Why reply off-list Tony?!?
This is one of my favorite questions and would like to hear what the others
have to say.
In fact v + (nominative-looking) plural of male (?) professions is a pretty
common locution usually with the meaning of intending to become one (of
that group).
On p. 246 of Robin's and Sime's *Political Russian* we have
kandidat v sud'i
v gubernatory
v chleny palaty predstavitelej
v kongresmeny
I think I've heard Russians say things like "On uchilsia v vrachi," and the
like.
There's also a famous children's ditty "Ja poidu v pozharnye, pust' menja
nauchit." (I've heard it's Mayakovsky. I know I should know, but I don't.)
About the question of what case it is, in *Continuing with Russian* (Now,
Tony, why might I have an old copy of that lying around?) p. 260, C.T.
states "The idea of joining a group or entering the ranks of something is
sometimes expressed by a motion verb plus "v" plus an accusative plural,
which does not assume the genitive form for animates and, hence, is
equivalent to the nominative plural." He gives the following examples:
Ona vyshla v ljudi.
On postupil (poshel) v soldaty.
Interesting new case, the less-than-animate profession. Sitting at my
office desk this afternoon I can somehow relate.
Calling all others! What else do you have to say? As I said, this is one of
my favorite weird things.
>The Russian equivalent for "Astronaut Candidate" has me a bit puzzled as to
>its underlying grammar/phraseology, and I'm hoping someone out there might
>have an answer as to why this construction is used and why it is considered
>grammatically correct.
>
>The phrase is: "kandidat v astronavty." What's puzzling, of course, is the
>nominative plural ending on "astronavty." I suspect it has to do with this
>being an elliptical construction, but I've not been able to find out the
>missing elements might be. I suspect that there are other, non-space
>related, analogies and would be grateful for whatever light my fellow
>SEELANGers can shed on this.
>
>Please reply off list.
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Tony Vanchu
>
>Dr. Anthony J. Vanchu
>Russian Language Program Director
>TTI/JSC Language Education Center
>Johnson Space Center
>Houston, TX
>(281) 483-0644
>
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