Sentences expressing situations of touch in russian semantic-functional syntax

Abstract

One of the main problems of functional linguistics is the scientific study of human perception of the outer world, including tactile (haptic) perception. On the syntactic level of language, it is implemented as a kind of subject-object relations expressed by simple sentences. In our studies we describe semantics and structure of sentences using the aspect-by-aspect techniques. The main aspect is nominative, which in its turn is divided into situational-and-structural and relative-structural. The sentences of touch form a semantic-functional field that has a core and periphery in its structure. The basis of the organization of sentences of this semantic-structural type is a verb, therefore, the variants of the semantic structure are determined by a certain lexical and grammatical category (LGC) of the verb. The verb to touch plays the role of the basic identifier of constructions constituting the studied semantic-functional field, since any touch begins with a physical or mental touch on the subject. To the core of the field belong the sentences with verbs of contact-directed action (to touch). The field periphery is represented by sentences with verbs of five other LGC: touch of the object without moving it; touch of the object with moving it; subject movement with the seme of touching the object; sound with the seme of touching the object; localization with the seme of touching the object. In the invariant semantic structure of sentences expressing touch situations there are obligatory (subject and object) and optional (instrument, localizer) nominal actants. As an optional actant most often acts an instrument, which is understood as an object involved in the action and contributing to its implementation. The instrument is further subcategorized into an inalienable and an alienable one.