Summary
This article explores similarity strategies in Russian and Polish arising on the level of morphosyntax. More specifically, it inspects prepositional models that fall under N1 Prep-N0 N2 structure and are involved in expressing similarity between N1 and N2 or are conducive to context-induced similative meanings. The discussed models are based on the prepositions v/w ‘in’ (v stile/w stylu, vo vkuse/w guście, v duxe, vrode/w rodzaju, v manere, w typie, w gatunku, w typie), iz/z ‘from’ (iz razrjada, z rodzaju, z gatunku, z cyklu), na ‘onto/for’ (napodobie/na podobieństwo, na maner, na fason, na kształt, na wzór), po ‘by, in line with’ (po tipu), o ‘about’. The type of accepted N0 and the preferred type of the right-hand context, show far-reaching similarities between the two languages. Yet, particular attention is given to the cases when a string develops similarity meaning in one language, but not in the other, e. g. structures with specific N0s or even with specific prepositions, as in the case of Russian po + NDAT and Polish o +NLOC.
References
Artemenko, Maria V. 2018. Otymennyj reljativ “po tipu”: semantiko-sintagmatičeskie svojstva [Nominal relator “po tipu”: semantic and syntagmatic features], Filologičeskie nauki. Voprosy teorii i praktiki [Philological sciences. Questions of theory and practice] 6(84). 312–316. 10.30853/filnauki.2018-6-2.23Search in Google Scholar
Arutjunova, Nina D. 1990. Toždestvo i podobie: sravnenie i identifikacija [Identity and similarity: comparison and identification]. Moskva: Nauka. Search in Google Scholar
Bogusławski, Andrzej. 2005. O operacjach przysłówkowych [On the adverbial procedures]. In: Grochowski, Maciej (red.), Przysłówki i przyimki. Studia ze składni i semantyki języka polskiego [Adverbs and prepositions. Studies in syntax and semantics of Polish], 15–44. Toruń: Wydawnictwo UMK.Search in Google Scholar
Bužarovska, Eleni. 2005. Equality versus similarity constructions in English, Journal of Language and Linguistics 4(1). 74–99.Search in Google Scholar
Cooke, Theresa & Jäkel, Frank & Wallraven, Christian & Heinrich H. Bülthoff. 2007. Multimodal similarity and categorization of novel, three-dimensional objects, Neuropsychologia 45(3). 484–495.10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.02.009Search in Google Scholar
Creissels, Denis. 2017. Similarity, suitability, and non-epistemic modalities (volitionality, ability, and obligation). In: Treis, Yvonne & Martine Vanhove (eds.), Similative and Equative Constructions: A crosslinguistic perspective. 79–90. Amsterdam: John Benjamis. 10.1075/tsl.117.04creSearch in Google Scholar
Danielewiczowa, Magdalena. 2019. Dziewczyna o perłowych włosach, dziewczyna z perłowymi włosami – fraza przyimkowa w funkcji przydawki atrybutywnej. Skłądnia, szyk, znaczenie. [Dziewczyna o perłowych włosach, dziewczyna z perłowymi włosami – prepositional attributive phrases. Syntax, order, meaning]. Poradnik Językowy 09. 11–25.10.33896/PorJ.2019.9.1Search in Google Scholar
The Dictionary of 16th Century Polish: https://spxvi.edu.pl/.Search in Google Scholar
Efremova, Tatjana F. 2004. Tolkovyj slovar’ služebnyx častej reči russkogo jazyka [Explanatory Dictionary of Functional Parts of Speech in the Russian Language]. Moscow: Astrel.Search in Google Scholar
Efremova, Tatjana F. 2000. Novyj slovar’ russkogo jazyka. Tolkovo-slovoobrazovatel’nyj. Moscow: Russkij jazyk.Search in Google Scholar
Fortescue, Michael. 2010. Similitude: A conceptual category. Acta Linguistica Hafniensia 42(2). 117–142.10.1080/03740463.2010.521442Search in Google Scholar
GICR = The General Internet-Corpus of Russian. http://www.webcorpora.ru/en/, last accessed: 10 July 2023.Search in Google Scholar
Gipper, Sonja. 2018. From similarity to evidentiality. Uncertain visual/perceptual evidentiality in Yurakaré and other languages. In Foolen, Ad & de Hoop, Helen & Gijs Mulder (eds.), Evidence for Evidentiality. 257–280. John Benjamins. 10.1075/hcp.61.11gipSearch in Google Scholar
Goddard, Cliff & Anna Wierzbicka. 2014. Words and Meanings: Lexical Semantics Across Domains, Languages, and Cultures. Oxford University Press.10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199668434.001.0001Search in Google Scholar
Goldstone, Robert L. 1994. The role of similarity in categorization: providing a groundwork. Cognition 52(2). 125–57. Doi: 10.1016/0010-0277(94)90065–5.10.1016/0010-0277(94)90065-5Search in Google Scholar
Goodman, Nelson. 1972. Seven strictures on similarity. In Goodman, Nelson (ed.), Problems and projects. 437–447. New York: Bobbs-Merrill. Search in Google Scholar
Grochowski, Maciej (ed.). 2005. Przysłówki i przyimki. Studia ze składni i semantyki języka polskiego [Adverbs and prepositions. Studies in Polish syntax and semantics]. Toruń: UMK.Search in Google Scholar
Hahn, Ulrike & Michael Ramscar (eds.). 2001. Similarity and categorization. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198506287.001.0001Search in Google Scholar
Hampton, James A. 2015. Categories, prototypes and exemplars. In Riemer, Nick (ed.), The Routledge handbook of semantics. Abingdon: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar
Haspelmath, Martin & Oda Buchholz. 1998. Equative and similative constructions in the languages of Europe. In van der Auwera, Johan (ed.), Adverbial Constructions in the Languages of Europe. 277–334. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. doi:10.1515/9783110802610.27710.1515/9783110802610.277Search in Google Scholar
Hoffmann, Sebastian. 2005. Grammaticalization and English complex prepositions: a corpus-based study. London: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar
Irsara, Martina. 2021. Expressing equality and similarity in English, Italian, and Ladin: Interlingual contrastive features and micro-variation. Linguistic Typology at the Crossroads 1–1 (2021). 47–93.Search in Google Scholar
Kisiel, Anna. 2022 a. Genetivus qualitatis and Polish multinominal attributive phrases. SLE55. Search in Google Scholar
Kisiel, Anna. 2022 b. Vagueness and categorization in Polish prepositional constructions. In Vassiliadou, Hélène & Marie Lammert (eds.), Clear versus approximate categorisation: a crosslinguistic perspective, 339–371. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.Search in Google Scholar
Kisiel, Anna. 2023. Polish w stylu and the raise of hedges. In Mihatsch, Wiltrud & Hennecke, Inga & Kisiel, Anna & Kolyaseva, Alena & Davidse, Kristin & Lieselotte Brems (eds.), Type Noun Constructions in Slavic, Germanic and Romance Languages: Semantics and Pragmatics on the Move. 545–569. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110701104-014Search in Google Scholar
Kolyaseva, Alena & Kristin Davidse. 2018. A typology of lexical and grammaticalized uses of Russian tip, tipa, po tipu. Russian Linguistics 42(2). 191–220.10.1007/s11185-018-9193-9Search in Google Scholar
Kolyaseva, Alena. 2022. The Russian prepositional TIPA and VRODE in online student discourse: evidence of attraction? Linguistics 60(5). 1451–1485.10.1515/ling-2021-0004Search in Google Scholar
Kisiel, Anna & Kolyaseva, Alena. 2023. Towards a comprehensive typology of type noun constructions in Slavic languages, with special focus on Polish and Russian. In Mihatsch, Wiltrud & Hennecke, Inga & Kisiel, Anna & Kolyaseva, Alena & Davidse, Kristin & Lieselotte Brems (eds.), Type Noun Constructions in Slavic, Germanic and Romance Languages: Semantics and Pragmatics on the Move. 501–544. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.10.1515/9783110701104-013Search in Google Scholar
Krążyńska, Zdzisława. 2000. Staropolskie konstrukcje z przyimkami. Część I [Old-Polish constructions with prepositions. Part I]. Poznań: Poznańskie Studia Polonistyczne.Search in Google Scholar
Krążyńska, Zdzisława. 2001. Staropolskie konstrukcje z przyimkami. Część II [Old-Polish constructions with prepositions. Part II]. Poznań: Poznańskie Studia Polonistyczne.Search in Google Scholar
Kubicka, Emilia. 2015. Idziemy kulawym, ale rytmicznym krokiem. O formalnie narzędnikowych operacjach przysłówkowych (rekonesans) [We are going at a hobble but steady pace. On fomally instrumental adverbial operations (reconnaissance)]. In Moroz, Andrzej & Sobotka, Piotr & Magdalena Żabowska (eds.), Maiuscula linguistica. Studia in honorem professori Matthiæ Grochowski sextuagesimo quinto edicate. 294–308. Warszawa: BEL Studio. Search in Google Scholar
Kurzowa, Zofia. 1986. O pewnych konstrukcjach narzędnikowych we współczesnym języku polskim [On certain instrumental constructions in present-day Polish]. In Sławski, Franciszek (red.), Collectanea linguistica in honorem Adami Heinz, 83–89. Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich – Wydawnictwo PAN. Search in Google Scholar
LEADhoC Project. http://www.leadhoc.org/index.php/project/ad-hoc-categories-in-discourse/, last accessed: 10 July 2023.Search in Google Scholar
Lepnev, Mixail G. 2009. Slovar’ neproizvodnych predlogov sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Dictionary of Non-Derived Prepositions in the Modern Russian Language]. Sankt-Peterburg: Gumanitarnaja akademija.Search in Google Scholar
Letuchiy, Alexander. 2008. Sravnitel’nye konstrukcii, irrealis i ėvidencial’nost’ [Comparative constructions, irrealis and evidentiality]. In Wiemer, Björn (ed.), Lexikalische Evidenzialitäts-Markerin slavischen. 217–238. München/Wien: Sagner. Search in Google Scholar
Lönngren, Lennart. 2003. Means of Expressing Similarity in Russian, Poljarnyj Vestnik 6. 33–45. https://doi.org/10.7557/6.1343.10.7557/6.1343Search in Google Scholar
MAS 1999 = Slovar’ russkogo jazyka v 4-x tomax (Malyj akademičeskij slovar’) [Dictionary of the Russian language in 4 volumes (Minor academic dictionary)], Evgen’eva (ed.). Moskva: Rus. jaz. Poligrafresursy. Search in Google Scholar
Milewska, Beata. 2003. Słownik polskich przyimków wtórnych [A dictionary of Polish secondary prepositions]. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo UG.Search in Google Scholar
NKJP = National Corpus of Polish. https://nkjp.pl/, last accessed: 10 July 2023.Search in Google Scholar
Przybylska, Renata. 2002. Polisemia przyimków polskich w świetle semantyki kognitywnej [Polysemy of Polish prepositions in the light of cognitive semantics]. Kraków: Universitas.Search in Google Scholar
Quirk, Randolph et al. 1985. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. London: Longman.Search in Google Scholar
Rakhilina, Ekaterina & Elena Tribushinina. 2011. The Russian instrumental of comparison: A constructional approach. In Grygiel, Marcin & Laura Janda (eds.), Linguistics in a Cognitive Framework. 145–174. Berlin: Peter Lang. Search in Google Scholar
RNC = Russian National Corpus. https://ruscorpora.ru/, last accessed: 10 July 2023.Search in Google Scholar
Rosch, Eleanor. 1975. Cognitive representations of semantic categories, Journal of Experimental Psychology 104(3). 192–233.10.1037//0096-3445.104.3.192Search in Google Scholar
Ruiz de Mendoza Ibáñez, Francisco José & María Sandra Peña Cervel. 2023. Structural similarity in figurative language: A preliminary cognitive analysis, Lingua 290. 1–20.10.1016/j.lingua.2023.103541Search in Google Scholar
Sakhno, Serguei. 2010. Les avatars du sens et de la fonction dans le phénomène de la grammaticalisation: Description systématique du lexème russe vrode ‘dans le genre de’ comparé à d’autres lexèmes russes grammaticalisés à fonctionnement proche. Monographie inédite présentée en vue de l’obtention d’une habilitation à diriger des recherches, Université Paris Ouest. https://hal.science/file/index/docid/765376/filename/Sakhno_Serguei_LES_AVATARS_DU_SENS_ET_DE_LA_FONCTION_Phenomene_de_grammaticalisation.pdf [last accessed: 10 July 2023]Search in Google Scholar
Semenova, Oksana V. 2000. Morfologičeskij status i sintaksičeskie funkcii slova vrode. [The morphological status and syntactic functions of the word vrode]. Dissertation for the degree of candidate of philological sciences. Moscow: Moscow State Pedagogical University.Search in Google Scholar
Sinielnikoff, Roxana. 1958. Tzw. narzędnik porównawczy w twórczości poetyckiej Juliana Tuwima [So-called instrumental of comparison in the poetry of Julian Tuwim], Poradnik Językowy 9. 429–445.Search in Google Scholar
SJPDor: Doroszewski, Witold. 1958–69. Słownik języka polskiego [Dictionary of Polish]. Warszawa: PWN. Search in Google Scholar
SJP Linde: Linde, Bogumił Samuel. 1807–14. Słownik języka polskiego [Dictionary of Polish]. Warszawa: Drukarnia XX. Piiarów.Search in Google Scholar
Sovran, Tamar. 1992. Between similarity and sameness, Journal of Pragmatics 18(4). 329–344.10.1016/0378-2166(92)90093-QSearch in Google Scholar
Spronck, Stef. 2016. Evidential fictive interaction (in Ungarinyin and Russian). In Pascual, Esther & Sergeiy Sandler (eds.), The conversation frame. Forms and functions of fictive interaction, 255–275. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/hcp.55.13sprSearch in Google Scholar
SRJ 11–17 vv. 1975–1990 = Slovar’ russkogo jazyka XI-XVII vv. [Dictionary of the Russian language of 11–17 c.] Moskva/Sankt Peterburg: Nauka/Nestor-Istoria. http://etymolog.ruslang.ru/index.php?act=xi-xvii, last accessed: 10 July 2023.Search in Google Scholar
Sweet, Henry. 1892. A New English Grammar – Logical and Historical. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Search in Google Scholar
TLFi = Trésor de la Langue Française informatisé. http://atilf.atilf.fr/tlf.htm, last accessed: 10 July 2023. Search in Google Scholar
Treis, Yvonne & Martine Vanhove (eds.). 2017. Similative and Equative Constructions: A cross-linguistic perspective. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.10.1075/tsl.117Search in Google Scholar
Treis, Yvonne & Claudine Chamoureau (eds.). 2019. Comparaisons d’égalité et de similitude et expression de la simulation. Special issue Faits de Langues 50(1). 10.1163/19589514-05001004Search in Google Scholar
Umbach, Carla & Helmar Gust. 2021. Grading similarity. In Löbner, Sebastian & Gamerschlag, Thomas & Kalenscher, Tobias & Schrenk, Markus & Henk Zeevat (eds.), Concepts, Frames and Cascades in Semantics, Cognition and Ontology. 365–386. Berlin: Springer.10.1007/978-3-030-50200-3_17Search in Google Scholar
Vasmer, Max. 1986–87 [1950–58]. Etimologičeskij slovar’ russkogo jazyka: v 4 t.[Etymological dictionary of the Russian language: in 4 vol.] (translated by O. N. Trubačev). Moskva: Progress. Search in Google Scholar
Vsevolodova, Maja V. & Klobukov, Evgenij V. & Kukushkina, Olga V. & Anatolij A. Polikarpov. 2003. K osnovanijam funkcional’no-kommunikativnoj grammatiki russkogo predloga [On the foundations of the functional-communicative grammar of the Russian preposition]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta [Moscow University Bulletin]. Series 9, Philology 2. 17–59.Search in Google Scholar
Vsevolodova, Maja V. & Kukushkina, Olga V. & Anatolij A. Polikarpov. 2014. Russkie Predlogi i Sredstva Predložnogo Tipa. Materialy k Funkcional’no-Grammatčeskomu Opisaniju Real’nogo Upotreblenija. Kniga 1 [Russian prepositions and Prepositional Means. Materials for the Functional-Grammatical Description of Real Use. Book 1]. Moskva: Librokom.Search in Google Scholar
Vsevolodova, Maja V. & Vinogradova, Evgenia N. & Tatiana E. Chaplygina. 2018. Russkie Predlogi i Sredstva Predložnogo Tipa. Materialy k Funkcional’no- Grammatičeskomu Opisaniju Real’nogo Upotreblenija: Reestr Russkich Predložnych Edinic A – V (Ob’’ektivnaja Grammatika) Kn.2 [Russian Prepositions and Prepositional Means. Materials for the Functional-Grammatical Description of Real Use: Register of Russian Prepositional Units A – B (Objective Grammar). Book 2]. Moskva: Librokom.Search in Google Scholar
Wiemer, Björn. 2024. Complementizers: Polish jakoby: an exotic similative-reportive doughnut? Tracing the pathway and conditions of its rise. Linguistics 3(64). 729–767. 10.1515/ling-2021-0199Search in Google Scholar
Wierzbicka, Anna. 1980. The case for surface case. Ann Arbor: Karoma.Search in Google Scholar
Wojtasiewicz, Olgierd A. 1969. O pewnej funkcji narzędnika [On a certain function of instrumental], Poradnik Językowy 2. 75–76.Search in Google Scholar
WSJP = Wielki słownik języka polskiego [Great Dictionary of Polish]. https://wsjp.pl/, last accessed: 10 July 2023.Search in Google Scholar
© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Frontmatter
- Similarity strategies in Russian and Polish: structures with prepositions
- Ways of translating author’s neologisms of Russian poets into German
- Die Briefe Aleksander Brückners an Franz Miklosich im kulturhistorischen Kontext der Epoche: Texte und Kommentare
- Analysis of the means of expressing doubt based on the Russian National Corpus
- Initial Insights into War-Time Media Communication: The Air Raid Alert Genre in Ukrainian Media (2022–2024) and Its Ritual-Symbolic Framing
- Influence of Translation Errors on Informa-tion Perception in East Slavic Languages (Ukrainian-Russian; Russian-Ukrainian)
- Tagungsberichte / Reports
- Internationale Konferenz New Insights into Slavic Linguistic Landscapes (28. und 29. Juni 2024)
- XXI. Workshop on “Intercultural Communication and Intercultural Learning”
- Nachruf / Obituary
- Jurij Derenikovič Apresjan 1930–2024
- Buchbesprechungen / Book Reviews
- Strict Negative Concord in Slavic and Finno-Ugric
- Ivan Franko: Sonety / Sonette
- Linguistik des ökologischen Diskurses
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Frontmatter
- Similarity strategies in Russian and Polish: structures with prepositions
- Ways of translating author’s neologisms of Russian poets into German
- Die Briefe Aleksander Brückners an Franz Miklosich im kulturhistorischen Kontext der Epoche: Texte und Kommentare
- Analysis of the means of expressing doubt based on the Russian National Corpus
- Initial Insights into War-Time Media Communication: The Air Raid Alert Genre in Ukrainian Media (2022–2024) and Its Ritual-Symbolic Framing
- Influence of Translation Errors on Informa-tion Perception in East Slavic Languages (Ukrainian-Russian; Russian-Ukrainian)
- Tagungsberichte / Reports
- Internationale Konferenz New Insights into Slavic Linguistic Landscapes (28. und 29. Juni 2024)
- XXI. Workshop on “Intercultural Communication and Intercultural Learning”
- Nachruf / Obituary
- Jurij Derenikovič Apresjan 1930–2024
- Buchbesprechungen / Book Reviews
- Strict Negative Concord in Slavic and Finno-Ugric
- Ivan Franko: Sonety / Sonette
- Linguistik des ökologischen Diskurses