more on ixnij

[Uladzimir Katkouski]

On 22 Apr 99 at 11:19, Michael Flier wrote:

> problem at hand. To my knowledge there are _two_ lexemes competing with
> one another, a "hard-stem" _ixny_ with an underlying stem {ix-n} (your
> choice as normative) and a "soft-stem" _ixni_ with an underlying stem
> {ix-n'} (the norm cited in the Soviet references). The difference in
> spelling is a simple reflection of two different stems. The use of either
> one makes Belarusian unlike standard Russian in the representation of
> 'their'.

I get your point. Both are distinct from Russian, but "ixni" is also
a part of the Ukrainian and (non-standard, street) vocabulary of
Southern Russia population (Remember, someone sent Gorbachev's speech
excerpts to demonstrate that). Anyway, I suppose it is not that
crucial after all, even though those small linguistic differnces are
like tender touches of a brush in the painting that distinguish a
mediocre artist from a genius. In a similar fashion the correct
handling of these linguistic subtleties (sp?) distinguishes a well-
educated Belarusan from the crowd of "trasianka" or Russian-speaking
people.


Z pavahaj,
U.K.


> Sincerely,
>
> Michael Flier
>
>
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