”Srednii syn i tak i syak, mladshii vovse byl durak…” — constructions with paired demonstrative pronouns of remote and proximal reference
- DOI
- 10.5922/2225-5346- 2026-3-8
- Pages
- 126-137
Abstract
The paper analyses a family of Russian constructions featuring paired demonstrative pronouns of remote and proximal reference, which exhibit rigid structural constraints: a fixed component order (t‑pronoun preceding s‑pronoun), obligatory rhyming of the second pronoun with the first, and a limited set of combinations involving coordinating conjunctions and prepositional‑case forms of pronouns. The meaning of these constructions cannot be reduced to the simple sum of their parts, allowing them to be regarded as syntactic phraseologisms. It is demonstrated that these constructions serve as a means of vague or deliberately blurred nomination in contexts where the speaker intentionally avoids maximum informativeness, assuming the addressee can reconstruct the missing details. They are particularly productive in rendering reported speech, substituting for discourse fragments that undergo deliberate reduction during citation. The analysis shows that individual constructions within this family possess additional semantic components: evaluative connotations, the meaning of unfulfilled expectation, or the function of a universal scope expander, underscoring their semantic multilayeredness and pragmatic versatility.
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