The Interaction between Verbal Predicates and Metaphorical Classifiers: A Temporal-Actional Analysis of Three Russian Binominal Constructions

This paper aims at contributing to the research on Russian binominal constructions composed of a metaphorical classifier (N1) and a genitive modifier (N2). Specifically, it examines three binominals where the N1 denotes natural phenomena: reka ‘river,’ gora ‘mountain’ and volna ‘wave.’ Building on the claim that this kind of constructions can exhibit verbal properties, such as lexical aspect (also known as actionality), this work further investigates the phenomenon in the aforementioned Russian binominals. Adopting a usage-based approach, the three binominals are examined when appearing in subject position, on the assumption that analyzing the types of ‘actions’ they perform might shed light on their actional properties. The ultimate goal is to determine i) what actional meanings are exactly activated in the binominals and ii) which elements of the utterance trigger them. The analysis demonstrates that, when the dynamic N1s reka and volna are used in subject position, verbs play a crucial role in reinforcing the metaphor and enhancing the actional features of the binominals. In contrast, the actional features of gora seem to be less influenced by the verbal predicate. Additionally, the findings contribute to the ongoing debate on whether these N1 function as quantifiers or classifiers, supporting the classifier approach.