The Semantic Organization of the Serbo-Croatian Verb
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Slavistische Beiträge ∙ Band 214 (eBook - Digi20-Retro) Radmila J. Gorup The Semantic Organization of the Serbo-Croatian Verb Verlag Otto Sagner München ∙ Berlin ∙ Washington D.C. Digitalisiert im Rahmen der Kooperation mit dem DFG-Projekt „Digi20“ der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek, München. OCR-Bearbeitung und Erstellung des eBooks durch den Verlag Otto Sagner: http://verlag.kubon-sagner.de © bei Verlag Otto Sagner. Eine Verwertung oder Weitergabe der Texte und Abbildungen, insbesondere durch Vervielfältigung, ist ohne vorherige schriftliche Genehmigung des Verlages unzulässig. «Verlag Otto Sagner» ist ein Imprint der Kubon & Sagner GmbHRadmila. J. Gorup - 9783954792269 Downloaded from PubFactory at 01/10/2019 04:17:57AM via free access S l a v i s t i c h e B e it r ä g e BEGRÜNDET VON ALOIS SCHMAUS HERAUSGEGEBEN VON HEINRICH KUNSTMANN PETER REHDER • JOSEF SCHRENK REDAKTION PETER REHDER Band 214 VERLAG OTTO SAGNER MÜNCHEN Radmila J. Gorup - 9783954792269 Downloaded from PubFactory at 01/10/2019 04:17:57AM via free access 00050459 RADMILA JOVANOVIC GORUP THE SEMANTIC ORGANIZATION OF THE SERBOCROATIAN VERB VERLAG OTTO SAGNER • MÜNCHEN 1987 Radmila J. Gorup - 9783954792269 Downloaded from PubFactory at 01/10/2019 04:17:57AM via free access f Sayertoan« ' etaatsblbllofbM ( K l Û псп en ISBN 3-87690-382-3 © Verlag Otto Sagner, München 1987 Abteilung der Firma Kubon & Sagner, München Radmila J. Gorup - 9783954792269 Downloaded from PubFactory at 01/10/2019 04:17:57AM via free access 000Б0459 FOREWORD This work presents a re-analysis of a major segment of the para- dlgm of the Serbo-Croatiam verb. It concentrates chiefly on the perfective and imperfective morphology, but treats this classic problem in Slavic scholarship from a поп-aspectual point of view. The theoretical position presented here is based on an approach to the analysis of language developed by Professor William Diver and his students at Columbia University. In it the objective of an analysis is to come to an understanding of the utilization of the morphology by demonstrating that the morphological forms are signals of meanings that are being used deliberately for the com- munication of a message; thus the usage is not dictated by obedi- enee to arbitrary syntactic rules. The present work presents both an explanation of the use of ver- bal morphology in Serbo-Croatian and an exemplification of the theoretical approach. The analysis has grown out of many years of research, most of which benefited from discussion in seminars at Columbia Univer- sity between 1978 and 1984. I wish to thank Professor William Diver for his generous assis- tance, without which the research presented here could hardly have been accomplished. 1 am also indebted to all the friends and colleagues at Columbia University who have been instrumental in making this work a reality. For errors and inadequacies I am alone responsible. My husband Ivan and my sons John and Sasha I thank for their sup- port and encouragement. September 1987 Radmila Javonovic Gorup University of California at Berkeley Radmila J. Gorup - 9783954792269 Downloaded from PubFactory at 01/10/2019 04:17:57AM via free access 'frf. v ^ ' P 'Í 1ił Ile L2II ; ־ ■ Л . = » и Ä י*:ף № », ״% ־ ! ï f à • •v- .1- Л _ й T J ־״•־^. ГОК !UiV. Ю І # -1Ц І £ * у в iTwl I ?«р* ? I* A í ’f n Л 17« À'• s r 4 > * Ç '* i г ■ ■ « ī ī ^ !11 lOÄfTT ■יі - .-4.־тг.ЧѴк4 ־ ■ ■ ■fT. ■fT. ■ 1 : № : > ■ / f à *;4 ־ ־ : ־*y few rt* ►1Î *♦івгГмЧііѵ״àffíf» יr \ /Jו ätf r Л*־ -יא■ . j ■ :-־c r ^ *V ? гTV׳ -־tå* •־V " г = <־ A Г - 1 I Д И к Д Й Д ж ІьЛіСИІ^.іХІІІ Г* 1и ־.י ЛГ. I ״ 1 Я.. A ׳»— • К >І י r . י J ► -w 9 ■Й Л л1־ н ! ^ * І і г е т •г\-1 > < ■ . Й _____Д 1 * !#.■־ &» י■ f ־ ß 9 - T F • Л 'JX J т г ׳ ^AJ ;v ״ f t I ,״ .Lf. I ׳ < « י Г S p 4 ł' k • » f t IJ ^ C L 1 IV ־■ ־־_׳ж É 1 к וו ו וו УЛ I ♦ג: r? t t»J .« « ו Г ״I і־ Е\М ' Л PC 1*V I 1^SVf..Asà Ц 1=4? » U f L-/J i* A. •;Ж П! , •־ г *I I I Radmila J. Gorup - 9783954792269 Downloaded from PubFactory at 01/10/2019 04:17:57AM via free access ' 1 * ץ •s e w * ļ ^ í . и . 00050459 VII TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter I The Problen of Verbal Aspect in Serbo-Croatian ! A. Introduction 1 B. Brief.History of the Problen 3 C. Previous Analyses of Serbo-Croatian Verbal Aspect 15 Chapter II The Hypothesis 36 Chapter III Signals and Meanings o f the Syster, of Tine 40 Chapter IV Signals and Meanings of the Systen of Focus 57 A. The Fornal Expression of Focus 57 B. The Meanings of the Systen of Focus 73 Chapter V Qualitative Validation of the Before Phase of the Tine-Focus Interlock 84 A. Introduction 84 B. Material Supporting the Narrative 90 1. Descriptions 91 Radmila J. Gorup - 9783954792269 Downloaded from PubFactory at 01/10/2019 04:17:57AM via free access Vili ו 0 ד Descriptions of Incidental Events .2 12 ו C. The Beginning of the Narrative D. The Skeleton of the Narrative 124 E. Upgrade in Focus 138 F. Downgrade in Focus 157 G. Departure fron the Main Narrative Line 172 H. Departure fron the Main Narrative Line Carried forward by MOST IN FOCUS BEFORE 191 J. Conclusion 202 K. E x p lo ita tio n o f LEAST IN FOCUS BEFORE 206 Chapter VI Qualitative Validation of the Meanings HIGH FOCUS NOW and LOW FOCUS NOW 218 A. The Meanings HIGH FOCUS NOW and LOW FOCUS NOW in Past Narrative 219 1. The Use of HIGH FOCUS NOW for Highlighted Details 255 2. Exploitation of HIGH FOCUS NOW for Typical Occurrences 260 B. The Exploitation of NOW Meanings in Non-past Environments 277 1. HIGH FOCUS NOW and LOW FOCUS NOW Following the Conjunctions Sin 1as soon as', poSto ,after1, kad(a) ,when1 and dok ,u n t i l 1 278 2. The Meanings HIGH FOCUS NOW and LOW FOCUS NOW after the Conjunctions da , that* and ako ’ i f 1 302 3. The Use of the Focus Meanings in Questions ЗЮ 4. The Exploitation of the Focus Distinction in the NOW Phase of the Radmila J. Gorup - 9783954792269 Downloaded from PubFactory at 01/10/2019 04:17:57AM via free access 00050459 IX Interlock for the Individual Non-past Events 320 Chapter VII Quantitative Validation 328 A. Introduction 328 1. S ta tis tic a l Counts 329 B. Quantitative Validation of the BEFORE Phase of the Time-Focus Interlock 1. Hunan Subjects vs. Non-human Subjects 334 « 2. Central Character vs. Other Characters 339 3 . Central Character vs. Other Characters vs. Things 3^2 4. F irs t Person vs. Second Person vs. Third Person 344 5 Singular Subjects vs. Plural Subjects 349 6. Hunan Subjects Overtly Mentioned 352 7 . P a rticip a n t Roles and th e ir Co-occurrence with focus Morphology 355 8• One-participant Reflexive Clause vs. O ne-participant Clause 358 9. Affirnation and Negation 362 10. Independent Clauses vs. Relative Clauses 365 11. Conclusion 367 C. Qualitative Validation of the Meanings HIGH FOCUS NOW and LOW FOCUS NOW 377 Appendix A: A ktionsart 384 Appendix B: BEFORE Meanings in Non-past Environnents 410 1. MOST IN FOCUS and MORE IN FOCUS BEFORE in Non-before Environnents 410 Radmila J. Gorup - 9783954792269 Downloaded from PubFactory at 01/10/2019 04:17:57AM via free access 00050459 X 2. LEAST IN FOCUS BEFORE in Non-before Env ironnents 414 Conclusion 419 Bibiiography 436 Radmila J. Gorup - 9783954792269 Downloaded from PubFactory at 01/10/2019 04:17:57AM via free access 00050459 1 CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM OF VERBAL ASPECT IN SERBO-CROATIAN A. Introduction There exists a widely held opinion that linguistic phenomena as an object of study are very different from any other such object, and specifically from any other instance of human behavior; that is, characteristics of language cannot be explained on the basis of anything that is known about other human activities. To those who hold such a position the task of linguistics is necessarily reduced to the description of the observable phenomena, since explanation of language as a particular instance of known traits of human behavior is not possible. The grammatical analysis we are presenting in this dissertation differs radically from this position. It is based on the unquestionable fact that humans communicate Radmila J. Gorup - 9783954792269 Downloaded from PubFactory at 01/10/2019 04:17:57AM via free access 00050459 2 through the medium of language and on other known characteristics of human behavior. For us language is a device of communication, a system of meaningful signs by which humans transmit messages. In this we follow Saussure's essential idea that the structure of language is motivated by its use as an instrument of communication and we explicitly deny that the structure of language is parallel to the structure of rational thought. The basic theoretical units of this grammar are grammatical signs, consisting of signals and their meanings, and not sentences, parts o f speech or anything that has been generally studied under the name of syntax. Investigation of the grammatical analysis presented here demonstrates that the motivation for the distribution of signals in the exploitation of the language is the meaning of these signals and not a group of arbitrary syntactic rules. For more information on the theoretical basis of th is p o sitio n see Diver 1969, Reid 1974, Garcia 1975, Contini-Morava 1982, etc.