The Classification of Event Structures in Russian

“The Classification of Event Structures in Russian” Laura A. Janda, UiT The Arctic University of Norway Russian grammar presents an elaborate system for the classification of event structures. The system is metaphorical in nature, motivated by parallels between the spatial dimensions of objects on the one hand, and the temporal dimensions of events on the other hand. While TIME IS SPACE metaphors are probably found in all languages of the world (cf. Haspelmath 1997), the details of how this metaphor is implemented in Russian are language-specific. The Russian TIME IS SPACE metaphor is carried out in multiple overlapping tiers. Two of these tiers are particularly relevant for event structure: aspect and verb classification. The aspect tier overlays the conceptualization of all events as having an imperfective or perfective event structure, invoking a metaphorical comparison with physical substances and objects (Janda 2004). Imperfective events have temporal dimensions isomorphic to the spatial dimensions of fluid substances like sand, water, or air: they lack inherent boundaries and shapes and can flow, spread and mix. Imperfective covers the following range of event types: states, heterogeneous activities, directed activities, cyclic activities, and annulled activities. By contrast, perfective events have temporal dimensions isomorphic to the spatial dimensions of discrete solid objects: they have boundaries and shapes and are unique individuals perceived as wholes that cannot occupy the same spot in the timeline. Perfective covers the following range of event types: accomplishments, achievements, runup achievements, delimitatives, perduratives, ingressives, terminatives, punctual percepts, and semelfactives (Janda 2015a-b). Take, for example, this sentence from the opening chapter of Tolstoy’s Детство: В то время как я таким образом мысленно выражалi свою досаду на Карла Иваныча, он подошелp к своей кровати, взглянулp на часы, которые виселиi над нею в шитом бисерном башмачке, повесилp хлопушка на гвоздик и, как заметно былоi, в самом приятном расположении духа повернулсяp к нам. The three imperfective verbs (directed activity выражалi, state виселиi , state былоi) in this sentence describe background events for which beginnings and endings are not relevant. The four perfective verbs (accomplishment подошелp, achievement взглянулp, achievement повесилp, achievement повернулсяp) describe events that are crisply delimited both inherently and with respect to each other, forming a sequence of unique events. The verb classification tier operates in the perfectivization of imperfective verbs realized by means of prefixation, resembling verb classification systems found in East Asian and Australian languages (McGregor 2002, Janda 2012, Dickey & Janda 2015).