Participles as Part of a Predicate in the Old-Russian Language

Abstract

This paper, on the grounds of the Old-Russian monument of Povesti o minulim vremenima and its translations into contemporary Serbian and Russian respectively, deals with the usage of –ing (active) and –ed (passive) participles with present reference within the scope of a predicate. The specificity of the forms in question is reflected in their ability to denote, when assisted by an auxiliary verb, both past and future time. By applying the methods of synchronic cross-section and translational semantisation, the state of affairs in both the Old-Russian and contemporary languages is presented, thus discussing the translation of the aforementioned forms. The research aims at revealing how close the two languages are, as well as at a possibility of reconstructing the Old-Russian language through means of the contemporary Serbian language, and pointing out the significance of comparative studies.