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    High degree words
    quickinfo

    High degree words are also called amplifiers, as mentioned previously, and add a high degree interpretation to the adjective. Some examples are given below, with adjectives which can be modified by them:

    1
    uiters koud/pynlik/interessant
    extremely cold/painful/interesting
    2
    baie wreed/ongelyk/snaaks
    very cruel/unequal/funny
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    Amplifiers add a high degree interpretation to the adjective, and form the largest subclass of intensifiers, as in these examples;

    3
    uiters koue toestande
    extremely cold conditions
    4
    Hy is baie jammer.
    he be.PRS very sorry
    He is very sorry.

    Some distinctions in function can be identified, which are indicated and exemplified further. For example, some amplifiers tend to have the same basic meaning as the adjective which they modify. This may involve phrases which are to some extent pleonastic collocations:

    5
    reusagtig groot
    gigantically big
    enormous

    Comparatively speaking, the most common intensifier, baie, seems to be used in both positive and negative contexts, whereas a word such as byster lost (in addition to being complemented by a noun phrase, as in die spoor byster raak lose one's way) tends to be used with the meaning particularly, very, as in nie byster goed nie not particularly good. What characterises its use, is that it normally used in contexts which are negative in some sense, mostly referring to human qualities, while it use in a positive context is ungrammatical:

    6
    Hy is baie intelligent.
    he be.PRS very intelligent
    He is very intelligent.
    7
    Hy is nie byster intelligent nie.
    he be.PRS not very (particularly) intelligent PTCL.NEG
    He's not very intelligent.
    8
    *Hy is byster intelligent.
    he be.PRS very intelligent
    He is very intelligent.

    In sentences reinforcing the degree of the adjective by means of repetition, the repeated adjective can be preceded by an adverb such as selfs even, or eintlik actually, as in:

    9
    Eendagsvlieë is veral lief vir warm, en selfs baie warm plekke.
    mayflies be.PRS especially fond of warm and even very warm places
    Mayflies are especially fond of warm, and even very warm places.
    10
    Hy was kwaad, eintlik woedend.
    he be.PRT angry actually furious
    He was angry, actually furious.

    An infinitive construction such as om die waarheid te sê to tell the truth may serve as an adjunct to tag a semantically higher degree adjective, an example of which would represent a more formal version of the previous one:

    11
    Hy is kwaad, om die waarheid te sê, woedend.
    he be.PRS angry, for.COMP the truth PTCL.INF say.INF furious
    He is angry, in fact, furious.

    Relational amplifiers form a semantic subclass of amplifiers. They characteristically combine with relational adjectives or with adjectives which may carry a relational interpretation:

    12
    tipies Kaaps/vroulik/dantesk
    characteristically Capetonian/feminine/of.the.author.Dante
    characteristically Capetonian/feminine/Dantesque
    13
    14
    spesifiek Afrikaans/lokaal/stroomop
    specifically Afrikaans/local/against.the.current
    specifically Afrikaans/local/contrary

    The amplifiers ware truly and regte really freely combine with relational adjectives, but they also freely combine with scalar adjectives. Amplification of amplifiers is normally excluded:

    15
    *uiters baie koud
    *extremely very cold
    16
    *baie reusagtig groot
    *very enormously big

    Amplifiers generally do not have a comparative and superlative degree:

    17
    *Dit is vanjaar nog uiterster koud as verlede jaar.
    it be.PRS this year even very·CPR cold than last year
    This year it's even more extreme cold than last year.

    Amplifiers can also belong to other categories than AP, for instance PP:

    18
    by uitstek geskik
    by eminence suitable
    pre-eminently suitable
    19
    deur en deur verrot
    through and through rotten
    rotten to the core

    Adjectival amplifiers may also be quantificational in nature:

    20
    meer as genoeg
    more than enough
    quite sufficient

    The quantifier meer as more than can also be used to answer a question about sufficiency:

    21
    Het jy genoeg gehad?
    have.AUX you enough had
    Did you have enough?

    Note that the negative form minder as less than, is often used, as in English, for purposes of litotes:

    22
    Dis nie minder as reg dat ek na jou omsien nie.
    it.be.PRS not less than right that.COMP I to you care PTCL.NEG
    It is not less than right that I look after you. (It is only right that I look after you.)

    The prefix oor- over can also be used as an amplifier.

    23
    oorgenoeg
    over.enough
    more than enough
    References
      About this article
      Author(s): Ernst Kotzé, Adri Breed
      Category: Afrikaans Syntax
      Keywords: amplifierrational amplifierrelational amplifierPP as amplifier
      Version: 1.0, May 2020
      Version history:
      version editor(s) date remarks
      1.0 Ernst Kotzé, Adri Breed May 2020
      This is a beta version.
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