Abstract
It is known that Russian has semelfactive Perfective verbs suffixed in -nu- such as prygnut' ‘leap once’, but what do we know about how these verbs are formed and their role in the overall system of Russian aspect? Beyond occasional mention of such verbs in grammar books, there is little information, because no quantitative study of these verbs has been undertaken. This article attempts to rectify the situation by analyzing a database of 322 -nu- semelfactives and 1438 aspectually related verbs. Our approach makes it possible to probe the semantic and morphological characteristics associated with -nu- suffixation. In doing so we also address larger theoretical issues, such as the relationship between -nu- semelfactives and other actional Perfectives like zaprygat' ‘begin to leap’, and the existence of prefixed semelfactives like vyprygnut' ‘jump out once’. Our findings suggest revisions to current models of Russian aspect and indicate potential directions for further research.
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