koe-

[John Dunn]

If I can a few comments on the koe- discussion:

1. While there is a hierarchy of definiteness, it seems to be an
overlapping hierarchy, in that while there are contexts where only one
member is possible, there are other contexts where two adjacent members
appear to be interchangeable.

2. I have noticed in recent years what appears to me to be an expansion of
-to at the expense of other forms: on the one hand it is found in contexts
where 'grammar book rules' would prescribe -nibud' (e.g. in conditional
sentences), but on the other it can be found with the meaning of 'a few'
(especially kto-to used to mean 'nekotorye').

3. I remember being told as a stazher in Russia that koe- had the meaning
that the speaker knew what was being talked about, but the listener didn't.
I have, however, for some time been rather sceptical about this. I would
have defined the 'exclusive' meaning of koe- as 'a few' (koe-gde - in a few
places, koe-kogda - on a few occasions etc.) (but see (2) above).

4. The last time I tried to use a koe- form in a draft translation, a
native-speaker informant objected on stylistic grounds, saying that it was
too colloquial.

I would be interested in the reactions of native-speakers to any of the above.

John Dunn.

John Dunn
Department of Slavonic Languages
Hetherington Building
University of Glasgow
Glasgow
G12 8RS
Great Britain

Telephone (+44) 141 330-5591
Fax       (+44) 141 330-5593
e-mail    J.Dunn at slavonic.arts.gla.ac.uk