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10TYPES OF USE OF RUSSIAN INFINITIVES IN SYNCRETICAL CONTEXTS OF MODALATION, PREDICATIVATION AND CONJUNCTIONALISATION
Shigurov Victor Vasilievich
Doctor of Philology, Head of the Russian Language Department N. P. Ogarev Mordovia State University Shigurova Tatiana Alekseyevna Doctor of Cultural Science, Head of Culturology and Ethnography Department Institute of Ethnic Culture at N. P. Ogarev Mordovia State University
ABSTRACT
The paper explores the types of use of the Russian verbs infinitive forms in the syncretical contexts of modalation, predicativation and conjunctionalisation. The mechanism of different parts of speech characteristics interaction and inters-speech-parts semantic syntactical categories in the structure of the infinitives being in the sphere of influence of verbs, introductory modal words, predicatives and conjunctions is examined. The system of criteria is developed for identification of the infinitives subjected to transposition: a) in introductory modal words and expressions with the meaning of intellectual emotive estimation of the message in the aspects of its categorical and problematic reliability, degree of sincerity, openness of the speaker; b) in modal estimating predicatives with the semantics of perception possibility; c) in subordinating conjunctions with the meanings of consequence, conclusion.
Keywords: the Russian language, grammar, transposition, infinitive, modalation, predicativation, conjunctionalisation, syncretism.
Problem Statement. One of the topical issues of transpositional grammar of the Russian language is investigation of the essence and the purpose of the transposition mechanism of language units belonging to different parts of speech in the semantic syntactical category of modal words and expressions; its relation to grammar and lexis; linguistic and extralinguistic reasons, semantic and morphological factors, syntactical conditions, characteristics, steps and limitations.
Analysis of the Latest Researche and Publications. The problem of transitivity and syncretism in the system of parts of speech has been attracting researchers' attention for a long time (see the works of the Russian scientists - A. A. Shakhmatov, A. M. Peshkovsky, V. V. Vinogradov, Yu. D. Apresyan, Yu. L. Vorotnikov, V. N. Migirin, E. S. Kubryakova, V. G. Gak, V. V. Babaytseva, L. L. Bulanin, L. D. Chesnokova, E. P. Kalechits, M. F. Lukina, V. V. Shigurova, etc.).
Types of mutual transition and interaction of parts of speech within the theory of transposition (translation, conversion, derivation) were considered in the works of foreign linguists A. Sechehaye, Ch. Bally, L. Tesniere, E. Kurilovich, G. Marchand, etc. The phenomenon of modalation attracts the linguists' attention as well; its various aspects were the subject of discussion in the researches of V. V. Vinogradov, V. M. Zhirmunsky, G. V. Kolshansky, V. Z. Panfilov, V. V. Babaytseva, A. G. Rudnev, A. I. Anikina, A. M. Mukhin, V. N. Migirin, O. M. Kym, A. Ya. Bauder, I. V. Vysotskaya, T. I. Mukovozova, E. N. Orekhova etc.
At the same time the disadvantage of the majority of works on transitive phenomena in the field of parts of speech is that only clear cases (according to L. V. Shcherba) serve as objects of analysis in them; thus fluctuating cases are not mentioned at all, or quite often receive unilateral, and therefore inexact grammatical qualification. Modalation in this sense is not an exception: many cases of stepping transposition of words and word forms of different parts of speech into modal words and expressions did not receive proper description in scientific literature or are treated unilaterally. Actually we quite often deal with syncretic formations synthesizing in their structure characteristics of several parts of speech. Researches in the field of modalation of verbal forms, infinitives
in particular, show that this process has a stepping character. It means that the degree of removal from the system of verb and approaching to modal words that infinitives have at different stages of their modalation is not identical. Thus introductory modal type of use of the Russian infinitives can have not only purely functional, but also functional and semantic character, being followed in the latter case by violation of semantic identity of the initial verbal lexeme [22]. Identification of Earlier Unsolved Parts of the Common Problem. The reasons of infinitives modalation, its background, conditions and character are still not clear in the modern theory of transposition. The problem of involvement of the Russian infinitives into several transpositional processes at the level of speech parts and inter-speech-parts categories of predicatives and introductory modal words and expressions dividing transposition types into main (dominating) and minor (secondary) is almost not considered [20]. The purpose of the article is studying the types of use of infinitive forms of Russian verbs in syncretic contexts of modalation, predicativation and conjunctionalisation and developing the criteria system allowing identification of the infinitives subjected to transposition: a) in introductory modal words and expressions with the meanings of intellectual emotive estimation of the message in the aspects of its categorical and problematic reliability, degree of sincerity, openness of the speaker; b) in modal and estimated predicatives with the semantics of perception possibility; c) in subordinating conjunctions with the meaning of consequence, conclusion. Discussion of the Basic Materials. Studying the process and the results of modalation of the infinitives in the Russian language shows that being transposed in introductory modal words and expressions they often appear in the influence zone of several classes of words and inter-class categories that does not allow qualifying them according to the principle "or" - "or". One and the same language unit in such cases in its structure synthesizes characteristics of several interacting parts of speech and interspeech-parts categories (about different facts of syncretism see [1 - 9; 11 - 19; 23 - 24]).
On the one hand, here it is possible to speak about functional and functional-semantic homonyms, infinitives and infinitive-
-mi-
derived modalates, and on the other hand, about the syncrets, combining in some degree the properties of verbs and modal words. The situation is complicated by the fact that functionally such syncretic structures sometimes are similar to predicatives, conjunctions, i.e. they get involved in two transpositional pro cesses ofmo dalation and conj unctionalisation or mo dalation and predicativation. Therefore it is necessary to differentiate, on the one hand, pure types of modalation of infinitives (1), and, on the other hand, combined modalation types presented in combinations: a) modalation + predicativation (2) and b) modalation + conjunctionalisation (3).
Compare the standard contexts of "pure" and combined modalation:
(1) Я, признаться, не ожидал такого;
(2) Он, по всему видать, забыл о встрече;
(3) Знать, не судьба им свидеться.
It is hardly possible to speak about triple intercategorial transposition of the infinitive form of the verb видать
(4), modalation, predicativation and conjunctionalisation functionally coming closer in syncretic context to introductory modal words (like вероятно), predicatives (like видно) and conjunctions connecting the statement with the previous fragment of the text:
(4) Марфуша рассказала, как Шёлковую горку найти, и на другой день Юрко приволок целый мешок камней. - Видать, - говорит, - камень любопытный (P. P. Bazhov). In this regard while differentiating the syncretic formations and homonyms which appeared due to inclusiveness of infinitives in one or several transpositional processes it is important to consider in the zone of interaction of what parts of speech and semantic syntactical categories they are in this or that context. The importance of differential characteristics and interspeechparts categories is not identical for parts of speech distinction; it is necessary to recognize the categorical semantics of a word form as dominating which defines existence / absence of these or those grammatical means of its expression (category, paradigm). It attracts attention that some characteristics make the compared objects similar, others differentiate them, which is important to consider for quantitative characteristic (indexation) of the degrees of modalation of infinitives, explicating different steps on the transitivity scale. Considerable difficulty is presented by considering of the facts of syncretism in functional modalation of the infinitives as a part of introductory expressions like
надо признаться (не ожидал); по всему видать (победа будет за нашей ко-мандой), when the degree of semantic-grammatical distancing of infinitives from verbs is minimum and they are used both in predicative (as the main member of a parenthetic clause) and introductory modal function (in combination with in other words of the parenthetic clause). Becoming similar to modal words and expressions is shown here that the isolated parenthetical constructions with infinitives express the position of the subject of the mode which estimates the message in emotional and intellectual aspect (from the point of view of sincerity, openness), and also concerning problematic reliability of the given information. The degree of modalation of infinitives as parts of introductory units in this case does not depend on where they are used in the statement, either in pre-, inter- or postpositions.
The distinction between the infinitives like знать, видать, слыхать, при-знаться (5) and the infinitive-derived modalates (знать, видать, слыхать, при-знаться), which appeared as the result of functional (6) and functionally semantic modalation (7), is possible to show using the following examples:
(5) Кстати, это будет любопытно знать исследователям далекого прошлого: в читальном зале в те годы было полно народу (B. Minayev); А что прям - это и по всему видать (V. F. Khodasevich); Селихова еле слыхать (E. I. Zamyatin); Одним словом, «меня достали», и в этом надо признаться честно (A. Yakovlev).
(6) Какие же, любопытно знать, у вас дела? (S. Ya. Efron); Деревян-ные замшелые идолы явно несли на себе следы свежих увечий, причиненных, по всему видать, топором (E. Lukin); Райка, слыхать, на развод подала (A. Bossart); Барсуковские, слыхать, переселенцев принимают! (S. Zalygin); Он мужика берег, а гвардию-то, слыхать было, по шерсти не гладил (V. Ya. Shishkov).
(7) Давно, знать, зверя не мыли, не чистили (F. Neverov); Ты, видать, не знаешь, что в мужской пиджак на плечи подкладывают вату (V. Astafyev); Заработок, видать, лёгкий, огневой (A. Solzhenitsyn); Кто-то, видать, купил давным-давно и забыл, а теперь вот нашли... (A. Marinina); Не доверяет нам, видать (A. Marinina).
In the given contexts we deal with functional (grammatical) homonyms, the infinitives (5) and correlating with them infinitive-derived modalates (6 - 7). Both infinitives (their verbal properties) and introductory modal words can be a reference point of their differentiation.
Nuclear modalates знать and видать (7), unlike homonymous infinitives (5), have no such verb characteristics as: a) speechpart meaning of action; b) being part of lexico-semantic groups of verbal lexicon with the meaning of involuntary perception (видать) and knowledge (знать); c) being part of action categories [productive (видать) and stative (знать) types of action]; d) possibility of three forms of representation of a verbal lexeme: predicative (personal form), semi-predicative (adverbial participle), attributive (participle); e) grammatical category of verb aspect (cf. infinitive in the form of ICA with the meaning of incomplete action connected with one stative situation lasting in time: Всем было интересно знать про судьбу этого великого человека and infinitive-derived modalate: Не судьба, знать, им быть вместе); f) grammatical category of voice (cf. the infinitive знать in the form of active voice with the meaning of non-directed action regarding in a subject: Они готовы были знать истинную причину случившегося and infinitive-derived modalant: Крепкий, знать, оказался орешек); g) the paradigm of category of voice which is equally absent in the compared functional and semantic homonyms; cf. correlation of forms of active and passive forms of the infinitive сказать / быть сказан, used in the fixed active form as a part of the introductory expression надо сказать; cf.: Никто, надо сказать, этого даже не заметил); h) existence of the suffix - ть in the morphemic structure in the form-building function (cf. modalates знать, видать with darkened morphemic structure); i) syntactic function of this or that sentence part [cf.: Хотелось бы знать подробнее обстоятельства дела (infinitive as a part of the main structure of an impersonal sentence) and Знать, судьба его не баловала (infinitive-derived modalate
as a parenthesis)]; j) compatibility with the other words in the sentence (not within the parenthetical construction); cf. the infinitive: Интересно было знать о книжных новинках and the modalate: Как же, интересно знать, они поступят? Besides, functionally semantic modalates знать, видать unlike correlative infinitives (знать, видать) have also no lexical meanings of initial verbs. Cf. the infinitive знать in the meaning 'have some information': Ребята хотели знать все о случившемся and infinitive-derived modalate in the meaning 'probably': Знать, не думала она о последствиях. Peripheral modalates знать, видать, слыхать, признаться, unlike nuclear (знать, видать), keep the main verbal properties introductory which in this case are shown, however, with different degree of distinctness and evidence. It is about such verbal characteristics as lexical semantics of a verb; speechpart meaning of action; being part of lexico-semantic groups of perception verbs (видать, слыхать), knowledge (знать), verbal and cogitative activity (признаться), and also productive (признаться, видать, слыхать) and stative types of verbal action (знать)); compatibility with certain object and adverbial distributors (по всему видать; честно признаться), and also with some predicatives as a part of the main component of a parenthetical impersonal construction (любопытно знать; надо признаться).
Compare contexts with the infinitives (in combination with other words) in verbal (8) and introductory modal use (9):
(8) Парнишка мой там сидит на крыльце, ножонками болтает и, по всему видать, голодный (M. A. Sholokhov); Так что, честно признаться, я не вижу, что мы с тобой можем здесь обсуждать (A. Belozyorov); Какие же, любопытно знать, у вас дела? (S. Ya. Efron); Результаты, надо признаться, были неплохими (B. Posdnyakov).
(9) Ведь по всему видать - в нищете растет! (V. Oseyeva); Мама должна была честно признаться: она не очень умеет ругаться матом (M. S. Aromshtam); Но любопытно знать и мнения самого наблюдателя - автора, хотя для нас вовсе не обязательно с этими мнениями соглашаться (N. K. Mikhailovsky); Попутно надо признаться ещё в одном. Подражание великим образцам стало своего рода манией (Don Aminado).
Along with some characteristics of modal words and expressions that modalates like признаться, знать have it is necessary to add structurally morphological correlation with parts of speech, in this case correlation with the verb in the form of infinitive as the main or dependent component of the introductory expression; subjectively modal meaning, explicating the speech author's position (speaker), his assessment of the message from the point of view of intellectual and emotional attitude towards reality, degree of openness, sincerity in giving information, and also confidence / uncertainty in its reliability; stability (absence of grammatical categories and paradigms); the function of an introductory component of the sentence accompanied by isolation and special intonation contour (falling of voice pitch and more accelerated tempo of speech); the use with other words as a part of a parenthetical construction (откровенно признаться, etc.) or single introductory position (признаться, etc.) ; special type of sentence cohesion (introduction / apposition) with the statement or its part (see [10, p. 153 -160]).
Functional convergence of infinitives видать and слыхать with modal and estimating predicatives denoting possibility of visual and acoustical perception of something is observed at different stages of their transposition in modal words and expressions. Cf. initial (10) and final points (11) of infinitives modalation:
(10) То, что девушка - ваша сестра, с порога видать (D. Rubina) ( ~ 'can be seen'); Селихова еле слыхать (E. I. Zamyatin) (~ 'can be heard');
(11) В углу русская печь, и на ней чугунок, видать, очень старый (F. Gorenshtein) ( ~ 'probably'); Суворов, слыхать, боек был, куда прочим! (S. T. Grigoryev) (~ 'they say'). Along with characteristics of predicatives of the infinitives видать, слыхать in introductory modal use it is also necessary to add, except semantics of assessment and synonymic relations with adjective-derived predicatives видно, слышно, the ability to act in an impersonal and predicative position with a link. Cf.:
(12) Он мужика берег, а гвардию-то, слыхать было, по шерсти не гла-дил (V. Ya. Shishkov).
Functional convergence of the infinitives знать, видать with subordinating conjunctions in the meaning of result, conclusion, consequence is shown in the fact that they have some lines of this auxiliary part of speech, namely: categorial semantics existing in the expression of syntactic relation of conclusion, consequence; stability (absence of grammatical categories and paradigms); darkened morphemic structure (incomplete degree of simplification); abilities to act as a means of coherence of the statement or its part with the previous text fragment; cf.:
(13) Никто так и не приехал. Видать (знать), что-то случилось (~ 'consequently, it means, probably').
In contexts of this kind the infinitive видать is in the zone of interaction (crossing) of several parts of speech and interspeechparts categories: verbs, conjunctions, introductory modal words and predicatives, giving the grounds to speak about inclusion of the same language unit in three transpositional processes such as modalation, conjunctionalization and predicativation.
It is necessary to add that, unlike prototypical subordinating conjunctions, the syncretes видать and знать are used in the isolated introductory position to express subjectively modal meaning of categorical or problematic reliability; cf.:
(14) Хозяин, по всему видать, здесь крепкий;
(15) Настоящего хозяина здесь, видать, нет.
The above listed criteria are inadequate for differentiation of functional and functionally semantic homonyms which are formed at modalation of infinitive verb forms, and also syncretic structures to some extent synthesizing characteristics of different parts of speech and inter-speech-parts semantic syntactical categories of introductory modal words and predicatives. As the defining factor for their differentiation, probably, we should recognize the general grammatical meaning of the compared units, namely categorial semantics of the verb and the modal word. Existence of verbal meaning of action in the analyzed word form predetermines realization within it grammatical categories of aspect, voice and syntactic function of main or secondary part of sentence (the main part of mononuclear construction, etc.). On the other hand, appearance of subjective modal semantics of speaker's assessment of the
message in the infinitive as a part of an introductory expression sometimes leads to its full or partial desemantisation (it can be omitted without loss of the general sense of the state-ment) (16-17) and elimination (neutralization) of the major verbal properties, namely, meaning of action and the means of its expression such as categories of aspect and voice, functions of this or that sentence part, compatibility with other words (outside the parenthetical construction) (18). Cf.:
(16) Такого поворота, откровенно признаться, никто не ожидал --> Такого поворота, откровенно, никто не ожидал;
(17) Кто же, любопытно знать, будет победителем? --> Кто же, любопытно, будет победителем?
(18) Не придется, знать, им больше свидеться.
A number of infinitives are exposed to modalation only as a part of set expressions which are used in the function of isolated parenthetical constructions. Cf., for example, phraseological expression стало быть going back to combination of the infinitive быть with the half-notional link стало:
(19) Стало быть, ты тут хозяйка?
Functionally this set expression in the position of the introductory component of the statement comes close to other verbal modalates like знать, значит, combining subjective modal meanings of assumption and conclusion, consequence, i.e. acting as a peculiar means of connection of this fragment of the text with the previous one. In other words, the introductory expression стало быть is the result of phraseologisation of the initial combination of the infinitive with the link (стало быть) in the syncretic context of modalation and conjunctionalisation. Conclusions and Suggestions. The given above fragment of interaction of word classes and interclass semantic syntactical categories in the structure of infinitive verb forms exposed to one or several categorial transformations shows that the study of the facts of transposition and syncretism in the system of parts of speech represents further development of the theory of functional grammar and the method of semantic field. Efficiency of such researches and objectivisation of their results have to be connected with systemic application of oppositional analysis technique (with graphic explication of crossed transitivity scales) and mathematical methods of processing of empirical material, namely indexation of different degrees of matching of a syncrete to these or those links on different scales of modalation, predicativation, conjunctionalisation, etc. [16; 21].
* The work is performed within the project "Complex research of modalation as a type of stepping transposition of language units in semantic syntactical category of introductory modal words", car-ried out with financial support of the Russian humanitarian scientific fund (grant No. 15-04-00039a).
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