The Evolution of the System of Long and Short Adjectives in Old RussianThe present study is a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of the system of long and short adjectives in Old Russian, a profound language change to which very little previous research has been devoted. It is generally assumed that in prehistoric Slavic, the system was purely grammatical with the long form denoting definiteness and the short form denoting indefiniteness. The present study finds, on the basis of evidence collected from Old Russian chronicle texts, that even the earliest of these sources display a substantially transformed system no longer reflecting the opposition between definiteness and indefiniteness, but governed by parameters of information structure. |
Common terms and phrases
accusative NPs Accusative plural NPs Accusative singular NPs adjectives denoting material boyars chronicle texts contexts usually coreferent dative definite direct objects distribution of LFs entities example existential sentences fixed NP found in contexts functions as repeated functions as theme genitive NPs instances interpreted as predicative irregular NPs LF SF LF LFs and SFs Locative singular NPs meaning modified Nominative singular NPs noun and adjective Novg1S Novg2 Novgorod Chronicle NPs denoting NPs functioning NPs with LFs number combinations possessive adjectives predicative adjective predicative NPs Primary Chronicle Prince qualitative adjectives referent relative adjectives repeated rheme SF and LF SF are possible SF LF SF SFs occur stone church suffix Tatars three NPs type of context бо богъ бысть велика великий великое великыи время въ град его зело злат князь князя люди малѣ мужа добра на рать святого смерть список Того же лѣта храм церкви церковь камену честь чюдо яко