)
Neuter forms:
MELIUS > mielz > mieuz
PEJUS > pis
MINOS > moins
Superlatives
The Latin sythetic superlative ended in -ISSIMUS.
There were learned forms:
- GRANDISSIMUS > grandismes
- ALTISSIMUS > hautismes
- SANCTISSIMUS > saintismes
And there were popular forms:
- MAXIMUS > maismes
- MINIMUS > mermes (also mame)
- PESSIMUS > pesmes
- PROXIMUS > proismes (also prismes, proesmes, prosmes)
These forms were completely lost by Modern French
Invariables
Latin adjectives with no difference between masculine and feminine (Not what you would expect)
| Masc Sg | Masc Pl | Fem Sg | Fem Pl |
| Nom | FORTIS | FORTES | FORTIS | FORTES |
| Acc | FORTEM | FORTES | FORTEM | FORTES |
| Nom | forz | fort | forz(fort) | forz |
| Obl | fort | forz | fort | forz |
The most common in this group are:
- a) Monosyllabic: brief, fol, grant, grief, soef.
- b) in -al, -el, -il: celestial, coral, egal, cruel, mortel, gentil.
- c) In -ant, -ent, (including ALL present participles): luisant, vaillant, prudent.
TOT is special:
| Masc Sg | Masc Pl | Fem Sg | Fem Pl |
| Nom | toz | tuit | tote | totes |
| Obl | tot | toz | tote | totes |