Liljana Mitkovska | FON - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Liljana Mitkovska

Rocznik Slawistyczny, t. LXX,, 2021

Clausal Complementation in South Slavic, edited by Björn Wiemer and Barbara Sonnenhauser, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, pp. 270-314. , 2021

The paper discusses the complementation patterns of visual perception verbs in standard Macedonia... more The paper discusses the complementation patterns of visual perception verbs in standard Macedonian (M) and Bulgarian (B). The focus of the investigation is placed on the three clausal complement patterns of the central visual perception verbs: gleda/vidi in Macedonian and gledam, viždam/vidja in Bulgarian. To establish the current functional distribution of the complement patterns of the above verbs the authors conduct an in-depth analysis of a large number of examples from standard Macedonian and Bulgarian. The quantification of the data serves to discover structural and semantic factors that influence the choice of a given complement pattern. It depends on two important semantic oppositions cutting across the closed system of perception verbs: the aspectual distinction between states and activities, and the distinction between immediate and mental perception. The obtained results show that the two indicative patterns kako/kak and deka/če specialize for different types of perception in both languages, while the differences in distribution of subjunctive da-complements indicate a slightly different status of da in these languages. The analysis of the current complement distribution in both languages sheds light on the principles behind the semantic motivation of complementation patterning and helps account for the universal principles responsible for this syntactic regularity.

Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics 57(1), pp. 59–83, 2021

This paper analyses a number of constructions with a reflexive marker on the verb and a dative ar... more This paper analyses a number of constructions with a reflexive marker on the verb and a dative argument, using the framework of Construction Grammar. In these constructions the predication is ascribed in various modes to the experiencer argument. We focus on these constructions in the South Slavic languages in which they have a wide distribution, Macedonian, Bulgarian and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS). The following basic types are identified: Emotional processes and states, Accidental, Perception/Cognition and Stative Reflexive-Dative Construction (SRDC). The specific clusters of features in each one
are due to the inheritance properties from a reflexive construction, indicating a valence reduction, in combination with the features of affectedness and lack of control, characteristic of a dative argument. This results in varied but multiply linked patterns that create a complex network of constructions. The study aims at defining the relations between these constructions and in particular at determining the place of SRDC in this network.

Conspiracy Theory Discourses, ed. by M. Demata, V. Zorzi & A. Zottola. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. ISBN: 9789027212702 pp 319-341. , 2022

This chapter examines how stancetaking strategies aid advocacy and refutation of prevalent COVID-... more This chapter examines how stancetaking strategies aid advocacy and refutation of prevalent COVID-19 related conspiracy theories on two Macedonian internet discussion fora. The socio-political background and the content of detected conspiracy theories debated in the forum threads are briefly discussed. The authors explore affective, epistemic and interpersonal positioning in posts by three groups of social actors: conspiracy theory proponents, conspiracy theory opponents and a group of undecided. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis of selected discussion sequences the chapter draws attention to dominant patterns of stancetaking in conspiracy theory argumentation.

Jezikoslovlje, 2023

This paper discusses the results of a contrastive analysis of subject verb inversion (SVI) in Eng... more This paper discusses the results of a contrastive analysis of subject verb inversion (SVI) in English and Macedonian, a South Slavic language. We look at sentences, typically encoding thetic statements, in which the subject follows the verb. Both English and Macedonian belong to SVO languages, but unlike English, Macedonian word-order is considerably more flexible due to its rich inflectional morphology. Our main goal is to determine the scope of distribution of SVI in the two languages which will enable to discover the reasons for the distributional differences in the two languages. To achieve this, we compare the semantic, syntactic and discourse-pragmatic properties of the inverted structures in the examples collected from parallel fiction and academic texts. The sharp differences in the use of SVI between the two languages indicate that lexical and grammatical constraints severely restrict SVI in English, in contrast to Macedonian where it is governed by discourse principles.

Трет научен собир на млади македонисти, 1997

The aim of this paper is to present the relationship between the constructions with the prepositi... more The aim of this paper is to present the relationship between the constructions with the preposition OD and the agentive phrase in passive clauses, which in the Macedonian language is introduced with the preposition OD or expanded with the phrase 'od strana na' (on the part of).
Во ова излагање имаме за цел да разгледаме во каква врска се конструкциите со предлогот од и агенсниот предлошки објект којшто во македонскиот јазик се воведува со предлогот 'од' или проширено со фразата 'од страна на'.

Balkan Syntax and (Universal) Principles of Grammar

Balkan languages share a common construction type based on the verb of possession and a subjuncti... more Balkan languages share a common construction type based on the verb of possession and a subjunctive clause: modal habere-constructions. These constructions have not received due attention in the literature because of their restriction to the vernaculars of the Balkans. Balkan Slavic languages differ from other Balkan languages in featuring two variants: inflected and uninflected habere-constructions. The paper examines the functional distribution of habere-constructions in Balkan Slavic languages through a questionnaire containing situations prompting the use of one of the variants. The investigation confirmed the initial hypothesis that the distinction between the two formal variants is based on semantic and pragmatic considerations. Each variant belongs to a different modality type: inflected constructions express circumstantial obligation, whereas uninflected ones code deontic and epistemic necessity. In addition, uninflected constructions have different discourse functions because they are used in manipulative speech acts. The pragmatization and speech act orientation of the uninflected construction seem to be gradient features of Balkan Slavic languages, but in all languages they are marked with performativity and high speaker involvement. The results show that Macedonian exhibits strict adherence to the functional delimitation between the two variants, which leads to the conclusion that there is a greater degree of correlation between form and meaning.

This paper undertakes a pragmatic analysis of da/ne (yes/no)-questions in Macedonian in order to ... more This paper undertakes a pragmatic analysis of da/ne (yes/no)-questions in Macedonian in order to determine their communicative functions in various contexts: offer, encouragement, empathy, disapproval, irony, etc. In comparison to polar dali-questions, which require a positive or negative response, da/ne-questions are biased because they require confirmation of the speaker’s presupposition about the polarity of the answer. This function can be achieved only if the addressee shares common ground and correctly interprets the presupposition of the speaker. The semantic feature of bias makes these questions suitable for signaling positive politeness and small horizontal distance between interlocutors.Во овој труд се спроведува прагматичка анализа на да не-прашањата во македонскиот јазик (Да не сакаш да се напиеш нешто?) за да се определат нивните комуникациски функции во различни контексти: понуда, поттикнување, емпатија, неодобрување, иронија, и сл. За разлика од поларитетните дали-пра...

Во оваа статија го претставуваме Македонскиот корпус на англискиот меѓујазик (МКАМ). Тој претстав... more Во оваа статија го претставуваме Македонскиот корпус на англискиот меѓујазик (МКАМ). Тој претставува електронска база на текстови пишувани од изучувачи на англискиот јазик во Република Македонија. Создаден е во рамките на проектот Анализа на англискиот меѓујазик од македонски говорители на А1, А2 и Б1 ниво од Заедничката европска референтна рамка за јазиците (ЗЕРР) со посебен осврт на меѓујазичнoто влијание. Целите на проектот се да се опишат карактеристиките на англискиот меѓујазик од македонски говорители. Електронската база е создадена како основа за емпириските истражувања. Во статијата се опишува врз кои принципи се базира електронскиот корпус и какви можности нуди за истражувачите и за наставниците по англиски јазик. Притоа ќе бидат прикажани и некои методи за истражување на меѓујазикот користени во досегашните студии врз материјалот од корпусот. На крајот се разгледуваат можностите за понатамошно дополнување, развивање и усовршување на корпусот. Клучни зборови: електронски ко...

The paper deals with a sweeping language change that is underway in the standard Macedonian verba... more The paper deals with a sweeping language change that is underway in the standard Macedonian verbal system: functional redistribution of the two perfect constructions. The contact-induced and dialectal habere-perfect is spreading into the functional zone of the inherited resultative Slavic esse-perfect, freeing the latter to specialize for its inferential, reportative, admirative and other non-factual meanings. Originally a marginal dialectal form, the habere-perfect has become the main exponent of resultative meanings in Macedonian. The authors find regular patterning behind the continuing expansion of the habere-perfect into the standard registers and examine the factors influencing this process. The comparison of the results of the two investigations conducted demonstrates that the habere-perfect is gaining ground in the standard language along the established grammaticalization path.

Journal of Contemporary Philology, Ss Cyril and Methodius University, B Koneski Faculty of Philology, 2021

The broader interest of this study is Macedonian internet discourse, particularly how people on t... more The broader interest of this study is Macedonian internet discourse, particularly how people on the Internet adopt stance towards what they state and towards their interlocutors. The focus here is on affective stance, or the emotional reactions of participants, in two internet forum discussions on the COVID-19 pandemic. Interactional sequences related to alternative explanations, so called conspiracy theories (CTs), have been extracted and manually annotated employing a descriptive framework of evaluative language based on the tenets of systemic functional linguistics. We distinguish four main semantic categories of affect, considering three factors: polarity, orientation and expression. Our interest is mainly in the similarities and differences of affective positioning as expressed by three groups of participants, based on their orientation towards the CTs discussed: supporters, opponents and uncertain. The results show that negative affect prevails, usually as a combination of Insecurity, Unhappiness and Dissatisfaction, triggered by external factors and entities, and most often expressed with a verbal phrase. Expressions of affect appear to serve not only to voice feelings but also to aid stancetaking more generally.

This article presents an overview of the NP constructions employed for expression of prototypical... more This article presents an overview of the NP constructions employed for expression of prototypical possessive relations in Macedonian and in Bulgarian. In particular, it focuses on the types of relations each construction can express, types of linearization within the possessive NPs, and their ability to express more than one semantic role. Throughout the analysis special attention is given to the consequence of the degree of prototypicallity on the structural and functional properties of the possessive NPs. Furthermore, similarities and differences between the examined structures in the two languages considered are highlighted, and the possible reasons for divergence are discussed. 1.

Зборувате ли македонски? Do you speak Macedonian? is an elementary course for learning and teachi... more Зборувате ли македонски? Do you speak Macedonian? is an elementary course for learning and teaching Macedonian for foreigners. It takes learners to a point at which they can use Macedonian fluently for simple practical purposes and covers A1, A2 and B1 levels. The coursebook consists of lessons, exercises, grammar explanations, Macedonian English glossary and a CD with listening material. Main features: - communicative methodological approach, i.e. creating real life situations in which students are encouraged to practice speaking Macedonian; - bringing together the four language skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing; - language that is natural, lively and relevant to the students; - focus on both fluency and accuracy. Зборувате ли македонски? е почетен курс за македонски јазик за странци. Целта на курсот е да ги доведе изучувачите до едно ниво на коешто тие слободно и со самодоверба ќе можат да го употребуваат македонскиот јазик во секојдневна комуникација и ги опфаќа ни...

Prace Filologiczne, 2020

Artykuł omawia alternacje walencyjne, nie posiadające jawnego wykładnika w języku macedońskim. Wy... more Artykuł omawia alternacje walencyjne, nie posiadające jawnego wykładnika w języku macedońskim. Wydaje się, że jest to ważna cecha typologiczna, która odróżnia macedoński od innych języków słowiańskich. W pracy przedstawiono ogólny opis tendencji labilności w odniesieniu do cech składniowych, semantycznych i dystrybucyjnych czasownika. Wykryto i przeanalizowano około 150 czasowników, wchodzących w labilność zachowującą przy alternacji patiensa i agensa. Czasowniki typu pierwszego przy zmianie perspektywy zachowują miejsce dla patiensa, ale w innej pozycji syntaktycznej (Toj sedna – Tie go sednaa. ‘On siedział – Posadzili go’); typu drugiego zaś zachowują tematyczne miejsce dla agensa (Taa odi po poleto – Taa go odi poleto ‘Idzie przez pole – Idzie w pole’). Czasowniki zostały poklasyfikowane zgodnie z kryteriami składniowymi i semantycznymi po to, aby wskazać zdarzenia, które dopuszczają tego typu alternacje walencyjne oraz dominujące korelacje semantyczne, zachodzące między parami c...

This paper analyses the four types of personal pronouns (deictic, anaphoric, bound and descriptiv... more This paper analyses the four types of personal pronouns (deictic, anaphoric, bound and descriptive pronouns) that we came across during a research conducted for the project “The role of explicit instruction in developing pragmatic competence in learning English and German as a foreign language”, which is underway at the Faculty of Philology, University Goce Delchev in Stip. We perform our analysis using theories and definitions from the field of pragmatics in its widest sense, which is based on many diverse approaches united by a common functional (social, cultural, cognitive) perspective on language in communication, i.e. the pragmalinguistics (linguistic pragmatics, pragmatic linguistics, * PhD, Faculty of Philology, UGD, E-mail: biljana.ivanovska@ugd.edu.mk ** PhD, Faculty of Philology, UGD, E-mail: marija.kusevska@ugd.edu.mk *** PhD, Faculty of Philology, UGD, E-mail: nina.daskalovska@ugd.edu.mk **** PhD, Faculty of foreign languages, FON University, E-mail: liljana55@yahoo.com ...

Jezikoslovlje, 2015

This paper discusses the variability of realization of the direct argument of nominalized predica... more This paper discusses the variability of realization of the direct argument of nominalized predications in Macedonian constructions. As it is common in other languages, the possessive na-construction is utilized for accommodation of both subjective and objective case in the noun phrase built by the verbal noun in-nje. There is a possibility, however, to add the objective NP directly to the verbal noun if it is not marked for definiteness. The constructions with and without the preposition are seemingly freely interchangeable and there is no consensus among native speakers regarding the choice between the two patterns. This non-categorical or probabilistic variation is the focus of the present paper. On the basis of attested examples from written sources and a questionnaire survey we examine the factors of referentiality and structural complexity of the objective NP, which may be responsible for the preference of one or the other pattern. The usage reveals that the choice is not optional, but may be governed by some probabilistic rules that need to be further examined by application of more rigorous statistical methods.

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to explore the components that foreign language learners n... more Abstract: The purpose of this study is to explore the components that foreign language learners need to acquire in order to develop their pragmatic ability. This paper presents a description of phase one of an ongoing research project at Goce Delcev University-Stip, Republic of Macedonia, on developing pragmatic ability of foreign language learners. We first define pragmatic ability; then we discuss data collection instruments and procedures; finally we give outlook of further research. Keywords: Discourse Completion Test, explicit instruction, pragmatic ability, role play, speech acts

Rocznik Slawistyczny, t. LXX,, 2021

Clausal Complementation in South Slavic, edited by Björn Wiemer and Barbara Sonnenhauser, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, pp. 270-314. , 2021

Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics 57(1), pp. 59–83, 2021

Conspiracy Theory Discourses, ed. by M. Demata, V. Zorzi & A. Zottola. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. ISBN: 9789027212702 pp 319-341. , 2022

Jezikoslovlje, 2023

Трет научен собир на млади македонисти, 1997

Balkan Syntax and (Universal) Principles of Grammar

Journal of Contemporary Philology, Ss Cyril and Methodius University, B Koneski Faculty of Philology, 2021

Prace Filologiczne, 2020

Jezikoslovlje, 2015

Introduction to the Third Edition The first edition of this textbook was published in 1999. Since... more Introduction to the Third Edition
The first edition of this textbook was published in 1999. Since then many students have commented on the textbook, sending comments, thanks, and suggestions. For this third edition Liljana Mitkovska, who has been involved with this project from the very beginning, has become co-author. We have worked more than two years to update the textbook. Our goal has been to preserve the basic structure of the original work, but to add more cultural information, updated vocabulary, and exercises that are better integrated with current teaching methodologies.
This textbook is designed for students with no prior knowledge of standard Macedonian. It will provide them with a broad knowledge of Macedonian grammar and cultural knowledge, including a strong foundation in grammar. In North America, Macedonian is taught to disparate audiences: graduate students with an in-depth knowledge of another Slavic language who wish to learn Macedonian for reading knowledge and research; people of Macedonian heritage who may have rudimentary spoken language skills but are unable to read and write; ethnographers interested in Macedonian culture; and – as a number of people have written to tell me – individuals who hope to master Macedonian because they have met Macedonians who have become significant people in their lives. It is an impossible task to write a textbook that appeals directly to each of these target audiences, but we hope that this book will be useful to this wide variety of potential students. An answer key with answers to selected exercises is given at the back of the book.
Every chapter contains reading selections, a broad variety of exercises, and cultural commentary. Each chapter also has a number of listening exercises to help master listening comprehension. Each chapter provides lists of active vocabulary. Students should familiarize themselves with these words as they begin a new chapter. Additional vocabulary is given for reading exercises. All of the vocabulary is contained in the glossaries at the end of the book.
We have tried to cover basic grammar without overburdening students with numerous exceptions. We have included some discussion of linguistic variation and we have introduced some principles of word-formation to help students improve their ability to learn vocabulary and to being reading more complex texts.
Since the publication of the first edition, the internet has become a rich source of materials for language learning. We encourage students to find supplementary materials on-line. There are many sites where students can see pictures and watch video clips of Macedonia, where they can listen to Macedonian music, including the songs contained in the textbook, and learn more about famous people and places in Macedonia.

This study treats the Macedonian constructions with the reflexive marker se as various types of d... more This study treats the Macedonian constructions with the reflexive marker se as various types of departure from the prototype transitive situation, i.e., as various types of diathesis. Separate functions exhibit different distribution of the participants and/or their constituents along the syntactic positions, depending on their communicative purpose. They are classified according to semantic criteria, depending on the role of the participant in subject position. From a synchronic point of view, all these constructions cover a broad semantic domain between transitive and intransitive situations on the vertical axis and between active and passive ones on the horizontal axis. The connections between the functions are established according to the properties they share and it is shown how they merge into one another, building a grammaticalisation chain.
The second part is devoted to analysis of the strategies that are employed in English for coding the same type of meanings. Even though the equivalents are represented by a variety of constructions, there are still some parallels, which confirm the hypothesis of conceptual affinity among the functions of the se-constructions.

The book “Secrets of Words” presents an introductory course in Macedonian language. It is intende... more The book “Secrets of Words” presents an introductory course in Macedonian language. It is intended to be
used by students of Macedonian ethnic background living living abroad (in particular in Australia) and who use Macedonian language
to some degree in communicating with their families.
The level of the difficulty of the language, the themes and the structure of the activities are aimed at
children 7-10 years of age, studying Macedonian in ethnic or day schools.

Prilozi, 2019

This paper analyses a set of Macedonian constructions with a reflexive marker on the verb exhibit... more This paper analyses a set of Macedonian constructions with a reflexive marker on the verb exhibiting some kind of modal semantics, which cannot be attributed to any of its form components. The following constructions are considered: pseudo passive reflexive constructions expressing non-epistemic internal modality of possibility (Ovie pečurki se jadat 'You can eat these mashrooms'), necessity (Taka ne se zboruva 'You shouldnćt talk like that') or generality (So rabota se postignuva uspeh 'You achieve success with work'); stative reflexive-datives informing about an internal necessity or desire on the part of the dative referent (Mi se spie 'I am sleepy'), reflexive-datives with verbs of perception-cognition implying uncertainty, a kind of epistemic modality (Mi se vide zagrižen 'He seemed worried to me') and those coding accidential, unintentional events (Mi se isturi mlekoto 'The milk spilt on me'), which suspend volitionality of a causative predicate. The main goal of this paper is to investigate the nature of the modality these structures express and how it arises. The analysis is based on the construction grammar principle that constructions represent form-meaning pairs, some aspects of which are not predictable from the component parts. Accordingly, we assume that the modal meaning arises depending on the interplay of the typical features of the constituents and a cluster of formal, semantic and pragmatic features characteristic for each construction.
Key words: constructions, construction grammar, argument structure, diathesis,
modality, reflexive constructions, dative case

It is common for languages crosslinguistically to code a range of diathetic constructions with th... more It is common for languages crosslinguistically to code a range of diathetic constructions with the same verb form (Kazenin 2001, Kemmer 1993, Geniušienė 1987). Macedonian, as well as most Slavic languages, employs the reflexive se-construction for that purpose. Since one and the same verb can be used in several types of diathesis, such reflexive verb constructions are polysemous, creating ambiguity and vagueness along the diathesis continuum. In this presentation we look at reflexive constructions which code a number of non-factive situations in which the agent of the predication coded in the main verb is suppressed to some degree. They display a gradience of modal interpretations: potential (1), normative (2), generalising (3).
(1) Svilata teško se održuva. Lit. ‘Silk maintains with difficulty.’
silk-DEF difficult-ADV REFL maintain
(2) Ne se igra so ogan. ‘You shouldn’t play with fire.’
not REFL play with fire
(3) Imeto ne se preveduva. ‘The name is not translated.’
name-DEF not REFL translate
This type of constructions is known in the literature under various names, such as gnomic, quasi-passive, mediopassive or middle, among others. Here they are referred to as “pseudo-passive reflexive constructions’. We claim that the difference between the three types of meaning depends on the degree of implication of the agent in the construction: it is only indirectly evoked in the potential, its presence can be felt in the normative, and a non-referring agent is present in the generalising constructions. Consequently, overlapping between the subclasses is common. For example (3) can be also interpreted as potential (it is difficult to translate the name) or as normative (it is against the rules to translate names).
An electronic survey, testing native speakers’ interpretation, was conducted to check the role of the proposed factors in distinguishing the modal senses of the construction in particular contexts. The responses of 776 speakers confirm the basic assumptions about the conditions for the three basic types of modality in the Macedonian pseudo-passive constructions.

Апстракт: Предмет на оваа статија се конструкциите во кои се акомодира вториот аргумент на номина... more Апстракт: Предмет на оваа статија се конструкциите во кои се акомодира вториот аргумент на номинализираната предикација кон глаголската именка (ГИ) на – ње во македонскиот јазик. Како што е обично во многу јазици, присвојната на-конструкција се користи во таква функција. Но ако објектната именска синтагма не е маркирана по определеност постои можност да се додаде директно на ГИ. Конструкциите со и без предлог се навидум слободно заменливи и не постои усогласеност меѓу родените говорители во однос на изборот на една од варијантите. Оваа некатегорична или пробабилистичка варијабилност е главната цел на истражувањето. Притоа се испитуваат факторите референцијален статус и структурна комплексност на објектната именска синтагма, кои може да влијаат врз изборот на конструкцијата. За таа цел се користат засведочени примери од литературни и новинарски текстови и анкетен прашалник спроведен меѓу родени говорители. Употребата покажува дека изборот не е произволен туку може да се раководи според определени пробабилистички правила. Клучни зборови: синтакса, глаголска именка, директен објект, предлози, граматичка варијабилност 1. Вовед Во македонскиот јазик предлогот на се јавува во голем спектар на функции кои спаѓаат во широко сфатеното семантичко поле на присвојност. Прототипно тој изразува сопственост (куќата на Гоце), роднински односи (братот на Весна) и делови на телото (очите на Весна), но се проширил и на релациите дел-целина (центарот на градот) и други поапстрактни релации, меѓу кои значајно место зазема изразувањето на аргументи на номинализирани предикации (лаеж на кучиња, преработка на кожа). Употребата на присвојниот маркер во вакви функции е честа појава во јазиците, што сведочи за когнитивната врска меѓу прототипната присвојност и релацијата аргументи – предикација.1 Меѓутоа, во македонскиот јазик имаме типолошки интересна ситуација кај глаголската именка на –ње (ГИ): првиот аргумент секогаш се акомодира со предлогот на (1), вториот аргумент маркиран по определеност исто така (2), но ако вториот аргумент не е определен тој може да се акомодира или со на-конструкија (3) или директно (4), без никаков маркер, како што е карактеристично за реченичната структура.2 Природата на таа варијабилност е предмет на истражување во оваа статија, со цел да се посочат некои од факторите што играат важна улога во изборот на структурата (со или без предлогот на).

Abstract: This paper discusses the constructions in which the direct argument of nominalized predications is realized in Macedonian. As it is common in other languages, the possessive na-construction is utilized for accommodation of both subjective and objective case in the noun phrase built by the verbal noun in -nje. There is a possibility, however, to add the objective NP directly to the verbal noun if it is not marked for definiteness. The constructions with and without the preposition are seemingly freely interchangeable and there is no consensus among native speakers regarding the choice of the alternation patterns. This non-categorical or probabilistic variation is the focus of this paper. On the bases of attested examples from written sources and a questionnaire survey we examine the factors of referentiality and structural complexity of the objective NP, which may be responsible for the preference of one or the other pattern. The usage reveals that the choice is not chaotic, but may be governed by some probabilistic rules that need to be further examined by application of more rigorous statistical methods.

Ivanova Elena, Eleni Buzarovska & Liljana Mitkovska. Expressing apprehensive meanings in independent clauses: the case of Balkan Slavic // International Contrastive Linguistics Conference 8 (ICLC8). Athens, May 25-28 2017., 2017

This is a presentation of our talk given at the 8th International Contrastive Linguistics Confere... more This is a presentation of our talk given at the 8th International Contrastive Linguistics Conference at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
(25-28 May 2017)

The goal of this paper is to examine apprehensive constructions in
Balkan Slavic languages from a typological perspective. The apprehensive
meaning belongs to a special type of modality involving the speaker’s
epistemic attitude intertwined with an emotion of fear that some
uncontrollable event is possible. Cross-linguistically, they are coded by
special forms and particles (Lichtenberk 1995, Dobrushina 2006). The
apprehensive meaning in Balkan Slavic languages is rendered by patterns
based on the negated da-construction, which is structurally similar with
equivalent subjunctive constructions in other Balkan languages: they consist
of a modal morpheme and a non-tensed verb marked for person and number.
As descendants of the synthetic infinitive in Balkan languages, these
inherently non-factual constructions operate both in independent and
dependent clauses performing a wide range of functions (Ammann & van der Auwera 2004). Thus, the apprehensive function may be coded by dependent
clauses embedded under verbs of fearing, while in independent use they
occur in declarative and interrogative clauses.
The focus is on the apprehensive independent patterns involving
negated da-constructions in three neighbouring Balkan Slavic languages.
These patterns may occur both in apprehensive statements and questions,
but apprehensive questions may make also use of a second pattern involving
a complex optative particle da ne bi heading the da-construction. What
formally differentiates the apprehensive da-patterns in the three Balkan
languages is the behaviour of the negative marker in questions (but not in
statements). The prosodic and the morphosyntactic properties of compound
with da suggest that they have grammaticalized into interrogative epistemic
particles.
However, the exact structural relation between apprehensive questions
and statements is not clear. In all three languages, the former manifest a
close semantic affinity with polar biased questions. Apprehensive statements,
on the other hand, may easily shade into preventive appeals also encoded by
negated optative-subjunctive da-constructions. The question arises whether
apprehensive patterns in Balkan Slavic have developed from a common
source or sources belonging to different modal domains. Other questions
addressed in this paper pertain to typological issues, including: is it justifiable
to posit a separate Balkan Slavic apprehensive pattern, and, is it shared by
other Balkan languages?