190 likes | 327 Views
Russian Aspect: From Theory to Pedagogy. Laura A. Janda Universitetet i Tromsø laura.janda@hum.uit.no John Korba University of North Carolina korba @email.unc.edu. Some of the great advantages of Cognitive Linguistics are that….
E N D
Russian Aspect:From Theory to Pedagogy Laura A. Janda Universitetet i Tromsø laura.janda@hum.uit.no John Korba University of North Carolina korba@email.unc.edu
Some of the great advantages of Cognitive Linguistics are that… • It is based on general cognitive capacities (embodied experience, metaphor) • It does not require mastery of a theoretical/terminological artifice This makes it possible to take the results of scholarly research and translate them into pedagogical materials (cf. Janda & Clancy 2002, 2006)
Interplay between theory and pedagogy A theoretical model is developed to account for a linguistic phenomenon The model is extended to apply to an entire subsystem in a language and present it to learners The extended model reveals new research opportunities and amendments to theoretical model Comparison with theoretical model suggests further pedagogical strategies
Overview • What is the cluster model of Russian aspect? • Metaphorically motivated implicational hierarchy • Advantages over “pair” model • Cluster databases • Linguistic database • Pedagogical database • Implications for pedagogy • Online resource • Suggested teaching strategies and materials • Further implications • Type & token frequency • Entrenchment
The cluster model of Russian aspect • An extension of the pair model • Four types of Perfectives • Natural Perfective (NP): написать, сыграть • Specialized Perfective (SP): переписать, выиграть • Secondary Imperfective: переписывать, выигрывать • Complex Act Perfective (CA): пописать, поиграть, почихать • Single Act Perfective (SA): чихнуть
1. The cluster model of Russian aspect Metaphorical motivations A completable activity is travel to a destination • Natural Perfective: написать, сыграть • Specialized Perfective: переписать, выиграть A non-completable activity is motion without a destination • Complex Act Perfective: пописать, поиграть, почихать A granular activity is made up of individual cycles • Single Act Perfective: чихнуть
1. The cluster model of Russian aspect The Implicational Hierarchy: A>(NP/SP)>CA>SA Activity щипатьi ‘pinch/pluck’ > (Natural/Specialized Perfective) о(б)щипатьp ‘pinch/pluck’/выщипатьp ‘pluck out’ > Complex Act пощипатьp ‘pinch/pluck a while’ > Single Act щипнутьp ‘pinch/pluck once’
1. The cluster model of Russian aspect Implicational hierarchy accounts for 12 cluster structures: A+NP (key #1) A+NP+SP (key #2) A+NP+SP+CA (key #3) A+NP+SP+CA+SA (key #4) A A+CA A+CA+SA A+SP A+SP+CA A+SP+CA+SA A+NP+CA A+NP+CA+SA One more cluster type exists, but is rare: NP (perfectiva tantum)
1. The cluster model of Russian aspect Advantages of cluster model • Gives more information than pair model alone • Makes it possible to expect and interpret many more verbs, including ones often not listed in dictionaries • Integrates aspectual “anomalies” such as bi-aspectual verbs and motion verbs • Not really any harder to learn
2. Cluster databases • Linguistic database • 306 clusters • Multiply stratified sample • Fully represents all non-productive verb classes • Samples of all productive verb classes
2. Cluster databases • Pedagogical database • 266 clusters • Based on verbal lexicon of Nachalo and V puti • All clusters based on verbs with high token frequency; very little representation of verbs with low type frequency
3. Implications for pedagogy • Online resource: • http://hum.uit.no/lajanda/clusterfrontpage.html • Suggested teaching strategies • Option A: Gradual build-up of clusters • Option B: Clusters based on motion verbs • Suggested teaching materials • See exercises on handout
4. Further implications • Type & token frequency • Entrenchment
Bibliography • Isačenko, A. V. Grammatičeskij stroj russkogo jazyka v sopostavlenii s slovackim – Čast’ vtoraja: morfologija. Bratislava: Izdatel’stvo akademii nauk, 1960. • Janda, Laura A. “A User-friendly Conceptualization of Aspect”, Slavic and East European Journal 47 (2003): 251–281. • Janda, Laura A. “Aspectual clusters of Russian verbs”, Studies in Language 31:3 (2007), 607-648. • Janda, Laura A. “What makes Russian Bi-aspectual verbs special”, to appear in: Dagmar Divjak and Agata Kochanska, eds. Slavic Contributions to Cognitive Linguistics. Cognitive Linguistics Research. Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter. Forthcoming. • Janda, Laura A. and John J. Korba. “Beyond the pair: Aspectual clusters for learners of Russian” Forthcoming. (Provisionally accepted for Slavic and East European Journal). • Kagan, Olga and Frank Miller. V puti: Russian Grammar in Context. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. • Lubensky, Sophia et al. Nachalo, book 1 & 2. McGraw Hill, 2002. • Sasse, Hans-Jürgen. 2002. Recent activity in the theory of aspect: Accomplishments, achievements, or just non-progressive state? Linguistic Typology 6, 199-271. • Tatevosov, Sergej.“The parameter of actionality”. Linguistic Typology 6 (2002): 317-401.