Сonnected forms of the plural genetive case as new grammemas of nouns inflection paradigms

Abstract

There has been indicated a current development of morphological paradigmatics. The objective of this sphere of the modern Ukrainian language is studying the system of word formation of inflexional parts of speech; classification of kinds, types and models of word inflection; distinguishing, typology and characteristics of relevant factors which determine the repertoire of elementary paradigmatic classes of variable lexemes. In our different research we have distinguished from 14 to 33 differential criteria which are important, in particular, for declining nouns.

Notwithstanding a considerable number of research of noun declination in the modern Ukrainian language, in the field of declination of this lexica grammatical class there are lacunas, which are not investigated enough. The processes of unification and changes in the midst of noun paradigms have a tendency to be implemented. “The Grammar Dictionary of the Literary Ukrainian language. Word Declination” (2011) introduces word forms of the so called limited number as substantive models. The category of this number marks the grammemas of three cases: nominative, genitive and accusative. Moreover, the authors of the dictionary consider the word forms mentioned above are homonymous to the plural forms of the nominative and genitive cases.

We consider that this list is to be supplemented with the forms of the vocative, which are identical to the nominative and accusative forms. In our research we use the term “connected forms”, which function resulting from the act of syntagmatic factor, in particular in collocation with numerals два (дві), обидва (обидві), три, чотири and composite numeral forms with ending components два (дві), три, чотири. For example (connected form of the nominative–genitive–vocative goes first and they formally coincide, next goes a free form of the mentioned cases): два га́ї – гаї́, дві ха́ти – хати́, обидва весла́ – ве́сла, обидві межі́ – ме́жі, три сло́ва – слова́, чотири ма́тері – матері́, п’ятдесят два я́струби – яструби́, сто сорок три стебла́ – сте́бла. Connected word forms are opposed to the free ones, traditional. Possibly, the first one are to be distinguished only when they are not homonymous to the commonly used ones.

Connected plural forms of the nominative, accusative and vocative are formed mainly form the lexemes of the first and second declination, from two nouns of the third declination (ма́ти, ро́зкіш), from four nouns of the forth (ім’я́, пле́м’я, ви́м’я, ті́м’я). Accentual factor is important as connected forms of the nominative, accusative and vocative cases have substantives with a different stress in the singular and in the plural.

The stress in such specific word forms is equivalent to the stress of the singular genitive forms: connected form of the nominative–accusative–vocative cases три строфи́ – the form of the singular genitive form строфи́. Eventually the mentioned forms coincide with the singular genitive word forms, for example (the connected form of the nominative–accusative–vocative cases goes first, the next – the free form of the nominative–accusative–vocative cases, the third – the singular genitive form): два дру́га – дру́зі – дру́га, три люди́ни – лю́ди – люди́ни, чотири прихожа́нина – прихожа́ни – прихожа́нина, обидва чу́да – чудеса́ й чу́да – чу́да, двадцять три пле́мені або пле́м’я – племена́ – пле́мені або пле́м’я, чотири дя́дька – дядьки́ – дя́дька, два ба́течка – ба́течки – ба́течка, обидва дріма́йла – дріма́йли – дріма́йла, три любка́ – любки́ – любка́, обидва хору́нженка – хору́нженки – хору́нженка, сорок три ле́мка – ле́мки – ле́мка, двадцять два хвалька́ – хвальки́ – хвалька́, чотири брату́ня – брату́ні – брату́ня, чотири тату́ся – тату́сі – тату́ся, два ку́мця – ку́мці – ку́мця etc. Most scholars consider the enumerated forms influenced by the archaic forms of the ambivalence.

Special attention should be paid to the connected forms of the plural genitive forms, which contrary to the mentioned above connected forms of the nominative, accusative and vocative, have not been recorded within paradigms of inflexional nouns.

Connected, or syntagmatic, meaning in genitive forms is characteristic mainly to the nouns of the first declension, less often to the second with different stress in the singular and plural in collocation with numerals five and more. Connected forms of the genitive case correlate with free ones, for example: сто пта́шок (free form of the plural genitive – пташо́к), п’я́ть зі́рок (free form of the genitive plural – зіро́к), дев’ять ка́зок (free form of the genitive plural – казо́к), вісім пи́санок (free form of the genitive plural – писано́к), дванадцять мі́сяців (free form of the genitive plural – місяці́в), тисячу ро́ків (free form of the genitive plural – рокі́в), вісімнадцять фу́нтів (free form of the genitive plural – фунті́в), тридцять бу́слів (free form of the genitive plural – буслі́в) an others.

The supplementary factor for the connected genitive forms appearance is the influence of the ending suffix or the stem finale. Usually the movable stress in singular and plural subparadigms are characteristic to the feminine nouns of the first declination with such suffixes after the formative vowel phoneme: -к- (ті́тка – тіто́к, клі́тка – кліто́к, ча́шка – чашо́к), -очк- (-ечк-) (я́мочка – ямочо́к, бляша́ночка – бляшаночо́к, кві́точка – квіточо́к, поду́шечка – подушечо́к, га́єчка – гаєчо́к, та́чечка – тачечо́к), спорадично -оньк- (-еньк-) (сли́вонька – сливоньо́к, сопі́лонька – сопілоньо́к, сві́ченька – свіченьо́к, рі́ченька – річеньо́к). Moreover, different stress of singular and plural forms is characteristic to some nouns without suffixes with the finale “vowel phoneme + к” (до́шка – дощо́к, щі́тка – щіто́к, ки́шка – кишо́к, галу́шка – галушо́к).

We have also indicated some cases, when the presence or absence of movable stress in homonymous substantives in the singular and plural depends on the meaning of the word. We have also recorded sporadic influence of the prefixoid on the use of the fixed stress: connected form of the plural genitive тридцять ка́рток – free form of the plural genitive карто́к, but фотока́ртка – фотока́рток (fixed stress). If a double accentuation is found in the genitive plural, the stress in the connected genitive form coincides with the stress of the singular genitive: сва́шка – free form of the plural genitive сва́шо́к – connected form of the plural genitive ten сва́шок.

Thus, the appearance of the connected word forms of the genitive case plural is mainly cause by syntagmatic, accentual, word forming and semantic factors.