Russian verbs: From /a/ to /aj/

[Henning Andersen]

There is some discussion of this long-term change, supported with 
data from acquisition and dialectology in the paper below. The change 
fits into a larger perspective of lengthening basic stems.

Henning Andersen. 1980. "Russian conjugation: acquisition and 
evolutive change". Papers from the Fourth International Conference on 
Historical Linguistics ed. by Elizabeth C. Traugott et al., 285-301. 
Amsterdam: Benjamins.

Best,

H

>Dear colleagues,
>
>it is well known that some Russian verbs with the underlying suffix 
>/a/ tend to shift to the productive class of verbs with the suffix 
>/aj/. For instance, verbs like kapat' 'drip' and murlykat' 'purr' 
>have developed secondary present tense forms like kapaet and 
>murlykaet in addition to kaplet and murlychet. The basic facts are 
>described in most major grammars, but I am not aware of any in-depth 
>studies of this phenomenon in Russian or other Slavic languages. I 
>would be very grateful if anybody out there could help me identify 
>such studies.
>
>Best regards,
>Tore Nesset
>
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|||||   Henning Andersen

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