The Historical Development of Aspectual Clusters in Russian Laura A. Janda Universitetet i Tromsø

Main Ideas Proto-Slavic & OCS aspect traditionally described as in Modern Russian (Meillet 1934:282, Vaillant 1948:304-5, Vaillant 1966:462, Lunt 1966:69, Gorškova and Xaburgaev 1981:279, Schenker 1993:94-5) Newer research suggests recent provenience of Modern Russian aspect system (Bermel 1997, Nørgård-Sørensen 1997, Dickey 2007) Cluster model of Russian aspect (Janda 2007) supports these challenges Motion verbs are prototypical and Determined/ Non-Determined distinction may be a key element in the development of aspect in Russian

Overview 1.Russian aspect as a recent development 2.Motion verbs as prototypical verbs 3.Cluster model and Perfectivization patterns 4.Determined/Non-Determined and Completable/Non-Completable 5.Possible diachronic implications

1.Russian aspect as a recent development Standard works on Proto-Slavic & OCS suggest little change over past millenium, but: –if this were so, we would expect relatively uniform expression & distribution in Slavic –evidence shows this is not the case (Galton 1976, Schuyt 1990, Dickey 2000, Janda 2006) Alternative hypothesis: aspect system in Modern Russian established approx. 16th- 18th c (Bermel 1997, Nørgård-Sørensen 1997, Dickey 2007)

2. Motion verbs as prototypical verbs Whats a prototype? –This can be assessed by looking at Density of shared properties Idealized Cognitive Model of category Association with embodied experience

Density of shared properties A prototype : –is the member of a category with the densest set of shared properties and relationships to other category members (Geeraerts 1995:25, Croft & Cruse 2004:78 & 81, Lewandowska- Tomaszczyk 2007:155) –Russian motion verbs show the densest set of Perfectivization options (Cluster structures)

Idealized Cognitive Model of category A prototype: –represents an Idealized Cognitive Model of the category, serving as a best example that is the source of inferences for motivating the rest of the category (Lakoff 1987:68-76) –Determined/Non-Determined is the source of inferences for Completable/Non-Completable distinctions that are relevant for all other verbs

Association with embodied experience A prototype: –is typically associated with embodied experiences such as motor interactions and movements (Lakoff 1987:56) –motion verbs describe embodied movements Furthermore, other scholars have identified motion verbs as prototypical: –Chaput forthcoming, Nesset forthcoming

3. Cluster model and Perfectivization patterns Definition: –An aspectual cluster is a group of verbs that are aspectually related to each other via transitive relations to a single lexical item In addition to an Imperfective Activity, an aspectual cluster can include up to four kinds of Perfectives: –Natural Perfective, Specialized Perfective, Complex Act Perfective, Single Act Perfective

Four kinds of Perfectives: –Natural Perfectives писать i write > написать p write –Specialized Perfectives работать i work > переработать p rework, revise (> перерабатывать i rework, revise) –Complex Act Perfectives стонать i moan> постонать p moan a while –Single Act Perfectives дуть i blow (+ подуть p blow a while) > дунуть p blow once

Distribution of Perfectives: Natural Perfectives: –написать p write, связать p tie, окрепнуть p get stronger, о(б)щипать p pinch/pluck Specialized Perfectives: –переписать p rewrite, развязать p untie, переработать p rework, revise, вдуть p blow in, выщипать p pluck out Complex Act Perfectives: –пописать p write a while, поработать p work a while, подуть p blow a while, пощипать p pinch/pluck a while, поскрипеть p squeak a while Single Act Perfectives: –дунуть p blow once, щипнуть p pinch/pluck once, скрипнуть p squeak once

Distribution of Perfectives: Natural Perfectives: –написать p write, связать p tie, окрепнуть p get stronger, о(б)щипать p pinch/pluck Specialized Perfectives: –переписать p rewrite, развязать p untie, переработать p rework, revise, вдуть p blow in, выщипать p pluck out Complex Act Perfectives: –пописать p write a while, поработать p work a while, подуть p blow a while, пощипать p pinch/pluck a while, поскрипеть p squeak a while Single Act Perfectives: –дунуть p blow once, щипнуть p pinch/pluck once, скрипнуть p squeak once

Attested Aspectual Clusters Activity + Natural Perfective (крепнуть i get stronger) Activity + Natural Perfective + Specialized Perfective (вязать i tie) Activity + Natural Perfective + Specialized Perfective + Complex Act Perfective (писать i write) Activity + Natural Perfective + Specialized Perfective + Complex Act Perfective + Single Act Perfective (щипать i pnch/pluck) Additionally the Natural Perfective and/or Specialized Perfective can be removed from all cluster structures, yielding other variants (работать i work, дуть i blow, скрипеть i squeak, уважать i respect) + Natural Perfective (perfectiva tantum, уцелеть p survive) Total: 13 attested cluster structures

Motion verbs as prototypes in the Cluster model Motion verbs have the maximal cluster structure Determined/Non-Determined motivates the formation of various kinds of Perfectives All events are metaphorical motions

Motion verbs have the maximal cluster structure Activity лететь i /летать i fly Natural Perfective полететь p fly Specialized Perfectives улететь p (улетать i ) fly away, прилететь p (прилетать i ) fly to Complex Act Perfectives полетать p fly a while, залетать p start flying Single Act Perfective слетать p fly someplace and back once

Motion verbs have the maximal cluster structure Activity лететь i /летать i fly Natural Perfective полететь p fly Specialized Perfectives улететь p (улетать i ) fly away, прилететь p (прилетать i ) fly to Complex Act Perfectives полетать p fly a while, залетать p start flying Single Act Perfective слетать p fly someplace and back once

4. Determined/Non-Determined and Completable/Non-Completable Determined/Non-Determined metaphorically motivates Completable/Non-Completable –Only verbs that can express Completability can form Natural and Specialized Perfectives –Only verbs that can express Non-Completability can form Complex Act and Single Act Perfectives Non-Determined metaphorically motivates Singularizability –Only verbs that can express Non-Completability and can form a Complex Act Perfective can also form a Single Act Perfective

Travel vs. Other Motion You can travel to a place –or – You can move without a goal –or – You can make round-trips The difference is grammaticalized as Determined vs. Non-Determined motion verbs

Travel vs. Other Motion You can travel to a place –or – You can move without a goal –or – You can make round-trips The difference is grammaticalized as Determined vs. Non-Determined motion verbs

Determinacy and Completability: Писатель пишет i книгу. The writer is writing a book. Профессор работает i в университете. The professor is working at the university. Completability is a scale that is influenced by various construals.

Completability: Many verbs are Ambiguous: –Completable Писатель пишет i книгу The writer is writing a book –Non-Completable Писатель пишет i книги A writer writes books Some verbs are Non-Completable: стонать i moan –But some of these verbs can become Completable if they are specialized by a prefix работать i work > переработать p rework, revise A few verbs are Completable: крепнуть i > окрепнуть p get stronger

What Completability means for aspect: Only verbs that can be construed as Completable have Natural Perfectives –писать i write > написать p write, крепнуть i get stronger > окрепнуть p get stronger Only verbs that can be construed as Non- Completable have Complext Act Perfectives –писать i write> пописать p write a while, стонать i moan> постонать p moan a while, работать i work> поработать p work a while

Non-Determined and Singularizability Non-Determined motion can be: Without a goal - or - Roundtrips Singularizability

What Singularizability means for aspect: Singularizability plucks out one cycle to form a Single Act Perfective: –слетать p fly to a place and back once, сбегать p run to a place and back once, сходить p walk to a place and back once –дунуть p blow once, щипнуть p pinch/pluck once, скрипнуть p squeak once Only verbs that can be construed as Non- Completable and form a Complex Act Perfective can also form a Single Act Perfective –But not all do so: *работнуть p

Preliminary summary Modern Russian has various types of Perfective verbs –some express Completable situations Natural and Specialized Perfectives Motion verbs derive these Perfectives from their Determined stem –some express Non-Completable situations Complex Act and Single Act Perfectives Motion verbs derive these Perfectives from their Non-Determined stem

5. Possible diachronic implications Bermels grammaticalization order aligns with Cluster model New means of expressing Determinacy/ Completability (via Perfectivization patterns) coincides with contraction of lexical differentiation Parallel prefixation played major role in grammaticalization of aspect, and was most available with motion verbs early on Current distribution of motion verb Perfectives aligns with Cluster model

Bermels (1997) order of grammaticalization Telic nonpunctual acts Atelic acts Punctual acts Travel > Completable Natural and Specialized Perfectives Motion without goal > Non-Completable Complex Act Perfectives Roundtrips > Singularizable Single Act Perfectives

Bermels chronology is corroborated by: Nørgård-Sørensen (1997) –Russian did not develop its modern aspectual distinction until the -ыва suffix became highly productive (toward 18th c); aspect first encompassed action verbs (Natural and Specialized Perfectives), was only infrequently associated with procedurals (Complex Act and Single Act Perfectives) Dickey 2007 –по- prefix used first to form Natural Perfectives; spread to delimitatives (Complex Act Perfectives) later, 16th-17th c

Determined vs. Non-Determined: About a dozen motion verbs maintain this distinction in Modern Russian: –идти/ходить walk, бежать/бегать run, нести/носить carry, ехать/ездить ride, вести/водить lead, лететь/летать fly This distinction was more extensive in Old Russian (Mayo 1985 cites nearly 40 other verbs, cf. also Van Wijk 1929 re Proto-Slavic, Vaillant 1948:304 re OCS): –влечи/влачити drag, гласити/глашaти call, кусити/кушати bite, месити/м ѣ шати mix, просити/прашати ask

New Form > Contraction of Old Form Meaning of Determined/Non-Determined expanded as Completable/Non-Completable New means of expression: Perfectivization pattern vs. Old means of expression: lexical differentiation Another example of new form leading to expansion of a distinction, while old form contracts (cf. Cz -ovi) Dickey (forthcoming) suggests that the consolidation of the Determined/Non- Determined distinction is linked to development of modern Perfective vs. Imperfective

Completable situations Verbs that had the Determined/Non- Determined distinction had parallel prefixation in OCS: приитиприходитиcome to вънестивъноситиcarry in Scholars agree that parallel prefixation played an important role in the grammaticalization of aspect in Russian (Mayo 1985:9, Schuyt 1990:412-14, Bermel 1997:109)

Non-Completable situations Some Complex Act Perfectives are attested in Old Russian: походити walk a while посажати sit a while Single Act Perfectives are attested already in OCS with the suffix –н ѫ (доун ѫ ти blow once кан ѫ ти drip once), but are not attested with motion verbs Modern distribtution may parallel historical development: See tables on handout

Possible changes Determinacy Completability Grammaticalization Perfective/Imperfective Formation of Complex Act Perfectives Formation of Single Act Perfectives