INEXACT REDUPLICATION IN RUSSIAN FOLKLORE Philip Minlos University of Moscow First of all I need to clarify some notions that underlie the proposed analysis. The core type of reduplicative words is one in which one element is an attested lexical item (motivating morphosyntactic base), and another element is a copy (reduplicant). We will term such words derived reduplicatives. Reduplicative words, in which neither part is an existing lexical stem, will be referred to as underived reduplicatives. Using the notions ‘base’/ ‘reduplicant’ for such forms is only conventional. Cases, where both parts are real stems, are false reduplicatives. This classification is based on some assumption concerning what lexical items exist and what do not. A part of reduplicative, looked upon as a meaningless copy, may have been an independent word at some moment in some subcode. The base-reduplicant correspondence can be unfaithful. If the constraints mitigating perfection of copying are prosodic, the reduplication is partial (the opposite to total). If the base and the reduplicant differ segmentally, the reduplication is inexact (the opposite to exact). This talk only deals with one variety of inexact reduplicatives, namely ‘rhyme reduplication’ – reduplicatives with a change in the initial consonant of the reduplicant (vs. ‘ablaut reduplication’, i.e. with a change in the vowel). To make the subject more precise, I’ll present some background information on productive reduplication in conversational Russian. Russian employs rightward inexact rhyme reduplication (usually total) to express semantics of representative plural and contempt, as a wide array of Eastern languages does. Two such derivational patterns are borrowings: with fixed initial consonant [m-] (kofe-mofe ‘coffee and the like’) from Turk languages, with fixed initial cluster [shm-] (tantsy-shmantsy ‘dance and so on’) from Yiddish. Another pattern is Russian by origin and builds copy with Russian obsolete roots, not with a phoneme or a sequence of phonemes (avtobus- xujobus / abtobus-figobus: avtobus ‘bus’, xuj ‘penis’, [fig-] a root used instead of xuj (euphemism)). These patterns spread in Russian during last hundred years.They will not be addressed further. We will focus on instances of inexact reduplication that can not be classified into the above types. They lack clear meaning and perhaps are older. Most of material can be found in folklore texts. Rightward reduplication (m-) Shurin-murin (cf. shurin ‘brother-in-law’) – part of refrain in traditional round dance sing. Gusli-musli (cf. gusli ‘gusli’) – in traditional song (as a result of a reinterpretation emerged a pair word gusli-mysli, cf. mysli ‘thoughts’). Koz’ol- maz’ol (cf. koz’ol ‘goat’) – a term in childish game “kl’ushki” (small pit where a player stands). Kostr’uk Mastr’uk (cf. kostr’uk ‘sturgeon’) – hero of historical song, sometimes called Kostr’uk, sometimes Mastr’uk, sometimes Kostr’uk Mastr’uk. 1 Leftward reduplication (sh-) Shugi-lugi (cf. lugi ‘meadows’) – from a Russian song; Shen’-pen’ (cf. pen’ ‘stump’), shejna-vojna (cf. vojna ‘war’) – from Byelorussian proverbs. Ukranian shur’a-bur’a, Byelorussian shura-bura (cf. bur’a/bura ‘storm’) – from a nursery rhyme about gnat. Shaxnul, maxnul (cf. maxnul ‘[he] waved’) – from Christmas carol, “kol’adka”. Leftward reduplication is choosen when the initial consonant of the base is labial (or sonorant, as in lugi). Let us examine underived total inexact rhyme reduplication in childish rhymes, such as koldysh-moldysh, taty-baty, anzy-banzy, namely, the occurence of initial consonants in the first and in the second part of reduplicatives. The analyzes data is from collection of childish rhymes of G. S. Vinogradov. The second half: m - 68; b - 50; v - 20; br - 15; j - 14; l - 12; r - 8; p - 5; n, z - 3; dr- 2; t, d, f, sn - 1. The first half: ch – 40; s - 36; k - 25; t –23; s - 18; c – 9; j - 8; tr, d - 4; r, s’s’, p, kv, v - 2, sr, t, l, n, m, f - 1. The main driving force in the arrangement of elements in reduplicative word-formation under discussion is not morphological, but phonological. The phonological template requires specific phonological properties parts of rhyming compound should have, regardless of its derivational structure. That is, it determines presence of sonorant and/or labial in the initial of the second element, alternating with coronal or glottal in the first half of the reduplicative. The form of motivated reduplication can not be independent of the base. But direction of reduplication and the form of the copy can vary according to the phonetic of the initial. Put differently, depending on their phonetic properties real lexical stems can be positioned either in the left, or in the right slot. 2 .