Classification of Incomplete Sentences of the Russian Language

Abstract

In the Russian language, there are different principles for the classification of sentences, and one of them is according to the completeness and incompleteness of a given syntactic unit. What exactly this means is explained at the lessons of the Russian language. This topic is very important for understanding the principles of writing sentences and syntax in general.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

Incomplete are those sentences in which one or more members are missing, which are necessary for the syntactic unit to be complete in terms of meaning and structure. It is possible to restore the missing members of the sentence based on the surrounding context or knowledge of the situation in question, if it is oral communication.

Grammatical incompleteness of a sentence may arise due to the absence of both major and minor members.

1. Skipping subject or predicate: ??? ??? ????? ????? ??????? ??????? ? ??????? ? ??????? When a predicate (or part of it) is skipped with the help of an incomplete sentence, different subjects are compared: their similarity, or difference, or opposition to each other within a single situation is emphasized: ????????? ?????? ??????, ? ?????? — ???????????.
2. Omitting minor members of the sentence, which in their meaning turn out to be very important.

Sometimes the absence of even a part of a minor member leads to a grammatical incomplete sentence:

?????? ????? ???? ????????? ??? ????, ? ? ????? ???????? ??? ? ??????.

Only referring to the context allows you to restore the communicative meaning of the statement.

An incomplete (in grammatical terms) sentence is a special structure devoid of significant elements, which leads the phrase to communicative inferiority. On the contrary, there are proposals in which all the necessary positions have been replaced, and at the same time, these proposals cannot be classified as semantically complete: ? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ??????? ? ?????? ???? ??????? ???????? 33,5 ?????, ?? ????? ?????? ????? ?????????, ????? ? ?????? ????????? ???? ???????? ???? ????? ??????. ?? ?? ????? ?????? ????????? ? ??????. Although the subject is represented by one of the most common realizations - the demonstrative pronoun, the semantic reference of the selected sentence to the pretext is obvious, and without this reference, the reader will not understand what, in fact, it is about.

In the linguistic methodology of recent years, the classification of incomplete sentences has become traditional, represented, as is known, by three types: 1) semantically incomplete, structurally complete, 2) semantically incomplete and structurally incomplete, 3) semantically complete, structurally incomplete [5, 131-138]. The sequential inclusion in the name of each of the selected types of concepts, structural and semantic, creates a certain illusion of the severity of the division undertaken. However, the declarativeness of the terminology is noticeable in the very first classification heading. The unity of the foundations of the proposed type raises doubts: structurally complete and semantically incomplete sentences, despite the presence of semantic and structural attributes in their definitions, are distinguished not on a structural-semantic (as stated), but exclusively on a semantic basis, which, firstly, displays these sentences are from a number of structural and semantic types and, secondly, are not their specific features.

The noted ratio of structural features and semantics is quite typical for a traditionally complete isolated sentence. Its semantic incompleteness depends on the lexical composition, which is not necessarily associated with deixis, and is determined by the context. In other words, the range of sentences that are semantically incomplete for the interlocutor turns out to be much wider than that caused by pronouns. It is appropriate to recall in connection with the considered semantic incompleteness of the words of M.M. Bakhtin that a sentence outside the text is not a unit of communication at all [6, 440].

This means that conceptual and / or connotative uncertainty, including incompleteness, is its constant property, which it gets rid of only in a context or in a situation. Words in abstract and even concrete vocabulary may lack a denotative connection, and in this case, for the interlocutor, they represent the same signs that need to be completed as pronouns.

– ????????? ??????? ? ????, ?????? ???? ???????? ???.

The uncertainty of the subject is also emphasized by the logical selection of the predicate, thanks to its inverted position, which results in the acquisition of a generalized sentence. If we compare the sentence with the direct word order ??????? ????????? ? ????, ?????? ???? ???????? ??? with Chekhov's phrase, then the second “is less connected with temporal relations” [9, 122], which emphasizes in it the significance of the conclusion, the assessment of the situation as a whole. The name of the person's face raises the question of who is from the reader, demanding its restoration in the same way as if the pronoun he was in its place. ??????? (??) (A person (he)) in the Chekhovian context is a correspondent who disapproved of the play. Substitution of the nomination “???????” by a pronoun, he does not change anything in the nature of the perception of the content of the sentence, which in any case will reveal its completeness in the context if it does not imply a special play on words. And a comparison of sentences with differently expressed subjects is a person and he will lead to the conclusion that, according to the degree of their incompleteness, the first of them, where the subject does not contain gender correlation, will be more uncertain than the second, which has a person's correlation with gender.

Grammatically incomplete sentences are divided into three types, depending on the nature of their incompleteness.

A. Contextually Incomplete Sentences

These are sentences, the unsubstituted element of which is contained in the context (most often in the previous one), and there can be more than one such elements:

??????? ??????? ?? ?????? ???? ??????. ????? ???? ?????????. ????? ???? ????... ???, ??????? ????????, ??? ? ?????????? (???.). ????? ??????? ??????? ???? ????????????? ??????????? ??????? ? ?????????????? ????? ?? ??????.

The main term of the infinitive sentence to expel and the circumstance of place from the country are omitted here.

Such sentences are often found in both written and oral speech, since they do not overload the text space with repetitions.

B.  Dialogically Incomplete Sentences

Sentences of this type are elements of a dialogue (question-answer form). These are mainly response remarks:

— ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???????????? — ????????, ??????????? ?????????.

— ?? ????? ?????? ????????, ??????? ???, ??? ???????????????, ??????????? ?????????, — ???????????????? ?????? ?????, ??????? ??????????? ????? (????.).

These can also be sentences of a re-asking, clarifying type.

— ????; ????; ?????; ??????:

— ?? ?????? ??????, ??? ? ????? — ?????????? ????????? ? ?????????? ???????????, — ?? ????? ??????????????

— ? ? ??? ??????, ??? ??, ????? — ?????? ??????? ????, ? ???????? ???????? ?????????.

— ????? ?????????????? — ???????? ??????????? (????.).

In journalistic and artistic speech, there is such a phenomenon as dialogization. Its essence is that a monologic narration takes on the dialogical form. The author imagines an interlocutor who can ask a similar question, and gives his own answer, most often in the form of an incomplete sentence: ??? ??????, ??? ?? ?? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ?? ???????? ????????.

C.  Situationally Incomplete Sentences

The grammatical incompleteness of these sentences does not lead to their insufficiency as a communicative whole, since in certain situations the communication participants, without even entering into a dialogue, realize the semantic clarity of such incomplete sentences: «? ?????? ????????!» — ?????? ???????? ????????????.

In semantic terms, these constructions are close to words-sentences with the meaning of will, as the example shows. The difference is that a situationally incomplete sentence, for example, the command ??? ???! (Once again!), Can be restored by other members of the sentence to its full form (Read the text again; Sing the song again, etc.), and the interjection word-sentence ???! grammatically indecomposable and at the same time communicatively unambiguous.

Let us pay attention to the fact that incomplete sentences of various types can create the impression of an emotionally saturated situation, when the interrupted, dismembered speech of the hero, the character of a literary work, speaks of the depth of the feeling he is experiencing:

???? ????? ??????? ?????

? ? ???????? ??? ?????.

?? ?? ??????. (????????.-???.).

??????? ?? ??? ??? (??????.-???.)

?? ????? ????? ?? ????

???????. ? ????, ????!

??? ?????? ??? ??? ?????... (????????.-???.)

???????? ??... (??????.-???.) (?.)

II. FUNCTIONS OF INCOMPLETE SENTENCES

• Help avoid tautology;
• Facilitate speech;
• Simplify the construction of complex sentences;

Incomplete sentences are divided into contextual and situational by connecting text meaning.

Contextual are incomplete sentences with unnamed members of the sentence that were mentioned in the context: in the next sentences or in the same sentence if it is complex:

?? ???? ??????? ???????, ???????? ????, ? ??????? ????????? ?????? – ???????? ? ???????? ??????? ? ?????????? ??????? ??????? ??? ????????? ? ??????????????? ?????? ???????, ????????? ??????. ?? ?????? ????? ?????????, ? ?????? ????, ??? ????????? ?????? ?? ?????? ????? ? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ???????????? (???????).

In 1st sentence, the predicate ????? was omitted (in 2nd sentence it is present), and in 2 - part of the circumstance ??????? (in 1st sentence, the same type of circumstance is given in full – ?? ???? ???????.

Among the contextual proposals, the following stand out:

Simple sentences with unnamed major or minor members (individually or in groups).

No subject: – ??????, ?? ??? ??? – ???????? ?????. – ????????? ???????, – ???????????????? ??????? ? ???? ?????????? ??? ???? (?. ???.). (? – ????????? ???????).

Lack of predicate: – ?? ?????? ????, ??????? – ???, ??? ???? (???.). (???, ??? ???? ???????).

Absence of both subject and predicate:– ???????? ????????? ????? ????????? – ?????! – ??????? ? ?? (?. ?.) (???????? ????????? ???????? ?????).

Absence of predicate and circumstance: ??????? ????? ????? ? ???????. ???? ?? - ? ?????, ? ???????? (?.). (???? ?? ????? ????? ? ?????, ? ????????).

Lack of predicate and complement: ??? ??? ????? ??????, ???????? ??????? (?. ???.) (??? ????? ??????, ???????? ???????).

The absence of a minor member of the proposal (additions, circumstances) in the presence of a definition relating to the absent member: ???? ?????? ???? ???????, ? ???????? ???? ??????. ? ???????? ???? ???? (?. ???.) (? ???????? ???? ???? ????????).

Complex sentences with an unnamed main or subordinate clause: – ??, ??? ? ???? ??????? ????????? – ? ??? ???? ???? ???????, ?? ????????? – ???? – ??? ??????, «???»? ???. – ??? ?? ???? – ??? ?? ????.

Situational are incomplete sentences with unnamed members, which are clear from the situation, prompted by the situation.

For example: the sentence ????! supplemented by the subject-actor, depending on the situation of speech (train, teacher, bus, etc.).

– ????! – ????? ?????????? ?? ?????. – ??? ?????? (the situation of speech suggests that yellow light is meant).

– ? – ? ??????? – ???? ???? ? ????. – ?? ???? ????, ?? ???? ????, – ?????????? ??, – ?? ????? ????, ???????. - ? ????????? ??????, ? ??????? ??????? ??????? (meaning boots).

It should be noted that the division of sentences into situational and contextual is to a certain extent arbitrary, since the word context often denotes the situation of speech. In addition, in written speech, situational sentences acquire some properties of contextual sentences, since the situation of speech is described, receives verbal expression, for example: – ??? ???! – ??????? ??????? ?????, ????? ?? ??????? ? ????? ? ??? (?. ???????).

Depending on the type of speech, incomplete dialogical and monologic sentences are distinguished, which can be both oral and written.

To sum up, incomplete sentences are sentences in which a member of the sentence is omitted, which is necessary for the completeness of the structure and meaning of this sentence. It is classified by its contextual meaning, semantics and grammar.

References

[1] Forsyth, James. A grammar of aspect: Usage and meaning in the Russian verb. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970. [2] Rappaport, Gilbert. Grammatical function and syntactic structure: The adverbial participle of Russian. Columbus, OH: Slavica, 1984 [3] Wade, Terence. A comprehensive Russian grammar. Oxford: Blackwell, 2002. [4] ?????????, ?. ?. ???????? ?? ???? ??????????? / ?. ?. ????????? // ???????????? ?????????????? ???- ????? ? ????????? ???????????. – ?.: ?????, 1969. [5] ?????????, ?. ?. ??????????? ??????? ????. ?????????. ?????????? / ?. ?. ?????????, ?. ?. ????????. – ?.: ???????????, 1987. – 256 ?. [6] ??????, ?. ?. ???????? ??????? ??????. ???????????-??????????? ?????? / ?. ?. ??????. – ?.: ???. ???., 1986. – 544 ?. [7] ?????????, ?. ?. ??????? ???????????? ???? ? ???????? / ?. ?. ?????????. – ?.: ?????, 1967. – 280 ?. [8] ?????????, ?. ?. ????? ???? ? ??????????? ??????? ????? / ?. ?. ?????????. – ?.: ???????????, 1980. – 112 ?. [9] ??????, ?. ?. ?????????????? ?????????? ???????????? ? ??????????? ??????? ????? / ?. ?. ??????. – ?.: ?????, 1976. – 152 ?.

Copyright

Copyright © 2022 Usmanova Z. U., Semyonova M. A.. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.