LINGUIST List 10.287

Mon Feb 22 1999

Qs: Semantic change, Word order in Russian

Editor for this issue: Brett Churchill <brettlinguistlist.org>



We'd like to remind readers that the responses to queries are usually best posted to the individual asking the question. That individual is then strongly encouraged to post a summary to the list. This policy was instituted to help control the huge volume of mail on LINGUIST; so we would appreciate your cooperating with it whenever it seems appropriate.

Directory

  • manaster, Semantic changes
  • Mathias Schulze, Word order in Russian

    Message 1: Semantic changes

     Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 18:52:25 -0500 (EST)
    From: manaster <manasterumich.edu>
    Subject: Semantic changes


    Does anybody know of a language in which we find the following path of semantic evolution:

    CORD/ROPE > SPINAL CORD > BRAIN or > MARROW

    I would appreciate any relevant data. Actually just the second step SPINAL CORD > BRAIN would be very welcome.

    AMR

    Message 2: Word order in Russian

     Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 15:26:01 +0000
    From: Mathias Schulze <mathiasccl.umist.ac.uk>
    Subject: Word order in Russian


    Word order in Russian

    Many languages allow the scrambling of syntagmatic constituents within a sentence, but in many of these languages, adjectival modifiers cannot be separated from the noun phrase they modify. In a grammar book for learners of Russian, I have come across these two examples:

    T'azholaja dl'a nejo natshinalas' zhizn'. (difficult for her started life) Nev'erojatnyj podn'als'a shum. (unbelievable rose noise)

    a) Are these two sentences acceptable to Russian native-speakers? b) Am I right in thinking that the two sentence-initial adjectives are indeed noun modifiers? c) If these adjectives are noun modifiers what determines that they can be separated from the modified phrase? d) Are there other examples of this phenomenon in Russian? e) Are there similar examples in other languages, e.g. are there languages in which the determiner could be separated from the noun?

    Many thanks for your help.

    Mathias Schulze Lecturer in German mathiasccl.umist.ac.uk

    mathias mathiasccl.umist.ac.uk http://www.ccl.umist.ac.uk/staff/mathias