[General] a relatively lower price?

[LiuJing]

I have learned the standard usage of 'relatively' is: relatively + adj. in its original form.

My question is: do a lot of native speakers say something like 'the market has relatively lower prices' as widely-accepted non-standard English, as acceptable as 'different than...'?

Thank you.

 

[bhaisahab]

I have learned the standard usage of 'relatively' is: relatively + adj. in its original form.

My question is: do a lot of native speakers say something like 'the market has relatively lower prices' as widely-accepted non-standard English, as acceptable as 'different than...'?

Thank you.

Yes, it is widely used, but it's not correct.

 

[Barb_D]

Why is it not correct?

 

[bhaisahab]

"Relatively low prices" = "prices lower in relation to an unspecified number of other markets". "Relatively lower prices" needs a "than somewhere".

 

[Barb_D]

I assume the context makes that clear. Is there anything grammatically incorrect about "relatively lower prices"?

I like shopping at Wegmans. They have relatively lower prices on the things I buy most often.

I would assume that it means "lower than the other stores that are in my area."

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the question.

 

[LiuJing]

I assume the context makes that clear. Is there anything grammatically incorrect about "relatively lower prices"?

I like shopping at Wegmans. They have relatively lower prices on the things I buy most often.

I would assume that it means "lower than the other stores that are in my area."

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the question.

The rule, relatively + adj. in its original form, was taught when I learned comparative and superlative grammar stuff. My teacher told us to treat it as something like less + adj. in its original form. For example,[ I feel less cold now], not [I feel less colder now], hence it is not correct to say I feel relatively better now. That 's what my teacher said when giving out the explanation on the rule: relatively or less is a word of comparison already and it doesn't need to be followed by another comparison. However, it seems people do say [I feel relatively better now] as Mr. bhaisahab has admitted, although it is deemed non-standard by scholarly folks.

 

[Barb_D]

I don't understand why this would be non-standard.

Relatively is an adverb. Adverbs modify adjectives. Lower is an adjective.

If the rule is that relatively can only modify a non-comparative forms of adjectives, it's a rule I've never seen.

It's a synonym for "somewhat."


She seems happier these days. Well, somewhat happier, anyway.
She seems happier these days. Well, relatively happier, anyway.

A: Everything is so expensive here!
B: Yes, I know. Groceries are very expensive, but I shop at Wegmens. The prices there are lower. Well, relatively lower. Things still cost a lot.

I think all those paintings are pretty ugly. There's not many I would want hanging on my walls. I could live with that one though. It's relatively prettier than the others.

All of these are incorrect?

 

[LiuJing]

I don't understand why this would be non-standard.

Relatively is an adverb. Adverbs modify adjectives. Lower is an adjective.

If the rule is that relatively can only modify a non-comparative forms of adjectives, it's a rule I've never seen.

It's a synonym for "somewhat."


She seems happier these days. Well, somewhat happier, anyway.
She seems happier these days. Well, relatively happier, anyway.

A: Everything is so expensive here!
B: Yes, I know. Groceries are very expensive, but I shop at Wegmens. The prices there are lower. Well, relatively lower. Things still cost a lot.

I think all those paintings are pretty ugly. There's not many I would want hanging on my walls. I could live with that one though. It's relatively prettier than the others.

All of these are incorrect?

I made several google searches and found this one:
BP boss Tony Hayward admits job is on the line over Deepwater oil spill | Business | The Guardian

Beginning lines:

Tony Hayward, the beleaguered chief executive of BP, has claimed its oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico is "relatively tiny" compared with the "very big ocean".

 

[BobK]

I don't understand why this would be non-standard.

...

"Relatively low prices" = "prices lower in relation to an unspecified number of other markets". "Relatively lower prices" needs a "than" somewhere.

I (initially) shared Barb's confusion; bhaisahab's post [edited to make sense ;-)] explains. But I think the elision of the 'than' will always be explained by the context.

b