FUNCTIONAL CORRELATION OF IMPERSONAL, PASSIVE VOICE AND MODAL FORMS (BASED ON THE MATERIAL OF GERMAN AND RUSSIAN LANGUAGES)
https://doi.org/10.18384/2224-0209-2025-1-1520
Abstract
Aim. To describe the functional relationship of impersonal, passive and modal forms in German and Russian.
Methodology. 200 examples selected from the National Corpus of the Russian Language and from the DWDS corpus. Russian and German impersonal sentences were characterized by the descriptive method; the comparative method revealed the specifics of the German and Russian languages in expressing the semantics of state, attitude, evaluation, spontaneous actions and root modal values; the correlation of impersonality, passive voice and modality was revealed by the method of component analysis.
Results. The following types of correlations were compiled and described: 1) semantics of the state, relations, assessments, predicates of existence: impersonality (Russian) → impersonality (German); 2) spontaneous action: impersonality (Russian) → passive voice (German); 3) dispositional, deontic, volitional modality: impersonality (Russian) → modal/ modalized verbs or constructions (German).
Research implications. The publication makes a definite contribution to the development of the concept of the inter-categorical relationship of impersonal, modal and voice meanings. The results obtained can be used in the course of studying the course “Comparative typology of German and Russian languages”.
About the Author
Anna V. Averina
Moscow State Linguistic University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Dr. Sci. (Philology), Prof., Department of Grammar and History of the German Language, Faculty of German Language
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