A typology of lexical and grammaticalized uses of Russian tip, tipa, po tipu

Abstract

This study proposes a comprehensive typology of constructions with lexical and grammaticalized tip, tipa and po tipu, coupling a full grammatical description to the range of meanings expressed. The main construction types we distinguish between are: (i) binominal constructions, in which tip is either the head complemented by a supertype noun, or in which the supertype noun is a head modified by genitival tipa / tipov; (ii) prepositional phrase constructions with the simple preposition tipa or the complex preposition po tipu, which can express comparison, hedging and exemplification; (iii) particle uses of tipa and po tipu, which can function as hedging or quotative markers, while tipa / tipo / tip can also be used as a mere filler. As recognition criteria for the different construction types, we identify the different elements of structure within which tipa and po tipu function, and the different types of dependency relations, modification or complementation, that obtain between them.