Constructions of Cardinal Numerals with Their Associated Nouns in the Synodal First Copy of the Extended Edition of ‟Russkaya Pravda” Compared to the Troitsky First Copy

Abstract

This article examines the system of combinations of cardinal numerals with their associated nouns in the Synodal First Copy of the Extended Edition of Russkaya Pravda, in comparison with the Troitsky First Copy. Numerals remain one of the least studied parts of speech in the Russian language, especially from a diachronic perspective. There are still aspects of their development as an independent part of speech that are insufficiently clarified and require further investigation.

In Old Russian, words denoting numbers were not typically regarded as numerals in the grammatical sense of an independent part of speech. Instead, they were primarily linked by their shared semantic meaning. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of all combinations of cardinal numerals with associated nouns in the examined document. These combinations were grouped, categorized, and systematically analyzed.

The research focuses on deviations from established norms in quantitative constructions. Particular attention is given to numeral-noun combinations that diverge from the grammatical standards of Old Church Slavonic (Russian recension), Old Russian, and early Russian Church Slavonic. These deviations shed light on the processes influencing numeral syntax and morphology during this period.

The findings suggest that the text under study exhibits distinctive features that differ from the typical processes through which cardinal numerals acquired their general morphological and syntactic properties.