Middle Russian Future Periphrastic Constructions in the Light of Language Contacts

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper examines periphrastic constructions with future time reference in Middle Russian, focusing on constructions with an inchoative verb and an infinitive clause: počnu ‘begin’ + inf, načnu ‘begin’ + inf, imu ‘take > begin’ + inf, učnu ‘begin’+ inf, and stanu ‘rise > begin, become’+ inf. The author compares these periphrastic constructions and establishes that the verb učati ‘begin’ differed from the rest of the inchoatives (počati, načati, jati, stati) in that its distribution was functionally restricted and its derivational potential limited (i.e. no verbal nouns, participles, or imperfective verbs derived from this stem). On the 1 I am grateful to the two anonymous reviewers from Scando-Slavica, the editors of the volume for their valuable comments, and Dr. Katie Sykes for her professional English language editing. basis of these features, the author argues that učnu + inf emerged due to contact influence: specifically, the borrowing of a pattern from a Finno-Ugric language spoken in the eastern or northern part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow at the time. It is likely impossible to identify the construction which served as a source for učnu + inf. The author’s hypothesis is further supported by data from contemporary dialects and early attestations in official documents from eastern and northern areas.