Stress evidence of dual forms in Old Russian

[Loren Billings]

Dear colleagues,

I recently sent following query to the list:

>I understand that in many noun classes of Old Russian the NOM/ACC dual form
>was spelled the same as the GEN.SG (or even NOM.PL).  Is there any evidence
>to show whether there was a stress distinction to distinguish between these
>forms?  The tests that come to mind are meter in poetry or rhyming in general.
>
Thanks to the following for their replies:

Maaike Schoorlemmer <maaike at fas.ag-berlin.mpg.edu>
Barbara Mozdzierz <mozdzier at gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
Robert Orr <roborr at aix1.uottawa.ca>
Jules Levin <jflevin at ucrac1.ucr.edu>

The following works were recommended:

LEHFELDT.  _Einfuhrung in die Morphologische Konzeption der slavischen
Akzentologie?_ (Sagner 1993)

STANKIEWICZ, Edward:  _The Slavic Languages: Unity in Diversity_  Berlin,
NY, Amsterdam:  Mouton de Gruyter, 1986, ISBN 0-89925-273-7 PG59.S67 1986
[articles on pp. 113-126 and 153-170]

___________________.  "The Sing.-Plural Opposition in the Slav. Langs."
_IJSLP_, 5, 1962, 1-15

__________________.  "The Collective and Counted Plurals of the Slavic
Nouns." _AmerContr_ 9, 1, Columbus, Ohio, 1983, 277-292.

__________________.  "The Accentual Patterns of the Slav. Langs."  Stanford
UP, 1993 [no doubt, also treats the old dual]

OBNORSKIJ, S.P.  _Imennoe sklonenie v sovremennom russkom jazyke. (vol. 2)
Mnozhestvennoe chislo._  Leningrad: Izd-vo AN SSSR, 1981.  [Despite its
title, Obnorsky makes ample ref. to the history.  A dearth of exx.]

KRYS'KO, V.P.  "Razvitie kategorii odusevlennosti v istorii russkogo
jazyka." Moscow: Lyceum, 1994.  [On pp. 98-99 he discusses some evidence
that the rise of the gen=acc animate actually entailed the potential loss of
distinction between singular and dual (cf. the example "byka imam ... " that
he cites.  On p. 97 he gives some other referecnes which you might like to
check.]

DECAUX.  "Duel et singulier en slave commun."  _Revue des etudes slaves_ 28:
148-151.

GRAPPIN.  _Histoire de la flexion du nom en polonais._  Wroclaw 1956, p. 138

LO[E]TZSCH.  _Die Verbreitung des Gen-Akk Du. in den sorbischen Dialekten
unde das problem seiner Genese."  _Zeitschrift fur Slawistik_ 1964 9: 485-499.

UNBEGAUN, Boris.  _Russian versification._

I have oly begun to look these up (this is the best info I have on some of
the incomplete citations).  Just thought I'd get in the summary before I
forgot.  Thanks again to Maaike, Barbara, Bob, and Jules for responding.

Before I forget:  Yes, I am aware of the stress distinction _dva chaSA_ 'two
hours' vs. _otnositel'no CHAsa_.  I was looking for something older.  Best,
--LAB

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