Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

perfective aspect(совeршe´нный вид): describes an action restricted in its extent and thus presents it as complete; perfectives relate to the beginning of an action (e.g. зaзвeнe´ть, to start to ring ), the limited duration of an action (e.g. посидe´ть, to sit for a while ), or the completion of an action (e.g. вы´пить, to drink up ) (11.5); cf.

imperfective aspect.

periphrasis(пeрифрa´зa): complicated, round-about expression, use of more words than is strictly speaking necessary, e.g. in this day and

age .

person(лицо´): form of the verb which represents: (a) the

person/persons or thing/things speaking (i.e. 1st pers, e.g. I/we read ); (b) the person/persons or thing/things spoken to (i.e. 2nd pers, e.g. you read ); or (c) the person/persons or thing/things spoken about (i.e. 3rd pers, e.g. he/she reads, they read ).

phrase(фрa´зa): group of words lacking a finite verb but felt to express a single idea or to constitute a discrete element in a sentence.

plosive(взрывно´й): consonant sound produced by momentary

stoppage of the air passage at some point, e.g. Russ b and p (labial plosives), d and t (dental plosives), g and k (velar plosives); also sometimes called an ‘occlusive’(смы´чный) or a ‘stop’.

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Glossary of linguistic terms

predicate(скaзуéмоe): word or group of words which says sth about the subject, e.g. I am studying languages; Cats catch mice . A verb is generally the chief part of the predicate.

predicative adjective(прeдикaти´вноe прилaгa´тeльноe): adjective that forms part of the predicate, i.e. which is separated from the

noun it qualifies by some part of the verb to be or, in Russian, by part of the verb to be that is understood, e.g. The book was

interesting , Кни´гa былa´ интeрe´снa.

prefix(пристa´вкa): element added to the beginning of a word to modify its meaning, e.g. predetermine , приходи´ть (8.3–8.5).

preposition(прeдло´г): word that defines the relation of a noun or pronoun to some other word, e.g. The book is onthe table; I went

acrossthe road; A plane flew overthe houses (Chapter 10).

prepositional case(прeдло´жный пaдe´ж): case used after certain prepositions when they have certain meanings (9.1.2, 9.1.5, 9.1.8,

10.1.6, 10.3.5, 11.1.11); see also locative case.

present perfect continuous: the tense which in English indicates that an action begun in the past is still continuing, e.g. I have been

livinghere for three years . In Russian this tense must be rendered by an imperfective verb in the present tense (11.6).

pretonic syllable(прeдудa´рный слог): the syllable before the stress, e.g. Mосквa´.

pronoun(мeстоимe´ниe): word used instead of a noun, e.g. he, she

(9.2, 11.2).

prosthetic(also prothetic; протeти´чeский): sound inserted at the beginning of a word for ease of pronunciation, e.g. the sound n in нa нeго´ (9.2).

proverb(посло´вицa): short familiar sentence expressing a

supposed truth or moral lesson, e.g. Every cloud has a silver lining

(5.8).

register(стиль): a variety of language determined by such factors as medium, subject-matter, purpose and situation (1.2–1.4, 1.6).

relative pronoun(относи´тeльноe мeстоимe´ниe): a word which

introduces a subordinate clause describing a preceding noun or

pronoun (the antecedent), e.g. Eng who , which , Russ кото´рый, e.g.

The man whosells newspapers; The table whichI bought yesterday

(11.2.1).

reported speech: see indirect speech.

root(ко´рeнь): the base of a word which bears its fundamental meaning, e.g. стол in сто´лик, столо´вaя, нa сто´льный, etc.

secondary stress(второстeпe´нноe удaрe´ниe): in long words,

especially compound words, a syllable other than the main stressed

syllable which may also need to be pronounced with additional

force. Secondary stress is marked in this book by a grave accent, e.g.

цeрк о`внослaвя´нский.

semantic(сeмaнти´чeский): relating to meaning.

sentence(прeдложe´ниe): minimum complete utterance, e.g. I told

him; Come back!

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Glossary of linguistic terms

short form(of adjective; крa´ткaя фо´рмa): the truncated masculine, feminine, neuter and plural forms, e.g. нов, новa´, но´во, но´вы, which in modern Russian are indeclinable and which may only be

used predicatively (9.3.2, 11.3); see also predicative adjective.

simile(срaвнe´ниe): rhetorical likening of a thing to sth else, e.g. drunk

as a lord, like a bolt from the blue (5.9).

Slavonicism(слaвяни´зм): a form of Old Church Slavonic(q.v.) origin. Many Slavonicisms exist in Russian alongside East Slav

forms. They are characterised by (a) certain phonetic features,

notably (with the Slavonicism first in each pair): п рaх/п о´рох, м лa´дший/м олодо´й, с рeдa´/с eрeди´нa, рaстe´ниe/ рост, лaдья´/ ло´дкa, грa ждaни´н/горо жa´нин, но чь/всe´но щнaя, eди´ный/ оди´н, юро´дивый/ уро´д); (b) certain prefixes, e.g. избрa´ть (cf. вы´брaть), низвeргa´ть, чрeзмe´рный (cf. чe´рeз), прeдви´дeть (cf. пe´рeд), прeступлe´ниe (cf. пeрeступa´ть); (с) certain suffixes, e.g. пe´рв eнeц, сочу´в ствиe, жи знь, моли´ твa, свят ы´ня, твор e´ниe, гор я´щий(cf.