Comparative case

The comparative case (abbreviated COMP) is a grammatical case used in languages such as Mari and Chechen to mark a likeness to something.

It is not to be confused with the comparative degree, a much more widely used paradigm used to signify heightening of adjectives and adverbs.

In Mari, the comparative case is marked with the suffix -ла ('-la') For example, if something were to taste like fish (кол - 'kol'), the form used would be колла - 'kolla'). It is also used in regard to languages, when denoting the language a person is speaking, writing, or hearing. Then, however, the accentuation varies slightly from the standard case. Usually, the suffix is not stressed. When it is used with languages, however, it is stressed.

In Chechen, it is marked with the suffix -l. For example, sha is 'ice', shiila is 'cold', and shal shiila is 'cold as ice'.

References

• Зорина, З. Г., Г. С. Крылова, and Э. С. Якимова. Марийский язык для всех, ч. 1. Йошкар-Ола: Марийское книжное издательство, 1990;