The quasi-copula oməs- in the Synya dialect of the Khanty language
English
journal number:
Journal’s Subject Headings:
Philology
About author:
М. Sipos Hungarian Research Center for Linguistics, Budapest, Hungary, [email protected]
S. Onina Jugra State University, Khanty-Mansijsk, Russian Federation, [email protected]
S. Onina Jugra State University, Khanty-Mansijsk, Russian Federation, [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Introduction: in spite of the universal physical experience regarding the basic postures sitting, standing and lying, languages do not exploit the possibilities related to the verbs expressing these three postures. Semantic changes resulting in secondary and tertiary meanings, figurative uses, grammaticalizational processes are all influenced by language-internal and language-external factors. This is why it is important to describe the quasi-copula use of languages belonging to various language families, areas, and cultural regions.
Objective: to identify the specific features of the use of the quasi-copula use in the Synya dialect of the Khanty language.
Research materials: the linguistic material used in this article is represented by the units extracted from a multimedia corpus of field research collected among the Synya Khanty people.
Results and novelty of the research: the study reveals multiple patterns of use of the quasi-copula oməs- ʻsit’. It can be used with objects of different sizes. A marked horizontal expansion of usage is expressed with the quasi-copula ŏl- ʻlieʼ. The position of the background compared to eye level and the ratio of height to width are of little importance. As for big objects, such as furniture, the presence of a leg (table, chair, stand) does not preclude the choice of the unit oməs- ʻsit’. Positions in which the Figure cannot perform its function (e.g. container turned on its side) cannot be expressed with oməs- ʻsit’, they require ŏl- ʻlie’. The use of oməs- ʻsit’ is tied to a person’s area of activity. The use of oməs- ʻsitʼ in reference to vehicles implies a position without movement, in contrast to the use of loj- ʻstandʼ, which expresses a temporary halt and contrasts with movement.
Key words: posture verbs, quasi-copula, locative sentence, Khanty language, Synya dialect
Acknowledgements: the research is carried out with the financial support of the RFBR within the framework of the scientific project No. 21-512-23006\22 “Ways of expressing spatial relations on the material of the Russian and Ugric languages”.
For citation: Sipos M., Onina S. The quasi-copula oməs- in the Synya dialect of the Khanty language // Vestnik ugrovedenia = Bulletin of Ugric Studies. 2022; 12 (4/51): 743–754.
Introduction: in spite of the universal physical experience regarding the basic postures sitting, standing and lying, languages do not exploit the possibilities related to the verbs expressing these three postures. Semantic changes resulting in secondary and tertiary meanings, figurative uses, grammaticalizational processes are all influenced by language-internal and language-external factors. This is why it is important to describe the quasi-copula use of languages belonging to various language families, areas, and cultural regions.
Objective: to identify the specific features of the use of the quasi-copula use in the Synya dialect of the Khanty language.
Research materials: the linguistic material used in this article is represented by the units extracted from a multimedia corpus of field research collected among the Synya Khanty people.
Results and novelty of the research: the study reveals multiple patterns of use of the quasi-copula oməs- ʻsit’. It can be used with objects of different sizes. A marked horizontal expansion of usage is expressed with the quasi-copula ŏl- ʻlieʼ. The position of the background compared to eye level and the ratio of height to width are of little importance. As for big objects, such as furniture, the presence of a leg (table, chair, stand) does not preclude the choice of the unit oməs- ʻsit’. Positions in which the Figure cannot perform its function (e.g. container turned on its side) cannot be expressed with oməs- ʻsit’, they require ŏl- ʻlie’. The use of oməs- ʻsit’ is tied to a person’s area of activity. The use of oməs- ʻsitʼ in reference to vehicles implies a position without movement, in contrast to the use of loj- ʻstandʼ, which expresses a temporary halt and contrasts with movement.
Key words: posture verbs, quasi-copula, locative sentence, Khanty language, Synya dialect
Acknowledgements: the research is carried out with the financial support of the RFBR within the framework of the scientific project No. 21-512-23006\22 “Ways of expressing spatial relations on the material of the Russian and Ugric languages”.
For citation: Sipos M., Onina S. The quasi-copula oməs- in the Synya dialect of the Khanty language // Vestnik ugrovedenia = Bulletin of Ugric Studies. 2022; 12 (4/51): 743–754.
