The distribution of the marker of degree -sz-/-ejsz-

Polish comparative of adjectives is marked by suffix -sz-, which has a variant -ejsz-. The distribution of the two variants is a matter of debate. Whereas there is no doubt that only -sz- can occur after stems ending with a single consonant, consonant clusters generally require the extended form. Still, there is a number of clusters which can be followed by the shorter form, which is often (at least implicitly) considered basic. There were numerous attempts to precisely define the contexts governing the distribution of the two variants, often connecting it to the sonority scale. We suggest that it is rather the distribution of the shorter form, which is more restricted, namely it may follow only a cluster of two consonants ending with a stop, or a single consonant. At the same time, any cluster can be followed by the longer form. Therefore, in the reminder of the article we examine the frequency of the longer forms following the clusters ending with a stop or affricate, which prove to be attested for a number of adjectives, however they are very rare. The article is based on large bodies of data, namely a morphological dictionary with over 1000 morphologically gradable adjectives (Polimorf) and three corpora.