Eckhard Bick - VISL

(3a) O filho é mais alto que o pai [é]. (The son is taller than the father [is].)
(3b) O filho é tão alto como o pai [é]. (The son is as tall as the father [is].)
(3c) O filho é um homem como um urso [é]. (The son is a man like a bear [is]).
The comparison structures in (3) lack a predicator, too, but they do have a subject, and
the “internal” function of the relative adverbial comparator (3b-c) can be regarded as a
predication, or at least a dummy substitute for a predication: ‘A bear is like that ‘ (3c) or
‘the father is as/less tall ’ (3b). Even the otherwise semantically “empty” conjunction
que (3a) and the special polylexical comparator do=que (3a') gain semantic content
from their comparative function, “borrowing” the missing predication from the
comparative kernel they measure against.
An argument for not reading comparators as prepositions - in Portuguese - is the
fact that they do not demand prepositional (“oblique”) case of personal pronouns, but
rather plain nominative case:
(3a’) O filho é mais alto do=que ele (The son is taller than he [is].)
(3b’) O filho é tão alto como ele [é]. (The son is as tall as he [is].)
Finally, a few comparisons are structured much like (2), with predications and without
subject:
(3d) Ele fala como [ele] pensa. (He talks like he thinks).
(3e) É tão avaro como [?ele][é] rico. (He is as .. as [he is] rich.)
(3f) É mais avaro do=que [?ele][é] rico. (He is more .. than [he is] rich.)
While (3d) has a predicator (which is at the same time the predication), (3e-f) match (2)
quite nicely, with no obvious predicator. However, subject omission does not seem as
obligatory in the face of a missing predicator, indicating, perhaps, that the comparators
here do not (like quando in (2)) contextualise the subject, but merely provide a link to
yet another predicator. Since comparative constructions include contrasting, there are
cases where subject omission is altogether impossible for semantic reasons, as in (3g),
where gender inflexion of the predicative adjective forces a reading with two different
subjects:
(3g) (Ele) é tão avaro como ela rica.
content from a hooked comparative kernel in much the same way as como does, could, in fact, be used to make it a member
of the relative adverbial class ( ADV) in my system, which is exactly where Latin 'quam' would belong ...
Only for "hook-less" comparisons there is a slight difference - 'que' can be used to replace 'como', but onlywith at
least a comparative kernel to "borrow" from: "Ela é linda que nem um anjo" ('She is beautiful as not even an angel [is]'),
Without an adjective like linda, i.e. after non-attributive nouns like in(3c), 'que' can not replace 'como'.
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