Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

dialects).

stress

r Tendency to more innovatory stress in the S dialects, e.g. movement of stress from prefix to stem in the past tense of certain verbs (о´тдaл →

отдa´л, gave back ); shift of stress from preposition to noun in certain phrases (нa´ бeрeг → нa бe´рeг, on to the bank ). The NE dialects are more conservative in stress. In the field of stress S practice has affected the evolution of the standard language more than N practice.

r

vocabulary

A dialect may have a word different from the standard word to denote a certain phenomenon or action, e.g. (standard forms in brackets):

бирю´к (волк, wolf ); some S dialects

бурa´к (свёклa, beetroot ); some S dialects

вёдро (хоро´шaя пого´дa, fine weather )

до´брe (хорошо´, well ); some S dialects

дю´жe (о´чeнь, very much, awfully ); also R1

ко´чeт (пeту´х, cock(erel )); some S dialects

мурa´шкa (мурaвe´й, ant ); some SW dialects

нaзём/позём (нaво´з, manure ); some N dialects

орa´ть (пaхa´ть, to plough ); some N and WC dialects

Regional words may be used in particular to denote age-old features of rural life such as paths, fences, outhouses, animal sheds, vegetables, parts of a plough or certain implements and utensils.

r A word which in the standard language or in some regions has one

meaning may in certain other regions have another meaning or an

additional meaning, e.g. жи´то ( corn ) may mean rye in SW dialects and barley in NW dialects; пaхa´ть ( to plough ) may in N dialects also mean to sweep ; пого´дa ( weather in the standard language) may mean bad weather in some N dialects and good weather in some S dialects.

r Special words may be used in particular dialects to denote phenomena, especially flora, fauna, topography, climate, clothing or architecture, which are peculiar to the region in question, e.g. лa´хтa, a bay or inlet in NW Russia; рёлкa, raised ground in swampy district, islet in river in Siberia; обe´дник, a type of sea wind; понёвa, a homespun skirt in S

Russia; хa´тa, a peasant hut in S Russia.

r

morphology

Treatment of many nouns in -o that in the standard language are

neuter, especially nouns with stress on the stem (e.g. дe´ло, сe´но, стa´до), as feminine, e.g. плохa´я дe´лa (плохоé дe´ло, a bad business ) (some S and C dialects). This phenomenon is a logical consequence of a´кaньe, since the unstressed final o is heard as a .

r Declension of the nouns мaть, mother , and дочь, daughter , that differs from the standard declension, e.g. nom sg мa´ти, aсс sg мa´тeрь (some 23

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Varieties of language and register

N dialects). In some W dialects the nouns мa´ткa and до´чкa replace

мaть and дочь respectively.

r Use of the flexion -e for the genitive singular of nouns in -a after prepositions, e.g. бeз роднe´ (бeз родни´, without relations ); от жeнe´ (от

жeны´, from [one’s] wife ); у сeстрe´ (у сeстры´, at [one’s] sister’s ).

r Occurrence of fewer nouns than in the standard language with

nominative plural form in -a´, e.g. глa´зы (глaзa´, eyes ); до´мы (домa´, houses ); лу´ги (лугa´, meadows ) (some N, W and SW dialects); or, conversely, of more nouns with this nominative plural form than in the standard language, e.g. дeрeвня´ (дeрe´вни, villages ); лошaдя´ (ло´шaди, horses ).

r Extension of the genitive plural ending -ов to neuter and even

feminine nouns, e.g. дeло´в (дeл), мeсто´в (мeст), бa´бов (бaб), я´годов

(я´год) (many S dialects).

r Various deviations from standard flexions in dative, instrumental and prepositional plural forms, such as: coincidence of dative and

instrumental plural forms, e.g. c рукa´м (с рукa´ми, with hands ), c нaм

(c нa´ми, with us ) (many N dialects); use of dative and prepositional forms of the type гостём, гостёх; лошaдём, лошaдёх (some S

dialects); use of instrumental plural endings such as -a´мы,-a´мa, e.g.

рукa´мы, рукa´мa (рукa´ми, hands ).

r Use of accusative/genitive pronominal forms мeнe´, тeбe´, сeбe´

(S dialects).

r Use of soft t in third-person-singular forms, e.g. id о´ t (идёт) (some S

and C dialects).

r Various paradigms of мочь, e.g. могу´, мо´гeшь, etc.; могу´, могёшь, etc.; мо´жу, мо´жeшь, etc. (some S dialects).

r Use of first-person-singular forms of second-conjugation verbs

without epenthetic л or consonant change, e.g. любю´ (люблю´), ходю´

(хожу´) (some S and SW dialects).

syntax

r Use of certain compound prepositions of the type по-нaд, по-под,

which are not found in the standard language (used with instrumental to indicate the site of action), e.g. по-под горо´й, under the hillside ; по-нaд рe´чкой, over the river (some N and S dialects).

r Use of certain prepositions with a case different from the case they govern in the standard language, e.g. во´злe, ми´мо, по´длe + acc (cf.

genitive in the standard language), e.g. во´злe рeку´ (во´злe рeки´, near the river ) (some N dialects).

r Use of c + gen in sense of out of (cf. из in the standard language), e.g.

вы´йти с ко´мнaты, to go out of the room ; приe´хaть с Mосквы´, to come from Moscow .

r Use of nominative rather than distinctive accusative (or accusative/

genitive) form of a noun which is the direct object of a transitive verb, 24

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Current debate about standard Russian

e.g. принeсти´ водa´ (принeсти´ во´ду, to bring water ); кaчa´ть рeбёнок

(кaчa´ть рeбёнкa, to rock a baby ) (some N dialects).

r Use of зa + acc after short comparative adjectives (cf. genitive in the standard language), e.g. Oн стa´ршe зa Ca´шу (Oн стa´ршe Ca´ши, He’s older than Sasha ) (some S dialects).

r Use of a pluperfect tense consisting of the past tense of быть + the past tense of the verb denoting the action in question, e.g. A в сeптябрe´

снeг был вы´сыпaл, a октя´брь был тёплый, Snow had fallen in

September, but October was warm (some N dialects).

r Predicative use of perfective gerunds, e.g. дe´рeво упa´вши, A tree is down ; Ka´шa пригорe´вши, The porridge is burnt (some NW dialects; note, however, that the form вы´пивши, drunk , is used in this way in the standard language).

r Various impersonal constructions involving the use of a short form of a past passive participle, e.g. Cвои´ми рукa´ми нaпи´лeно, I sawed it up with my own hands (lit with my own hands it has been sawn ); Mно´го бы´ло

рaбо´тaно, A lot of work has been done ; Cи´жeно бы´ло у мeня´, I’ve been sitting around/People have been sitting around at my place ; or use of a past passive participle that does not agree with the noun to which it relates, e.g. Oди´н солдa´т похоро´нeно здeсь, One soldier is buried here ; Mолоко´