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    The adverb of degree followed by an adjective and negation
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    Just as the adverb of manner and degree sa so may follow or precede negation, so may the combination of this adverb with a following adjective precede or follow negation. The following examples illustrate this:

    1
    a. Hjoed is it net sa kâld
    today is it not so cold
    Today it is not so cold
    b. Hjoed is it sa kâld net
    today is it so cold not
    Today, it is not so cold

    This first example represents a word order which is neutral with respect to presuppositions. The second example is presuppositional. It is the second order which is characteristically Frisian. The presence of the adverb of degree is crucial for placement of the predicative constituent to the left of negation (scrambling). If the adverb of degree is absent, then placement of the predicative constituent to the left of negation is ungrammatical, as shown below:

    2
    a. *Dizze is rottich net
    this is rotten not
    This one is not rotten
    b. Dizze is net rottich
    this is not rotten
    This one is not rotten
    readmore

    The presuppositional order sa-Adj-Neg can also be found in case it is followed by a constituent which provides a fixed point for the degree denoted by the adjective. This constituent may semantically be related to an entity. It may have the form of a comparative constituent, as in the examples below:

    3
    a. Hja is sa moai net as har suster
    she is as pretty not as her sister
    She is rather less pretty than her sister
    b. De boer wie dochs sa min net as de minsken ha woene
    the farmer was DcP so bad not as the people have wanted
    The farmer was not as bad as people made him out to be
    c. It mantsje waard njonkenlytsen âld en it hynder ek. Sa âld net as syn baas, mar wol gauwer ynein
    the man became gradually old and the horse also so old not as his boss but indeed faster tired
    He got older and so did the horse. Not quite as old as his boss, but it did get tired sooner
    d. Hy wie sa fet en sa grou net as dy't by it Maitiid fongen waard
    he was so fat and so big not as that by the maytime caught was
    It was not as fat and big as the one caught in May

    Each sentence expresses that the degree ascribed to the subject falls below the degree described by the comparative constituent. In addition, there is a presupposition that the implied degree ascribed to the subject is significantly lower than the one ascribed to the comparative constituent. In addition, the constituent providing a fixed degree may semantically be related to a proposition. This proposition may have the form of a clause, as in the following examples:

    4
    a. Hy wie sa dom net dat er him it bloed hjit makke
    he was so foolish not that he him the blood hot made
    He was not so foolish that he would get worked up
    b. Ik sil sa dryst net wêze om te ferheljen wat er sei
    I shall so bold not be for to tell what he said
    I will not be so bold as to tell what he said
    c. Oan har ferhaal te hearren stiene sy der beide min foar, mar it koe sa min net wêze of der kaam wol in goede set op it boerd
    from her story to hear stood they there both bad for but it could so bad not be or there came DcP a good move on the board
    From what they said, they were in a bad position, but it could not be so bad that they did not produce a good move on the board
    d. Hy woe sa ûnfatsoenlik net wêze en sjoch der fuort yn
    he wanted so indecent not be and see R immediately in
    He did not want to be so rude as to look in it immediately

    Each sentence expresses that the degree ascribed to the subject falls below the degree described or implicated by the comparative constituent. The sentence in (4a) expresses that the actual degree of foolishness of the subject is rather less than the hypothetical degree of foolishness that the subject would have had if he had become worked up. The comparative constituent is realised as an embedded tensed clause in (4a). It is realised as an infinitival clause in (4b). It is realised as a balance clause in (4c): a main clause introduced by the disjunct of or. The example in (4d) features a comparative clause realised as an Imperativus-pro-Infinitivo, that is, an infinitival clause featuring a verb form that is homophonous to the imperative and that occurs in the first position of the clause. The adverb sa so appears to be specified by the following clause, hence it can be viewed as an anticipatory pronoun.

    The presuppositional order cannot be used for deictic reference. This order is ungrammatical in a pointing context: in case somebody indicates with the fingers how small something is, this cannot be rendered by sa:

    5
    a. *It is sa lyts net
    it is so small not
    It is not that small
    b. It is net sa lyts
    it is not so small
    It is not that small

    The neutral order must be used. Furthermore, the presuppositional order presupposes that the degree of the adjective is substantial. As a result, the following sentence is weird:

    6
    a. *In mûs is sa grut net as in liuw
    a mouse is so big not as a lion
    A mouse is not as big as a lion
    b. In mûs is net sa grut as in liuw
    a mouse is not so big as a lion
    A mouse is not so big as a lion

    In addition, the presuppositional order does not allow the comparative phrase to be found to the left of the verb at the end of the middle field:

    7
    a. *Omdat er sa grut net as syn broer is
    because he is so big not as his brother is
    Because he is not as big as his brother
    b. Omdat er net sa grut as syn broer is
    because he is not so big as his brother is
    Because he is not as big as his brother

    Instead, the comparative comnstituent must follow the verb at the end of the middle field: put differently, it must be extraposed:

    8
    a. Omdat er sa grut net is as syn broer
    because he is so big not is as his brother
    Because he is not as big as his brother
    b. Omdat er net sa grut is as syn broer
    because he is not so big as his brother is
    Because he is not as big as his brother

    The construction can be intensified by adverbs such as hast quite and lang by far. Such adverbs may either be put in front of the presupposed construction as a whole or they can intervene between the Adjective Phrase (AP) and negation, as shown below:

    9
    a. Sels fine je it faaks lang sa moai net as oaren
    yourself find you it maybe long so nice not as others
    Maybe you yourself do not like it half as much as other people
    b. Sels fine je it faaks sa moai lang net as oaren
    yourself find you it maybe so nice long not as others
    Maybe you yourself do not like it half as much as other people

    The neutral order does not allow the intensifier and negation to be separated:

    10
    a. Sels fine je it faaks lang net sa moai as oaren
    yourself find you it maybe long not so nice as others
    Maybe you yourself do not like it half as much as other people
    b. *Sels fine je it faaks net sa moai lang as oaren
    yourself find you it maybe not so nice long as others
    Maybe you yourself do not like it half as much as other people
    c. *Sels fine je it faaks net lang sa moai as oaren
    yourself find you it maybe not long so nice as others
    Maybe you yourself do not like it half as much as other people

    The generalisation seems to be that negation may not precede the intensifier. The intensifier hast normally means 'almost'. If it occurs in the presuppositional construction, however, it must mean quite:

    11
    Doe like alles hast sa slim net mear, Teade doarst it oansjen
    then seemed everything almost so bad not anymore Teade dared it observe
    Then everything did not seem quite as bad, Teade dared to have a look at it

    It may be upposed that hast developed this meaning in this construction by being in the scope of negation. So the sentence expresses not just that the actual degree falls below a specific point, but that it falls below a stretch of degrees (expressed by the intensifier) below the specific degree. Anyhow, this meaning of hast is mostly found in the presuppositional construction, although it is sometimes found in the neutral order.

    References
      About this article
      Author(s): Eric Hoekstra
      Category: Frisian Syntax
      Keywords: adverb of degreescramblingnegationhigh degreeequative
      Version: 1.0, December 2015
      Version history:
      version editor(s) date remarks
      1.0 Eric Hoekstra December 2015
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