Sentences with uncoordinated attributes: their perception and understanding

This paper aims at describing a fragment of the “dynamic syntax” of the Russian language, namely the function of the adverb and the case form with a preposition in the structure of the utterance. They often function as uncoordinated attributes resulting from the word form passing from the sphere of direct verb submission to the noun phrase. Constructions of the type “ okno naprotiv” (window opposite something) are differently evaluated by linguists and provoke discussion. However, in terms of cognitive linguistics and psycholinguistics, it is more important that utterances appear with a syntactic homonymy - the possibility of a double (alternative) syntactic division. The general semantic interpretation of the utterance depends on the listener’s choice of one of the options. For example, the phrase “ On ne nashel brauninga v rukave ” (He did not find the browning in the sleeve) can be interpreted by establishing the connections “ ne nashel - v rukave ” (did not find - in the sleeve) or “ brauninga - v rukave ” (browning - in the sleeve). The author provides the actual examples from Russian fiction and journalism. The prerequisites affecting the perception and understanding of such patterns are investigated. It is shown that the choice of one of the variants of analysis is influenced by: a) common sense, that is, the cognitive and verbal experience of the listener, b) linguistic factors, including the rules of combinatorics, word order, etc. A connection is established between the internal structural transformations taking place in the speaker’s and the listener’s consciousness and general trends in the development of Russian syntax. Among these, consideration is given to the tendency to weaken syntactic relations, the activation of constructions based on lexical-semantic associations, centripetal and centrifugal tendencies in syntax, etc.

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