The use of the Russian adjectives derived with the suffix -ist-

Abstract

The semantic variations of the Russian adjectives with the suffix -ist- are analyzed from both a formal point of view and by taking the role of the suffix as a relator between the value X expressed by the base of the adjective and the referent Y into account. The meaning of Xist adjectives is determined by the type of coreferential relationship between both values and by the degree of dependency of X on Y; in others words, it depends on the location of X inside or outside the notional domain of Y. As the operator responsible for locating one value in relation to another, the suffix represents a material trace of the abstract operations which determine the inherence of X to the notional domain of Y or, on the contrary, its individualization leading to its extraction from this domain. The structure of the suffix can be decomposed into two constituents, each one being responsible for the accentuation of the abstract meaning which allows to select Y from the class of referents to which it belongs: -st- underlines the expression of the existence of X in Y; -i- emphasizes its quantification Xquant. Depending on the dominance of the one or the other constituent of the suffix, adjectives can be classified as determiners, classifiers or ‘descriptive’ adjectives.