Degree semantics for Russian verbal prefixes: The case of pod- and do-

This paper proposes a formal semantic approach to Slavic verbal prefixes. A hypothesis is put forward according to which a verbal prefix imposes a relation between two degrees on a scale. One is a degree associated with the event denoted by the verbal predicate. The other one is the standard of comp...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Olga Kagan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Oslo 2012-01-01
Series:Oslo Studies in Language
Online Access:https://journals.uio.no/osla/article/view/144
Description
Summary:This paper proposes a formal semantic approach to Slavic verbal prefixes. A hypothesis is put forward according to which a verbal prefix imposes a relation between two degrees on a scale. One is a degree associated with the event denoted by the verbal predicate. The other one is the standard of comparison, contributed by a linguistic expression that appears in the sentence, or by the context. The scale to which the prefix applies is most typically contributed by the linguistic environment in which the prefix appears. The paper demonstrates how the proposed analysis applies to two specific morphemes in Russian: the prefixes pod- and do-.
ISSN:1890-9639