servera'

[ursula.doleschal]

I happen to have heard a talk by Zaliznjak on the pragmatic functions of
Russian accentuation in which he treated the problem. Unfortunately I
cannot recapitulate the details, I just remember that the stressed a-plural
signalizes a more intimate relationship of the speaker with the object in
question, e.g. it was usual at the fin de siecle to use the pl. kelnera'
(kelner - from German "Kellner" = officiant) in circles who often went to
cafes and the like and also felt themselves cosmopolitan in a way, whereas
nowadays it would be excluded to use such a plural. I don't know if he has
published on this question, though.

Ursula Doleschal (ursula.doleschal at wu-wien.ac.at)
Institut f. Slawische Sprachen, Wirtschaftsuniv. Wien
Augasse 9, 1090 Wien, Austria
Tel.: ++43-1-31336 4115, Fax:  ++43-1-31336 744