Current Events > In English, how do you tell if you say 'X-ist' or 'most X'

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like funnest or most fun

Fattest or most fat

Fastest or most fast

Is there a rule so you know which one to use?

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You just kinda know

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MonkeyBones23 posted...

You just kinda know

English is more about a phonetic feel than any logical measure.

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Just one of those things you learn through experience

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They way it was taught to me, if an adjective is 3 or more syllables long, you say "The most X". Otherwise you say "The X-est".

But as always, there are exemptions to the rule.

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for superlatives theres no hard and fast rule but I'm pretty sure you'd be generally safe with if the word is 3 or more syllables you'd use "most x"

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It's only some common Anglo-Saxon root words that we use the -est.

Try it with a Latinate word and it doesn't work:

"I'm the communicativest employee at the office."

vs.

"I'm the most communicative employee at the office."

and so on.

(Strong, Fun, Fat, Fast are all Anglo-Saxon words).

Compare "fast" to "rapid," for example. "Rapid" is from Latin/French.

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There's no real rule to it, which is the biggest flaw of English in general.

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Master Kazuya posted...

There's no real rule to it, which is the biggest flaw of English in general.

There actually is if you'd read my post. Also, any language that isn't Esperanto is going to have this "flaw."

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Robot2600 posted...

It's only some common Anglo-Saxon root words that we use the -est.

Try it with a Latinate word and it doesn't work:

"I'm the communicativest employee at the office."

vs.

"I'm the most communicative employee at the office."

and so on.

(Strong, Fun, Fat, Fast are all Anglo-Saxon words).

Compare "fast" to "rapid," for example. "Rapid" is from Latin/French.

Not a good rule.
Like, any adjective that is a word compounded with the word like, is going to be germanic... and yet "est" wouldn't work.
"Childlikest"

"Thankful"
"most Thankful or thankfullest"?

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Robot2600 posted...

It's only some common Anglo-Saxon root words that we use the -est.

Try it with a Latinate word and it doesn't work:

"I'm the communicativest employee at the office."

vs.

"I'm the most communicative employee at the office."

and so on.

(Strong, Fun, Fat, Fast are all Anglo-Saxon words).

Compare "fast" to "rapid," for example. "Rapid" is from Latin/French.

"Outlandish"
"Outlandishest"
"Most outlandish"
???

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"grown"
"grownest"
"most grown"

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Robot2600 posted...

There actually is if you'd read my post. Also, any language that isn't Esperanto is going to have this "flaw."

I did read your post already. I read all the posts to see if there was in fact a rule that was obvious but missing. There wasn't.

First off, determining what to say in casual speech based on an entire words etymology is a flawed concept in itself. People shouldn't have to know Anglo-Saxon vs Latinate to know a rule for basic communication.

Secondly, I would need a chart of a lot of words and the exceptions to consider your hypothesis valid. It's already based in something I don't know, yet we know similar rules by being native English speakers. What's up with that?

Third, I know languages have exceptions, but out of the three I've gotten a grasp of, English is by far the one with the most exceptions.

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Robot2600 posted...

There actually is if you'd read my post. Also, any language that isn't Esperanto is going to have this "flaw."

You are being extremely spicy for someone who was wrong as all heck. Dare I say the most wrong?

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Master Kazuya posted...

I did read your post already. I read all the posts to see if there was in fact a rule that was obvious but missing. There wasn't.

First off, determining what to say in casual speech based on an entire words etymology is a flawed concept in itself. People shouldn't have to know Anglo-Saxon vs Latinate to know a rule for basic communication.

Secondly, I would need a chart of a lot of words and the exceptions to consider your hypothesis valid. It's already based in something I don't know, yet we know similar rules by being native English speakers. What's up with that?

Third, I know languages have exceptions, but out of the three I've gotten a grasp of, English is by far the one with the most exceptions.

His hypothesis has 0 validity, it's a crap-shoot on whether or not the germanic word would use one form of superlative or the other... As a matter of fact they're of course going to be the most unpredictable...

He just wanted to flex the word "anglo-saxon" on people for some weird reason.

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Master Kazuya posted...

I did read your post already. I read all the posts to see if there was in fact a rule that was obvious but missing. There wasn't.

First off, determining what to say in casual speech based on an entire words etymology is a flawed concept in itself. People shouldn't have to know Anglo-Saxon vs Latinate to know a rule for basic communication.

Secondly, I would need a chart of a lot of words and the exceptions to consider your hypothesis valid. It's already based in something I don't know, yet we know similar rules by being native English speakers. What's up with that?

Third, I know languages have exceptions, but out of the three I've gotten a grasp of, English is by far the one with the most exceptions.

I dunno, my teacher's 3 syllable rule has worked for me and you just gotta learn the exceptions.

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CasualGuy posted...

Is there a rule so you know which one to use?

It's English, so no.
The general theme is to glue "-est" to the end of one-syllable words, and stick "most" in front of the rest, but there's various exceptions because English is a bastard language.

Very_Unreliable posted...

You are being extremely spicy for someone who was wrong as all heck. Dare I say the most wrong?

This is the angriest post I've seen ITT

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Questionmarktarius posted...

It's English, so no.
The general theme is to glue "-est" to the end of one-syllable words, and stick "most" in front of the rest, but there's various exceptions because English is a bastard language.

Now that I think about it, most 2 syllable adjectives use more and most lol.

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inloveanddeath0 posted...

This is the angriest post I've seen ITT

? why?

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LordFarquad1312 posted...

I dunno, my teacher's 3 syllable rule has worked for me and you just gotta learn the exceptions.

It's not a rule, more like a guideline I guess. A rule to me would imply that it's based off that reasoning, rather than a coincidence for the majority of instances. It's good advice at least.

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