Simple Grammar Question

[Alina Israeli]

This is a very complicated grammar question, worthy of a dissertation, 
and some already have been written.

Somewhere around the turn of the 20th century there was a change in norm 
with negations in this phrase. We find in Chekhov: он не любит родины,  
потому  что оставил там дурную память о себе 
(http://az.lib.ru/c/chehow_a_p/text_0210.shtml)

and certainly earlier:

Волынской не любит жены своей 
(http://az.lib.ru/l/lazhechnikow_i_i/text_0020.shtml)

There is a split between concrete and/or specific vs. abstract and/or 
general nouns, and a rather complicated view of what is concrete or 
specific; литература is concrete, hence accusative now, just as жена and 
родина.

Огонь is general, non-specific, consequently
Ум не любит огня, ибо всегда состязается с сердцем. 
(lib.ru/RERIH/Rerih_Mir1.txt_Piece40.28) rather than огонь.

Вода is more concrete, so the majority of examples we find are in 
accusative:
Ребенок не любит воду, но еще больше ненавидит дистанционное управление. 
(zhurnal.lib.ru/i/inspektor_p/morskaylisisa.shtml)

although genitive is not as dated as in the case of the wife:

Господин Пунтила не любит воды, я это сразу понял. 
(lib.ru/INPROZ/BREHT/breht3_4.txt_Piece40.02)

And of course one could debate the meaning of любить (there are several) 
and its influence on the choice of the case.


Food is very complicated.

не любит вина but не любит молоко
не любит манной каши and манную кашу, but the first one is 10 times more 
likely.
не любит хлеб and хлеба, but the first one is 200 times more likely.

Variativity suggested by Paul Gallagher would be nice, but it doesn't 
always work: works for wine, but I doubt cream of wheat presupposes any 
variativity (or is it my hatred of it?). I would expect multiple 
varieties of bread, and yet accusative is preferred.

Anyway, this is for another dissertation, or a paper.

As much as I avoid examples from poetic language (I already once wrote 
about it in conjunction with -to and -nibud'), this one — Я не люблю 
фатального исхода. — fits: there hasn't been any outcome at the moment 
the poet spoke, so this is an abstraction.

AI


Nola wrote:
> I apologise for asking this Russian grammar question on this list, but so far, I can't get a satisfactory answer yet anywhere else.I have asked Russians, who know what should be said, but not why or about the rule which applies.
> I am having trouble with a sentence which could have either genitive or accusative case applied to the last word. The Russian speakers told me to use the accusative case. Okay..I will, but I need to know a rule so that I can know when to choose accusative over genitive in others like this.
> Анна Борисовна не любит литературу.( or литературы?)
> Nola
>
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>   

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