Oriental Studies (Dec 2021)
Khakass Expanded Sentence Patterns with Comparative Expressions
Abstract
Introduction. This article, based on the material of the Khakass language, describes models of complicated sentences with comparative constructions. Notably, many issues related to the description of complicated sentences in Khakass have not received proper coverage yet, which determines the relevance of this study. The article aims to identify and analyze the structural-semantic types, as well as ways of expressing complicated sentences with comparative constructions in the Khakass language. The research is based on a solid sample of examples from the texts of fiction of various genres, folklore, and journalistic texts, as well as recordings of oral speech. Results. The research shows that there are three types of complicated sentences in Khakass, including a comparative model based on the equality of compared features, a comparative-gradation model, and a substitution model. Each model is described in terms of its basic semantics and ways of formalizing the relationship between dependent and main parts, with specific examples illustrating their use. Each model varies in semantic and structural terms. The comparative model of equal features and the comparative-gradation model have two variants, the substitution model has five. In a comparative model based on equality of features, equal relations between two given events are expressed, while the comparison-gradation model compares the degree of significance of given events, with the action in the main part becoming significant. The substitution model may be of two types: substitutive per se and substitutive-preferential. In substitutive models proper, the actions of the main part do not meet the speaker’s expectation, while in the other model, preference is given to the main event.
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