Tarelki and positional predicates

[David S. Danaher]

Regarding the discussion of tarelki and positional predicates, there is a
very interesting article by E. V. Rakhilina entitled "Semantika russkikh
'pozitsionnykh' predikatov' - which I have in ms. form and am trying to
find in published form - which argues that the traditional view of these
predicates as primarily positional cannot account for their range of use.
She argues that in their semantics there is an essential non-locative or
non-positional component:  so, for example, stoyat' places a focus on the
object in its functional use (postavit' tarelki, pyl' stoit v vozdukhe)
whereas lezhat' is used to speak of objects which are not being
functionally used - that is, 'v nepabochem sostoyanii' (polozhit' tarelki v
sushilku, pyl' lezhit na stole, Zimoj vse velosipedy vsegda lezhat u nas v
sarae - even though they may be in a standing position!).

Perhaps shedding our preconceptions about the *positional* nature of these
predicates is to some extent necessary in order to make sense of their use?

I will try to find the citation for those interested - or maybe someone on
the list already knows it and can inform me?


David S. Danaher, Assistant Professor
Department of Slavic Languages
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI  53706