Article

Name: Constructions with recognizing-purposive semantics in Tuvan language

Authors: L. A. Shamina

Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

In the section Linguistics

Abstract: Among grammatical phenomena discovered during the research of analytical constructions (AC) of Tuvan predicates, a set of recognizing-purposive constructions was found. The paper analyses the AC forming the bipredicative constructions (BPC) in Tuvan language which possess the meaning of ‘to see/to learn whether the P situation is indeed taking place’. The most typical contexts for the verificative AC are the purposive BPC. The subject performs the main actions in order to learn whether the secondary action is real. The system of marking the purposive meanings in Tuvan language is rich and multilayered. It consists of morphological (mood), lexical-syntactic (lexeme-particles ‘means, reason’) and syntactic (case marking) elements. One can easily see the various levels of markers, each possessing its semantics (categories of authorization, epistemic and deontic modality). The verificative gravitates towards the zone of irrealis (imperative, future tense, infinitive), that may be explained through the semantics of verification: what must be verified may be not entirely real from the speaker’s point of view. The verificative demonstrates a relation to the indirect question construction (conditional, interrogative particle). In the texts analysed, as well as in survey materials, we observe the rather frequent use of the affix =ывыт in irrealis. We distinguish two semantic types of constructions: the imperative ones and the verificative ones. The purposive meaning is complicated by a subjective-evaluating element: such constructions denote the subject’s readiness to try their hardest to achieve something (if only) or to stave something off. The situation presented in the main part is qualified as an extreme way of achieving the goal. Semantically and syntactically, the verificative AC in the Tuvan language is a biverbal combination of the main verb (the first component) in the accusative and the second verb with the meaning of ‘to check, to find out’. The pronouns replacing the verbs and the desiderative with =кса filling their particular slots in the zone of irrealis are among the components of the analysed verificative AC.

Keywords: infinitive, verificative, purposive meaning, irrealis, desiderative, tuvan language

Bibliography:

Grammatika khakasskogo yazyka [Khakass grammar]. Moscow, 1975.

Katanov N. F. Opyt issledovaniya uryankhaiskogo yazyka s ukazaniem glavneishikh rodstvennykh otnoshenii ego k drugim yazykam tyurkskogo kornya [A study of Uriankhai language with a list of its main genetic relations with other Turkic languages]. Kazan, 1903.

Maslov Yu. S. Vvedenie v yazykoznanie [Introduction to general linguistics]. Moscow, 1987, 272 p.

Nadelyaev V. M. Sovremennyi mongol’skii yazyk [Modern Mongolian language]. Novosibirsk, 1988, 113 p.

Oyun (Bavuu-Syuryun) M. V. Pridatochnye opredelitel’nye predlozheniya, vvodimye sluzhebnymi slovami деп, дээр, дээн v tuvinskom yazyke [Attributive subordinate clauses with деп, дээр, дээн in Tuvan language]. In: Tyurkskie yazyki Sibiri [Siberian Turkic languages]. Novosibirsk, 1983, p. 46–55.

Rassadin V. I. Morfologiya tofalarskogo yazyka [Tofalar morphology]. Moscow, 1978.

Shamina L. A. Iz’yasnitel’nye konstruktsii so skrepoi деп v tuvinskom yazyke [Complement clauses with деп in Tuvan language]. In: Predlozhenie v yazykakh Sibiri [Sentence in Siberian languages]. Novosibirsk, 1989, p. 131–141.

Shvedova N. Yu. (Ed.). Russkaya grammatika [Russian grammar]. Moscow, 1980.