Detail #241: A Different Comparison System

Apparently, there are only a few ways of comparing degrees for different referents in the world. Wals has a bunch of information on this.

How about a comparative based on causatives (or passive causatives). Let's assume the language has a specific marking for stimuluses. Now, we could have:

noun₁ causes noun₂ to seem|appear|... adjective

However, this obviously makes noun₂ less central from an information structure point of view. So, we could go and topicalize noun₂, or maybe use some passivized form (but perhaps retain the stimulus marking?) Also, the adjective could well be verbalized, or the verb might just be a causative copula. 

noun₁ causes.pass noun₂.acc adjective = noun₁ makes noun₂ adjective

noun₁ causes noun₂.[stimulus] adjective = noun₁ makes noun₂ appear adjective = noun₂ is adjectiver than noun₁

noun₂.[stimulus] caused by noun₁ adjective = noun₂ is caused to appear adjective by noun₁ = noun₂ is adjectiver than noun₁

The stimulus-marking makes any explicit 'appear'-like verb superfluous. Such a marking could also be reasonable on the adjective instead, i.e. the adjective marks perception rather than objective quality (or it marks a quality that attracts the attentions) – then 'real' causatives and comparison-causatives would be distinguished by whether the adjective had such a marking.

Such an adjectival marking, to some extent, actually exists in Finnic languages, but is triggered by verbs of perception. (It's a case meaning 'from', so e.g. 'something tastes from X').