Nominalization and pronominal constructions in Russian

About the author:

Galina I. Kustova, Dr. Sci. (Philol.), Chief Researcher, Vinogradov Russian Language Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RLI RAS), Moscow, Russia galinak03@gmail.com; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9404-081X

Abstract:

This paper presents a study on nominalized adjectives and participles denoting a person. It distinguishes between occasional nominalizations, usual nominalizations (chuzhoi ‘alien’, postoronnii ‘outsider’, mestnyi ‘local’, prisutstvuyushchii ‘present’, zhelayushchii ‘willing’, otdykhayushchii ‘resting’) , and dictionary nominalizations (veruyushchii ‘believer’, voennyi ‘military’, podchinennyi ‘subordinate’, sluzhashchii ‘employee’). The paper discusses the specific usage of adjectives and participles from the usual group in constructions with the pronouns nikto ‘nobody’, kto-to ‘someone’, kto-nibud’ ‘anyone’: kto-to neznakomyi ‘someone unfamiliar’. Additionally, it examines the variability of number forms, for example nikogo znakomogo — nikogo znakomykh (no one familiar sg. — no one familiar pl.). The article is based on a paper presented at the 7th International Research Symposium “Russian Grammar: Constants, Contexts, Perspectives” (October 10–14, 2023, Tyumen).

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