Verb-and-Nominal Phrases with Semantics of Visual Perception: Synchronic and Diachronic Approach

Abstract

The article deals with the issue of perception representation potential by Russian verbs. The study is focused on stylistically marked verb-and-nominal phrases with the meaning of visual perception (vperit' glaza / vzgljad / vzor; lupit' glaza; pjalit' glaza; taraschit' glaza). The analysis was based on various materials from lexicographic sources that reflect the state of the Russian language in various periods of its evaluation and the data from the National Russian Language Corpus on functioning of verb-and-nominal phrases. The complex approach made it possible to identify collocation potential of the language units under analysis in modern Russian language and to define limitations on their usage in fiction and media styles. Semantic changes in the meaning of verbal constituents define patterns aimed at constructing semantics of perception in a pair with the nouns of perception that represent intense visual ability to perceive. It is concluded that semantic changes are based on correlation between the process of visual perception and another process that is not directly associated with the instance of perceiving, but may be apprehended with the sight conceptualization (during movement in space or physical impact at an object). The results might become the basis for further studies in the field of sensory linguistics.