Function words words dӗlja and radi in the Old Russian language: Prepositions, postpositions or something else?

Abstract

In this article, we try to figure out the linear order rules for the functional words dӗlja and radi as represented in Old Russian texts from the 11th to the 13th century. These rules demonstrate that in certain contexts the syntactic behaviour of the elements in question does not comply with normal patterns for prepositions but is rather characteristic either of the so-called 2nd position clitic adpositions located within the nominal phrase they dominate (which is the most general case) or of the postpositions which follow the whole nominal phrase (which case is far less frequent).

Keywords

• old russian language
• prepositions
• postpositions
• adpositions
• clitics
• linear order