Invariant borrowed modifiers
Modern Russian uses borrowed or clipped modifiers that do not overtly change for gender, number, or case.
- Depending on the lexeme and analysis, dictionaries may call them invariant adjectives, nouns in apposition, or compound components. Behaviour in the phrase is the practical diagnostic.
| Expression | Invariant item | Phrase behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| ю́бка ми́ни | ми́ни | postposed size/style modifier |
| пла́тье ма́кси | ма́кси | unchanged with neuter head |
| стиль ре́тро | ре́тро | style label |
| цвет ха́ки | ха́ки | colour term |
| но́мер люкс | люкс | class label/apposition |
| язы́к ко́ми | ко́ми | ethnolinguistic label |
Read the model
3.19 · Invariant borrowed modifiers · table 1
ю́бка ми́ни · ми́ни · postposed size/style modifierпла́тье ма́кси · ма́кси · unchanged with neuter headMini-check
What changes in но́вая ю́бка ми́ни? Does invariant mean 'no syntactic relation'?
Apply this next
- Say the Russian examples aloud, cover the model, and retrieve the pattern once before continuing.