SYNTACTIC DEPENDENCIES OF ADJECTIVES (CONSTRUCTION «A dlya Gen S»)

The paper deals with adjectival constructions with the same formal structure — A for Gen S — but with different semantics and with different internal structure.

(1) Argument construction: neozhidannyi dlya nas rezul’tat (‘a result unexpected by us’) — dlya Rod (for Gen) is the argument, i.e. the participant of the situation, denoted by the adjective. A for Gen S is seen as a reduced predication, the conversion (transformation) of some of the original predication: ‘We did not expect such a result’.

(2) Evaluative (quasi-argument) construction: absurdnyi dlya normal'nogo cheloveka prazdnik (‘an absurd holiday for a normal person’). The evaluative adjective does not have the subject of evaluation (as argument ), but the construction A for Gen S is a transformation of evaluation: ‘A normal person thinks this holiday absurd’.

(3) Restrictive (comparative, conditional-contrastive) construction: the attribute is predicated on the basis of the standard conception of a given class of objects, while the attribute of an object or situation is evaluated with respect to a standard, a landmark. Construction (3) has different types: (a) zharkii dlya oseni den’ (‘a hot day for autumn’). The meaning: the attribute is atypical for a given object or class of objects; (b) logichnoe dlya diktatora reshenie (‘a logical solution for a dictator’). The meaning: the attribute is typical, and corresponds to the standard conception of a given class of objects; (c) slishkom tyazhelyi dlya rebenka ryukzak (‘a backpack too heavy for a child’). The meaning: the attribute does not match the requirements; the attribute is not suitable for the person / object / situation. In (3) dlya Rod (for Gen) is not the argument of the adjective, but the element of the construction.