Three semantic prototypes
Traditional Russian grammar distinguishes qualitative, relative, and possessive adjectives by the kind of relation they express.
- The classes predict tendencies in comparison, short forms, intensification, and paraphrase, but polysemy means a lexeme can behave differently in different senses.
| Prototype | Core question | Example |
|---|---|---|
| qualitative | What degree of a property? | высо́кий дом, до́м вы́ше |
| relative | Related to what domain/material/time? | зимний день, дере́вянный стол |
| possessive | Whose / associated with which individual? | ма́мина кни́га, ли́сий хвост |
| contextual shift | Has the relation become a quality? | золото́й челове́к |
Read the model
3.17 · Three semantic prototypes · table 1
qualitative · What degree of a property? · высо́кий дом, до́м вы́шеrelative · Related to what domain/material/time? · зимний день, дере́вянный столMini-check
Classify дере́вянный in дере́вянный стол. Why can one lexeme occupy more than one class?
Apply this next
- Say the Russian examples aloud, cover the model, and retrieve the pattern once before continuing.