Short Adjective Inquiry

[Alina Israeli]

On Feb 26, 2008, at 4:44 PM, Inna Caron wrote:

> 1) Can anyone tell me why sinii is the only color adjective to have  
> a short
> Form?
>
> - What about Blok's "U sosedei okna zhOlty (sic)?

It works for primary colors and maybe a couple more:

Красен как маков цвет, молодо–зелено, or to quote Wayles:


On Feb 26, 2008, at 5:10 PM, Wayles Browne wrote:
> Surely other color adjectives can have short forms too? Couldn't  
> one say
> cvetok krasen, bumaga bela, listva zelena? Maybe there was nothing
> remarkable about their short forms, so grammars didn't have to mention
> them, unlike the short forms of sinij, which have unusual spellings as
> compared with other adjectives.
> But I suspect that one couldn't say nebo golubo, nor cvetok
> fioletov. How do Russian speakers react to these?


I agree with him on both counts.

>
> 2) Has anyone ever heard or seen (no pun intended) it used?
>
> - What instantly comes to mind is "sine more." Here is a sample  
> reference,
> from Afanas'ev's sobranie russkih skazok:
>
In addition to that

Над Канадой небо сине, меж берез дожди косые. (http:// 
www.poemvmeste.ru/gorodnickiiy_aleksandr/nad_kanadoiy.html)

We have a number of set expressions: сине море, сине небо, сини горы.

>
> 3) And, finally,
> especially for native speakers, have you ever had occasion to use it
> yourself?

Only in set expressions.


Alina Israeli
LFS, American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington DC. 20016
(202) 885-2387 	
fax (202) 885-1076
aisrael at american.edu




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