Lexico-grammatical peculiarities of expressing indefinite semantic subject in russian and english

Aleksandr M. Chervony; Julia M. Demonova; Evguenia A. Murashova

doi:10.34069/AI/2021.45.09.30

Aleksandr M. Chervony Rostov State University of Economics, Russian. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4587-0195
Julia M. Demonova Rostov State University of Economics, Russian. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4871-0146
Evguenia A. Murashova Rostov State University of Economics, Russian. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6018-955X

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2021.45.09.30

Keywords: semantic subject, formal implicitness, symmetry, asymmetry, syntactical construction, comparative analysis.

Abstract

The aim of the study is to investigate the means of representation of the indefinitely expressed subject in Russian and English for the purpose of structuring and classifying the linguistic means of its expression. As the basis for investigation we chose the fictional text of the novel by M. A. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita” and its parallel translation to English. In the paper we used the method of semantic analysis, contextual component analysis, comparative analysis and the method of linguistic modelling. The scientific novelty of the study consists in the results of the comparative analysis which show that there exist symmetrical and asymmetrical forms of expressing formally indefinite semantic subject. Symmetrical means of implicit expressing semantic subject is mostly nominalization. Generalized subject can be expressed either symmetrically or asymmetrically by various syntactic constructions in Russian and English. Asymmetrical means of expressing semantic subject can be traced in the syntactic constructions of different kind which are represented by binary oppositions. As a result of the research it has been found that the preferred ways of expressing indefinite semantic subject in Russian are indefinite pronouns; in English – passive constructions.

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Author Biographies

Aleksandr M. Chervony, Rostov State University of Economics, Russian.

Dr. Taganrog Institute named after A.P. Chekov (a branch of) Rostov State University of Economics, Russian.

Julia M. Demonova, Rostov State University of Economics, Russian.

Ph.D. Taganrog Institute named after A.P. Chekov (a branch of) Rostov State University of Economics, Russian.

Evguenia A. Murashova, Rostov State University of Economics, Russian.

Taganrog Institute named after A.P. Chekov (a branch of) Rostov State University of Economics, Russian.

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Sources of examples

Bulgakov M.A. The Master and Margarita (1967): A Novel. LitMir, 416 p. https://www.litmir.me/br/?b=256&p=1

Bulgakov М. (1967). The Master and Margarita. Translated and with Notes by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Penguin Books. Available at: https://www.bookfrom.net/mikhail-bulgakov/33685-the_master_and_margarita.html