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Part 3 - Numerals: Count on Some Difficulties
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Part 3 Numerals: Count on Some Difficulties Variant Stress on Genitive Singular Nouns Q. Why does the genitive singular of час have different stress in different phrases? When used with the numbers 2, 3, 4, it has end stress: два часá, три часá‚ четыре часá ‘two hours, three hours, four hours’ (or ‘2 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 4 o’clock’). But when used with prepositions to mean ‘one o’clock’ or ‘one hour’ it is stem-‐‑stressed: после чáса ‘after one o’clock’, около чáса ‘around one o’clock’, etc. Are there other nouns that are like this, i.e. that have two forms of the genitive singular? A. Indeed, for a few nouns we have two forms of genitive: the regular geni-‐‑ tive and the “paucal” genitive that is used after the numerals 2, 3, and 4. What we find here with these numerals and call “genitive singular” is actually a remnant of the dual number (which survives in some Slavic languages, e. g. Slovenian). As proof that we are not dealing with a regular genitive case, we should look at the adjectives: две интересные (интересных) книги ‘two in-‐‑ teresting books’, два больших ножа ‘two large knives’. The modifying adjec-‐‑ tives are not in genitive singular, but in nominative plural or genitive plural, thus defying the rules of agreement. In proto-‐‑Slavic, the ancestor of the Slavic languages, the dual number was only used with the numbers 2 and 12, with the words оба/обе ‘both’ and пара ‘pair’, and in references to paired objects: руки ‘hands, arms’, глаза ‘eyes’, уши ‘ears’. Eventually, with the loss of the dual number, the formerly dual forms (with some changes and the influence of genitive singular) became used for the numerals 2, 3, and 4, thus grammatically generalizing these nu-‐‑ mearls as мало ‘a little’ and 5 and above as много ‘a lot’. The exception, of course, occurs with numerals ending in 1: 101 (сто один) градус ‘a hundred one degrees’, 1001 (тысяча (и) одна) ночь ‘ a thousand (and) one nights’. To be more precise, the so-‐‑called genitive singular of numbers is used for all x, 0 ‘Two spheres with masses m1 = 1 kg and m2 = 2 kg are moving forward along a horizontal line in the same direction with speeds v1 = 7 m/sec and v2 = 1 m/sec. Find the speeds of the balls after an absolutely elastic impact.’ Земля, Луна и Солнце — это три шáра; их центры лежат в одной плоскости. ‘Earth, Moon, and Sun are three spheres. Their centers lie in a single plane.’ Биллиардный шар and лунный шар belong to meaning #2; воздушный шар is designated in БТС as an idiom, but in fact it should be an extension of meaning #2 as well. And herein lies the problem. Based in part on the mor-‐‑ phology, I would suggest splitting the second meaning into two: 2a. an object that conveys the shape of a sphere, preferably два шáра, although два шарá is acceptable; 2b. a hard round object, preferrably два шарá. Examples of meaning 2a: The iambic meter of the next example forces the stress on два шáра. Я осмотрелся, стены, пол, Кровати, тумбочка и стол, И потолок, два шáра света. Есть умывальник, нет клозета. ‘I looked around, walls, a floor, Beds, night stand and a table, A ceiling, two spheres of light. There is a washstand, but no bathroom.’ In the next example, шáра rhymes with пáра ‘a couple’. Я иду, сжимая два воздушных шáра, Радостно галдящих невпопад. 3. Numerals: Count on Some Difficulties 93 Две руки и дочек тоже пара — Рядом близнецы мои парят. (А. Евдокимов. Разметала крылья непогода. ) ‘I am walking clutching two balloons, Joyfully yakking out of sync. Two hands and a pair of daughters as well My twins are gliding next to me.’ Examples of meaning 2b: In the next example, шарá rhymes with с утрá (end stress) … и после, дома целый день, Один, в расчеты погруженный Тупым киём вооруженный, Он на бильярде в два шарá Играет с самого утра. (Пушкин. Евгений Онегин) ‘… and then, indoors the livelong day, alone, and sunk in calculation, with a blunt cue for the duration, from early morning on he will at two-‐‑ball billiards prove his skill’; (translated by Ch. Johnston) In the next example, шарá rhymes with дворá (end stress) И два шарá, И три шарá Взвивались вверх, бывало. И вот с пожарного двора Команда выезжала. (Маршак. Пожар) ‘Two balls Or three balls Would rise up. And then from the fire-‐‑station yard A team would drive out.’ Let us not forget the third “obsolete” meaning of шар. It is a rather old-‐‑ fashioned way of saying how many “nay” votes were cast at a dissertation defense or when voting for a new member in the Academy. In this case the 94 What You Always Wanted to Know about Russian Grammar balls are always black or white, and the noun always has an adjective. More-‐‑ over, whenever there is a vote, the speaker discusses whether the candidate passed or not. That is why one is more likely to come across examples that mention black stones rather than white ones, because that is how many votes were cast against the candidate’s passing. It would seem that either stress is acceptable in this case. And yet end stress is more common, as in the follow-‐‑ ing example. In the 1980 film «Поздние свидания» a colleague says to the...