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Negative polarity
quickinfo

The equative adjective is in some cases able to license negative polarity items in its equative complement.

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At first sight, the equative adjective is not able to license negative polarity items in its equative complement:

1
a. *De oerwinning is like grut wurden as hoegd hie
the victory is as big become as needed had
The victory has been as great as was needed
b. *Se rekke like maklik as ea mei minsken yn 'e kunde
she got as easy as ever with people into contact
She got in touch with people as easy as ever

However, there are three examples of equatives in Early Modern Frisian provided below which license the negative polarity item syn leven / libben his life:

2
(1779m27)
a. Hij joeg mij zokke eermhartige en leæve wudden, az ik mijn leven fen him hân hab
he gave me such tender and dear words as I my life of him had have
He gave me such tender and endearing words as I never had from him before
(1779m42)
b. It is zok maol praat az ik mijn leven heard hab!
it is such crazy talk as I my life heard have
It is such outrageous talk as I have never heard before
(1778)
c. Do wy forlijn Jier uyt Mjæn wiern by Ljouwert, sey Claes Frets-beælg, waard ick sa kel, as ick oyt mijn libbin west hie
when we last year out mowing were near Ljouwert, said Claes Stuff-belly became I so shocked as I ever my life been had
When we were away mowing near Ljouwert last year, said Claes Stuff-belly, I got such a fright, as I never had before in my life

This negative polarity item survives into Modern Frisian as fan syn leven / libben of his life. However, it cannot be licensed anymore in equatives:

3
a. *Hij joech my sokke leave wurden, as ik fan myn leven fan him hân ha
he gave me such endearing words as I of my life of him had have
He gave me such endearing word as I never had from him before
b. *It is sokke gekkepraat as ik fan myn leven heard ha
it is such crazy man's talk as I of my life heard have
It is such crazy talk I have not heard in my life before

The negative polarity verb hoege need can occur in an equative which introduces a comparison, as shown below:

4
De jirpels stiene sa moai te waaksen as dat (it) mar hoegde
the potatoes stood so nice to grow as that it but needed
The potatoes were growing as well as was needed

The sentence has a rhetorical negative interpretation, implying that the potatoes did not need to grow any better than they needed to.

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