dative + adverb constructions

[Tom Priestly]

Yes, grammatically they are better termed "predicatives" - not only is
their meaning different from that of real adverbs, but sometimes (in
Russian occasionally, as I hope I recall correctly; in Slovene; elsewhere
too?) they are different formally - they have stress differences or even
vocalic-quality differences. This is all described in the bettergrammar
reference books.
For teaching purposes (whichever relevant Slavic language is being taught),
however, perhaps it is asking for trouble to use the term "predicative" and
then teach students that some/most of the time they are identical to
ordinary adverbs. Too many students have too much trouble with
'traditional' grammatical terms and may balk at a new one.
The compromise used in 'Golosa' is one solution: "adverbs of complement".
The compromise in 'Nachalo' and in 'Troyka' is in I think better:
"predicative adverbs".
Tom Priestly
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>
>I wonder if someone could help me with a question that came up in my
>beginning Russian class today.  As I presented dative + adverb
>constructions like "mne khorosho," one of my students pointed out that
>"khorosho" in this sentence is not doing what adverbs normally do, that is,
>modifying a verb as it is for example in "Ia igraiu khorosho na roiale" --
>so he wondered why I didn't call it some kind of predicate (short form?)
>adjective which just happened to look like an adverb.  All I could say was
>that I have never seen such constructions described as other than
>adverbial, and I'd like to give him a better answer.  Are we missing
>something here?  Is the concept of adverb different with regard Russian
>than English?  Or is this "khorosho" a short form predicate adjective?  I'd
>very much appreciate any thoughts on this off-line.
>
>Thank you,
>
>Melissa Frazier
>mfrazier at mail.slc.edu
>
>
>****************************
>Melissa Frazier
>Literature/Russian Dept.
>Sarah Lawrence College
>1 Mead Way
>Bronxville, NY  10704
>(914)395-2295
>mfrazier at mail.slc.edu

Tom Priestly
Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies
Division of Slavic and East European Studies
200 Arts Building, University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E6
phone (780) 492-0789
fax (780) 492-9106
e-mail: tom.priestly at ualberta.ca

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