Sentences denoting the elimination of the result of an action as a semantic-structural type

Abstract

The article is devoted to Russian sentences denoting the elimination of the result of the previous action. Their semantic and syntactic structures are analyzed in order to understand whether such sentences constitute a united semantic-structural type. The analysis shows that these sentences have a similar propositional structure. They include a proposition-macrosituation which consists of three situations: the liquidated situation; situation-action aimed at eliminating the result of the previous action and new situation. The sentences have a similar semantic structure in general, but they differ from each other in more particular semantic aspects. There are two subtypes among them. The first subtype denotes the elimination of contact. The sentences of this subtype have three obligatory actants – Subject, Object 1 and Object 2. The second subtype denotes changing the shape of an object. The sentences of this subtype have two obligatory actants – Subject and Object. In spite of semantic differences, syntactically sentences denoting the elimination of the result of an action are built according to the general model: ‘Subject + predicate with the meaning of eliminating the result of an action + Object’. This general model is realized in two particular models for each sentence subtype. Sentences denote the elimination of contact are constructed according to the model ‘Subject + predicate of the elimination of contact + Object 1 and / or Object 2’: Mama razdvinula zanaveski (‘Mom parted the curtains’); Soldat razobral pulemet (‘The soldier dismantled the machine gun’); Rabochie razgruzili mashinu (‘The workers unloaded the car’). Sentences denote changing of the shape of an object are built according to the model ‘Subject + predicate of changing shape + Object’: Mama razvernula nebrezhno skatannyi kover (‘Mom unrolled a carelessly rolled carpet’).