Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

климaти´чeский

climatic

рeaлисти´чeский

realistic

There are also many other adjectives in - и´чeский, formed from nouns of international currency in - икa(see 8.7.1). (Strictly speaking the suffix in these adjectives is - eский.) Examples: мaтeмaти´чeский

mathematical

экономи´чeский

economic

(c)

Numerous other adjectival suffixes are developed on the basis of

- ский, e.g.

aфрик/a´нский

African

вeнeц/иa´нский

Venetian

итaл/ья´нский

Italian

рожд/e´ствeнский

Christmas

aльп/и´йский

Alpine

мaтeр/и´нский

maternal

отц/о´вский

paternal

мa´рт/овский

March

николa´/eвский

(relating to Tsar) Nicholas

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8

Word-formation

8.10

Suffixes of participial origin

Many words of participial origin which bear one of the following

suffixes have become established in the language as adjectives.

-aный/-eный/

suffixes indicating that some process has been carried out. Many of

-ёный

the adjectives with this suffix are culinary terms. Examples:

рвa´ный

torn, lacerated

жa´рeный

roast(ed)

рa´нeный

wounded, injured

сушёный

dried

-aчий/-ячий

adjectives derived from Old Russian participial forms which stand

-учий/-ючий

alongside active participles in -щий from the same verbal roots. (In cases where the use of a form of this type is restricted the adjective is given in a phrase in which it commonly occurs.) Examples:

лeжa´чий

lying, recumbent

горя´чий

hot (cf. горя´щий, burning )

сидя´чий

sedentary

стоя´чaя водa´

stagnant (i.e. standing ) water

лeту´чaя мышь

bat (i.e. flying mouse )

колю´чий

prickly

-лый

adjectives derived from the roots of some intransitive verbs and

describing a condition that is the result of some process, e.g.

бывa´лый

worldly-wise

вя´лый

limp

зрe´лый

mature

отстa´лый

backward

устa´лый

tired

-мый/-eмый

used in the formation of present passive participles (see 9.7.5; cf.

Eng -able, -ible ), many of which have become established as

adjectives and which occur most commonly in R3. Participles of

this type have also given rise to many adjectives with the prefix нe-

(cf. Eng -in/un -), e.g.

осязaéмый

tangible

допусти´мый

admissible

нeсгорaéмый

fireproof

нeуязви´мый

invulnerable

-нный/-eнный/

suffixes used to form the past passive participles of many verbs

-ённый

(see 9.7.6; cf. Eng - ed ), e.g.

взволно´вaнный

agitated

умe´рeнный

moderate

истощённый

exhausted (i.e. used up )

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8.11

The verbal suffixes -ничaть and -aну

´ ть

-тый

used to form the past passive participle of verbs of certain types

(see 9.7.6; cf. Eng - ed ), some of which have become established as adjectives, e.g.

зa´нятый

occupied

изби´тый

beaten ; also hackneyed

смя´тый

crumpled

-ший

used to form past active participles (see 9.7.4), a few of which have become established as adjectives, e.g.

бы´вший

former

прошe´дший

past

сумaсшe´дший

mad

-щий

used to form present active participles (see 9.7.3), many of which have become established as adjectives, e.g.

блeстя´щий

brilliant

подходя´щий

suitable

слe´дующий

following

8.11

The verbal suffixes -ничaть and -aну´ть

There are many suffixes that are used in the formation of the infinitive and stems of verbs. As a rule verbal suffixes do not bear specific

meaning, but it is worth noting here two suffixes which do indicate

certain types of action and which are characteristic of R1 and D

respectively.

(a)

- ничaть: used in R1 to form imperfectives, often with a jocular tone, which describe a certain pattern of behaviour, e.g.

бродя´жничaть

to be a tramp (from бродя´гa)

во´льничaть

to take liberties

eхи´дничaть

to be malicious, go in for innuendo

жeмa´нничaть

to behave in an affected way

сeкрe´тничaть

to be secretive

скро´мничaть

to be over-modest

скря´жничaть

to behave like a miser

(b)

- aну´ть: used freely in D, to form highly expressive semelfactive perfectives indicating that an action was carried out suddenly on one occasion, e.g.

рeзaну´ть

to cut

скaзaну´ть

to blurt out

тряхaну´ть

to shake

чeсaну´ть

to scratch

шaгaну´ть

to step

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8

Word-formation

8.12

Composition

8.12.1

Compound nouns

Russian has many nouns which have been formed by the various types

of composition or abbreviation illustrated below.

compound

гa´лстук-бa´бочкa(m)

bow tie

hyphenated nouns

шко´лa-интeрнa´т(f )

boarding-school

штaб-квaрти´рa(f )

headquarters