Language is one of the essential tools used to segment the continuous stream of experience into events. In this process, the choice of words and grammar frames events in different ways. Grammatical aspect plays an important role in representing an event as a complete whole (perfective: peeled) or as a dynamic process (imperfective: was peeling).…

This article presents the results of four studies exploring the acquisition of the language-specific syntactic and semantic properties of multiple interrogatives in English, Russian, and Malayalam, languages that behave differently with respect to the syntax and semantics of multiple interrogatives. A corpus analysis investigated the frequency of…

This dissertation examines the process of acquisition of semantic classes of reflexive verbs (RVs) in Russian by L2 learners with a native language English. The purpose of this study is to bridge the gap between current linguistic knowledge and the pedagogical literature existing in English on reflexives in Russian. RVs are taught partially and…

We examined how the semantics of causal expressions in Russian and English might differ and how these differences might lead to changes in the way second language learners understand causal expressions in their first language. According to the dynamics model of causation (Wolff, 2007), expressions of causation based on CAUSE verbs (make, force)…

This study examines the motion verb system of Bulgarian, focusing both on the structure of the Bulgarian motion verb itself, and on the information typically encoded in the Bulgarian verb of motion. It then compares the Bulgarian motion verb system with the motion verb systems of two other Slavic languages, Russian and Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian…

This dissertation compares the knowledge of Russian Verbal Aspect in two types of learners enrolled in college level Russian courses: foreign language learners of Russian whose native language is English and heritage language speakers of Russian whose dominant language at the time of study is English. Russian Aspect is known to be problematic both…

Compares the use of English compound tenses and Russian tense-aspect combinations in English and Russian scientific writing. Concludes that to convey the proper meaning, English translations of Russian technical texts should contain more uses of the conditional or subjunctive than appear in the original. (EKN)

Cross-linguistic borrowing (overt use of words from the other language) and transfer (use of semantic or syntactic structures from the other language without active switching to that language) were examined during language production in Russian-English bilinguals. Grammatical category (noun/verb) and level of concreteness were found to influence…

Usage patterns of the three most common Russian equivalents of the verb "use" are outlined with three types of criteria for judging usage: definitional, contextual, and stylistic considerations. Typical usage is discussed, and the issue of questionable acceptability is touched upon. (MSE)

Establishes the considerations of factivity, or concern with truth-value, and fictivity, or concern with realizational status, as basic to the concept of modality. This makes possible the inclusion of factive and implicative verbs in the concept of modality, and clarifies semantic differences between the Russian and English modal auxiliary…

Gaps in the morphological systems of languages are discussed, with specific examples from English, Russian, Arabic, and Hungarian. (RM)

Four distinct cases of the Russian imperfective-completive are examined, focusing on typical non-negated past-tense uses. One suggestion for improving the teaching of aspect is to draw simple parallels between English and Russian verb systems, both of which consist of the three aspectualities "completive,""habitual," and…

Compares consonant mutations in English and Russian, and proposes a method for teaching these mutations to students of Russian as a second language. (CHK)