Dabartinės lietuvių literatūrinės kalbos laiko konstrukcijos su prielinksniu „per“

ŽODŽIŲ FORMOS IR JŲ VARTOSENA LIETUVOS TSR MOKSLŲ AKADEMIJA A. RUZĖ TEMPORAL CONSTRUCTIONS IN CONTEMPORARY STANDARD LITHUANIAN WITH THE PREPOSITION per Introduction § 1. Temporal constructions1 whose main component is a verb and whose dependent component is the preposition per with a noun in the accusative are highly productive and frequently used in contemporary standard Lithuanian. Just as among temporal constructions marked by case, constructions with the accusative stand out for their productivity, so among temporal constructions with prepositions, constructions with the preposition per stand out. Until now, constructions with the preposition per have not been specifically studied; only the meanings of the preposition per itself have been discussed. However, the meanings of per, as with those of other prepositions, cannot be disentangled from the meaning of the construction as a whole. E. Fraenkel provides the most information on the use of the preposition per with a temporal meaning in our older writings2. He distinguishes four cases of use of the preposition per, indicating in general terms the meanings of the nouns with which the preposition is used. A. Schleicher3 mentions only briefly the use of the preposition per with a temporal meaning, giving several examples. F. Kurschat4 distinguishes only two temporal meanings of the preposition per. In “Cases and Prepositions,” J. Jablonskis5 does not characterize the meanings of the preposition per, but merely provides several examples of its temporal meaning among examples of other meanings. A. Senas6 distinguishes three temporal meanings of the preposition per, but illustrates them with no examples. E. Valiulytė examines the temporal meanings of the preposition per in contemporary standard language most extensively, in her candidate’s dissertation and in the academic grammar7. § 2. This article examines not the temporal meanings of the preposition per, but temporal constructions consisting of a verb and a noun in the accusative with the preposition per. The grammatical structure of temporal constructions with the preposition per is discussed here— 1 Temporal constructions, or constructions, are here understood as word combinations expressing temporal relations. For convenience, constructions whose main component is a verb and whose dependent component is the preposition per with a noun (alone or with a modifier) are henceforth often called constructions with the preposition per. Similarly, constructions whose dependent component is a noun in the accusative, a noun in the instrumental, or a postposition such as metu, laiku with a noun, and so on, are called constructions with the accusative, constructions with the instrumental, constructions with the postpositions metu, laiku, and so on, according to the most distinctive grammatical feature of the dependent component. 2 E. Fraenkel, Syntax of Lithuanian Postpositions and Prepositions, Heidelberg, 1929, p. 123—125. 3 A. Schleicher, Handbuch der litauischen Sprache, Prag, 1856, p. 282. 4 F. Kurschat, Grammatik der littauischen Sprache, Halle, 1876, p. 395, 396. 5 J. Jablonskis, Rinktiniai raštai, t. I, Vilnius, 1957, p. 658—659. 6 A. Senn, Handbuch der litauischen Sprache, t. I, Heidelberg, 1966, p. 418. 7 See E. Валюлите, Значение и употребление предлогов с винительным падежом в современном литовском языке, Автореф. канд. диссерт., Вильнюс, 1966, p. 10—11; Lietuvių kalbos gramatika, vol. II, Vilnius, 1971, p. 630-631. 107 ...ture and lexical structure, the meanings of those constructions and their dependence on the grammatical and lexical properties of the construction, syntactic synonyms of temporal constructions with the preposition per are presented. § 3. Differences in the meanings of temporal constructions with the preposition per are most often determined by the following factors: 1) the aspect and meaning of the verb serving as the main constituent of the construction, 2) the lexical meaning of the dependent noun, 3) the lexical and grammatical properties of the modifier used with the noun, and 4) the number form of the dependent noun. These factors are not equally important in every case: in one case one factor is more significant, in another a different one. Taking into account the features of grammatical structure and lexical composition, five groups of temporal constructions with the preposition per are distinguished here by meaning: 1) constructions expressing an action and its point in time, 2) constructions expressing an action and its time period, 3) constructions expressing an action and its frequency, 4) constructions expressing an action and its duration, and 5) constructions expressing an action and its deadline for realization. It should be emphasized that the principal meanings of temporal constructions with the preposition per are not sharply differentiated. Many transitional cases and overlaps of meanings occur. Therefore, when distinguishing one meaning from another, subjectivity cannot always be avoided. Constructions expressing an action and its point or period in time § 4. An action and its point in time are usually expressed by constructions whose main constituent is a verb of perfective aspect. The action expressed by the verb takes place at a particular point within the time indicated by the noun. Tomorrow at lunch you will be shot. Lt IV 471. During New Year he sent him a short letter. Myk-PutR VII 90. Last year at Christmas the Petrokai family invited guests over. GričŽ 428. There were even more of those who had themselves committed one offense or another during the holidays. Myk-PutR III 200. And did you confess it to the priest during confession? VienR V 157. I arrived in Vilnius during the meeting. LKŽ. An action and its point in time are also expressed by constructions whose main constituent is a verb of imperfective aspect used with an auxiliary verb denoting the beginning or end of the action (take, begin, finish, stop, etc.). During the panic, the Germans began firing machine guns at one another. Gud-GuzR V 327. It stopped raining at lunchtime. Grl. Sometimes some constructions with this meaning are very close to constructions expressing an action and its deadline for realization. And what did Queen Grėtė’s estate look like after being beautified during the war? SimonR V 292. Dad had probably brought his workbench back into the cottage by now, having gathered the chisels and drills scattered during the war. VenclPU 288. During the thaw, the surface of the snow would melt a little. IvanAŽP 151. This nuance of meaning is determined by the preposition per. Although in such constructions one can discern that the action was realized at the time indicated by the noun, 8 For an understanding of syntactic synonymy, see A. Ružė, “On the Question of the Synonymy of Temporal Constructions,” Lietuvos TSR mokslų akademijos darbai, Series A, vol. 2(27), 1968, pp. 145–152. 108 but these constructions do not have a clear quantitative meaning, so they are classified among constructions denoting an action and its point in time (cf. § 42). § 5. Constructions denoting an action and its time period are most often formed with imperfective verbs. And Matas works diligently together throughout the day. SimonR I 36. The steppe whirlwinds will rise during the night, chill the blood, and cruelly caress. SNėrKBM 111. In what wildernesses our little animals shiver through the winter. BitKMD 53. During Shrove Tuesday, pots full of meat simmer in every cottage. VenclPU 94. Less often, the main constituent of constructions denoting an action and its time period is a perfective verb, denoting an action associated with a particular time period. It would have been proper to lull me to sleep during the morning. BaltPV II 237. We spent Christmas at home, sipping beer. Grl. It is characteristic that constructions with the preposition per denoting an action and its time period have no quantitative meaning: they emphasize the action and when it takes place, not how long it lasts. In this they differ from constructions denoting an action and its duration (cf. § 26). § 6. In constructions with the preposition per denoting an action and its point in time or period, the dependent noun may take either the singular or plural accusative form. When the noun has forms for both numbers, constructions with these meanings are always formed only with the singular accusative. We got ham and sausages again during dinner. VenclMA 128. On St. George’s Day, people, following the old custom, brought so many eggs and cheeses to the church that bucket after bucket of these gifts of God stood piled around the altar. BitKMD 649. He got a fur coat during the war. Lš. Such changes could occur only during an uprising, during a revolution. Vair-RačkKM 116. Yesterday I spent the day hauling grain to the granary. Vl. Now tell me, my good man, where did you take my father-in-law during the night? ČiurlRR II 251. The poor had already subsisted on nothing but flour porridge throughout the winter. BitKMD 642. With plural-only nouns, only those constructions whose main constituent is an iterative verb have a clear meaning of a point in time or period (cf. § 20). During the New Year holidays, she visited him again to wish him, as usual, a happy New Year and convey her father’s best wishes. Myk-PutR VII 56. Having returned home for the holidays, she recovered. LKŽ III 178. Three men went out on Shrove Tuesday after drinking well. BsP IV 40. I think we won’t go anywhere at Christmas. GrušK 127. Constructions whose main constituent is an imperfective iterative verb or a perfective or imperfective verb in the past frequentative form, and whose dependent noun is plural (without quantitative modifiers), generally denote an action and its frequency (see § 20). Constructions with a present passive participle also denote an action and its frequency (see § 20). § 7. The dependent noun in constructions denoting an action and its point in time or period is generally used without a modifier. Constructions with modifiers describing the quality of an object are less common, and these modifiers are optional. Structurally 109 Necessary modifiers occur only when nouns denote units of time measurement (see § 10). Quantitative modifiers are never found in constructions with this meaning. § 8. The most important feature distinguishing constructions denoting an action and its point in time from those denoting an action and its time period is the verbal aspect. With two exceptions (see §§ 9–10), the dependent constituent consists of nouns with the same meanings. In constructions denoting an action and its point in time, the noun is often emphasized by the particle pat or the attributive pronoun pats, -i. In spring, right in the middle of the busy season, they drove that fool to Šiauliai. JablRR I 659. It rained right at lunchtime. Lt I 49. Jurgis, accustomed to getting up early, stirred in the very depths of sleep and began prodding Arūnas to get ready for the journey. SajJPK 131. The particle pat and the pronoun pats, -i emphasize that the action takes place at a particular moment within the time denoted by the noun. In rare cases, the particle pat or the pronoun pats, -i occurs with nouns in constructions denoting an action and its time period. In such cases, the emphasis is on the fact that the action does not occupy the entire time denoted by the noun, but only a particular interval that is most characteristic of that time. Right in the middle of the spring indulgence, Anupras walked down the road, deep in thought, returning from Baltaragis’ mill. BorBM 164. Both the particle pat and the pronoun pats, -i are optional in these constructions. In other respects, the structure of the dependent constituent does not differ, so constructions with both meanings are discussed together here. In the illustrations, however, constructions denoting an action and its point in time are given first, followed on a new line by constructions denoting an action and its time period. § 9. Constructions denoting an action and its time period are particularly common with names of parts of the day diena, naktis and with names of seasons vasara, žiema, and occasionally also pavasaris, ruduo. Constructions denoting an action and its point in time are not formed with these nouns. Just the day before yesterday I pastured pigs in the stubble all day. SruogR II 355. During the day [Jokūbas] works without resting. ŽemR IV 235. It was great fun running around with the girls and Stasys all day. ŽemR IV 318. The old man praised Mykolas and told him to go home and make merry all day. BsRP 208. We labored all night and still didn’t manage to get it open. SajJPK 178. I sewed and thought all night. BinkGR 67. The wind rested after rustling and blowing all night. VenclR I 108. In the fields on the hills and on the lake islands, tar barrels blazed all night. VienR II 34. We fed the cow in the barn through the spring too. Iš. We gave them [milk] through the autumn. Dglš. He fooled around a bit through the autumn, and that will be enough. BorBM 95. He held on through the summer, but now he has taken to his bed. ŠRgR V 27. In spring, when the apple and pear trees blossomed, Petras and Julius would run to look at the orchard; through the summer they carried full pockets of ‘honey’, ‘lark’ and ‘antonovka’ apples from there. MačAD 57. Throughout the long winter days, the women chattered, working the spinning wheel. LKŽ VI 28. Nothing was made during the winter. VaižgRR II 357. If you spend the winter studying hard with a book, you can pass into the third grade. MarukŽŠG 26. A characteristic feature of these constructions is that the verbal action encompasses the entire time period specified. Therefore, constructions with these nouns are close to constructions denoting an action and its duration (cf. § 26). 110 Constructions with the preposition per have synonymous constructions with the accusative and constructions with the postpositions metu, laiku9 with the singular genitive. Constructions with the preposition per and a noun in the accusative have synonymous constructions with a noun in the accusative, in which the action expressed by the verb takes place throughout the entire period of time denoted by the noun10. Night birds sleep during the day. Jnš. I don’t sit at home during the day—I’m always out in the fields. Grl. I know well what it means to seek one’s shore at night. MiežŠA 163. At night the newborn [child] kept screaming and screaming. GričŽ 196. In spring the hens cackle on the threshing floor. Ml. In autumn they toil, and in winter they go caroling. Vj. He is an ordinary worker; he works at the port in summer and is unemployed in winter. SimonR V 246. He walks around in galoshes in summer. PaukštPM 41. Oh, little pines! Those uncounted little pines! Dense, tall and slender, their tops in bloom, green in summer and winter alike, like rue. BaranAŠ 22. In winter she combed flax, carded wool and spun it. DaukRR 180. In winter the man made nets and seine nets. KrėvŠP 202. Constructions with the preposition per likewise form the same kinds of synonyms with constructions using the postpositions metu, laiku. During the day they lay hidden in caves. BalčTVN₁ 100. During the day the boar lies in its lair. Elis ZV 587. During the day the salamander hides beneath stumps. MastTZ 420. At night the Vingis River explains a dream to the banks. BJuzRn 99. Worn out from the day, she had to keep watch over the child at night. LzPR I 374. He had to keep watch at night, especially to guard the stacks of boards. DovŽE 75. In spring, as soon as dawn begins to break, the nightingale is already singing in the willow thickets. BJuzRn 149. In autumn one must endure not only dampness but also wind (trš.). They used to eat lunch in the summer in the fence-lined corner of the yard. SruogR V 302. In summer Jankelis was never without work. KrėvRg 185. When the specter of hunger appeared at the gates of Berlin and knocked mercilessly with bony fingers, children were sent from there to the provinces in summer. SimonNTP 266. Pigs are easy to graze in the stubble field in summer. KrėvŠP 133. In summer they used to travel to Lithuania to spend time among their own people and indulge in linguistic matters. JabIR I IX. In summer it could be a good resort not only for the bourgeoisie but also for artists and scholars. VaižgRR II 357. In winter the trees stand silent beside the snipe. MačAD 77. Well then, what will we do in our old age during the winter? LzPR II 8. § 10. Nouns denoting units of time measurement also form constructions that express only an action and its time period. In this case, the modifier is always an essential structural element of the construction. Over the past decade, the report notes, tensions in Europe have diminished. T 1971 218. I did not work a single day during June. Grl. During the ninth five-year plan, workers’ wages will continue to rise and living conditions will improve (trš.). 9 For constructions with metu, laiku, see A. Ružė, ibid., pp. 148—149. Constructions with the postposition metu and their synonyms are examined by O. Olekienė (see O. Олекене, Временные глагольные конструкции со словом metu (в роли послелога) в литовском литературном языке и их соответствия в русском языке, „Kalbotyra“, t. XXI, Vilnius, 1970, p. 111—126). She does not define syntactic synonymy, but the examples show that her understanding of it is very broad: even gerundial and half-participial constructions are treated as synonyms of constructions with the postposition metu (see pp. 118—119). 10 Accusative constructions expressing an action that lasts not for the whole time period, but for a shorter or longer one, are not synonymous with the corresponding constructions using the preposition per. 111 Such constructions are not productive. Synonymous constructions with the accusative are somewhat more common in this meaning. But the rainy weather expected in the second and third decades did not occur. (tsp.). There are hot days in August, too. Ig. You were being driven around for several days during the last week. BitKMD 771. The Mažeikiai oil refinery complex will be built during this five-year period (tsp.). The examples show that constructions with the preposition per clearly emphasize that the verb’s action takes place throughout the entire period denoted by the noun, whereas this point is not emphasized in constructions with the accusative. Constructions with the preposition per have synonymous constructions formed with the locative of certain nouns (usually compound nouns). In the first decade, the factory operated steadily (tsp.). In the previous century, fishing was not regulated by law. LEB 111. Fortunately, it seems there were no similar “experiments” in land-management practice during the past decade. T 1971 261. § 11. With other names for parts of the day and seasons, constructions are formed that denote either an action and its point in time or an action and its duration. Constructions with the nouns midday, midnight, midsummer, and midwinter are more commonly used. They occur more often in spoken language. I got very warm during midday. Rk. It started raining at midday. Vrn. We ran out of bread in midsummer. Vrn. The pig died in the very middle of winter. Rk. A terrible storm broke out at noon (tsp.). At midday, the cows doze with their udders submerged in water. MaldSM 225. We drive the cows home at midday. Trk. He goes banging around the farmsteads at midnight. Grl. Every day around noon, the village boys and I used to swim in the lake. VencIJA 49. Synonymous constructions with the accusative are used for these constructions. When you look down from Medvėgalis at midday, you can clearly make out fourteen churches. MairPB₁ 126. Take me to the pine tree at midnight. SruogR III 513. Come in midsummer; perhaps then you’ll somehow manage to get there. DovŽE 11. Many had no socks at all—they went out barefoot into the snow in midwinter. SruogR V 405. Zaukas’s mare died in midsummer. Pc. And then, at midnight, the master led me into the enclosure by the porch. Gud-GuzR V 111. And if you get hungry at noon, spread fragrant honey on a dry, hard crust of bread. Myk-PutBV 16. A drunk cannot see the sun even at midday. KrėvPP II 316. Somewhere beyond thick walls, a child cries at midnight. BaltakPU 57. Somewhere far away, iron wheels clattered at midnight. You’re roaming about at midnight like a hanged man. BaltR I 203. Locative constructions are also fairly common synonyms. They saw him off only at midday. VienR II 62. At midnight she ran over and began rolling about in that barley. Lt IV 223–224. At last, at midnight, the horse stepped on something hard. It is true that among the SS men there was already more than one who, in midsummer, began saying that the war was already lost and started guzzling vodka without even having a bed. SruogR V 395. The following year, Jonas Kukis died in midwinter. KrėvRg 248. Around noon, after looking over the dogs, he said: “Lovely weather.” Lt IV 378. At midday, huge flocks of them can be seen across the lake’s surface. IvanAŽP 226–227. We know that in midsummer we will be sitting in the cabin wearing briefs, 112 half-naked. DovAA 16. Petras walks around in his shirt even in midwinter. Ds. The winter wind races the May sun at midday. BitKMD 649. Synonymous constructions with the instrumental are very rare. Come at midnight itself, into the very darkest thicket, in the deepest part of the forest. VaizgRR I 68–69. In midsummer, Israel’s authorities demolished villages (tsp.). And at midday, a dense fog settles in front of the light. ŽemR I 182. At dusk, a bitter, choking smell of burning fat that makes one cough spreads through the room. BaltR I 146. A few days later, two magpies that flew in around noon found a fox lying sprawled near the cave. PietLGM 17. All the synonymous constructions mentioned have no distinct shades of meaning. Perhaps only constructions with the preposition per, expressing an action and its duration, emphasize somewhat more clearly that the action takes place throughout the entire period denoted by the noun, whereas constructions expressing an action and its point in time place greater emphasis on the action occurring at the point in time denoted by the noun. These shades of meaning depend on the preposition per. § 12. With nouns denoting mealtimes, constructions expressing both meanings are formed. At breakfast, Uncle noticed that Jonelis was very much like Grandpa. ŠRgSD 75. At dinner, I swallowed a few spoonfuls of kankolynė. SajK 30. The next day, they summoned the gardener and said that at lunch at the king’s they had eaten some very juicy and delicious melons. BalčAP 349. At dinner, we all sat silently around the table. VenclPU 286. At dinner, he joined the others in drinking toasts to the newlyweds’ happiness. Myk-PutR III 328. In present-day literary language, the only synonymous constructions for these are those with the postpositions metu, laiku and the genitive of nouns. They are used no less frequently than constructions with the preposition per. At lunchtime she sat down beside Brazgys. Myk-PutR III 156. On March 10, at lunchtime, the neighboring town suddenly caught fire. SruogR V 467. The opportunity came at breakfast. Vair-RačkKM 25. Yesterday at lunchtime it was still 3 degrees above zero. BitKMD 446. At dinner, the young people read their poems (tsp.). At lunchtime, the doctor felt that he was a stranger, unwanted. VienR II 192. § 13. Constructions with the preposition per and the accusative of nouns denoting holidays are common. He did not buy me a present for New Year. DovŽE 346. I was born at Epiphany, at sunrise. Myk-PutR VII 309. Once, at Christmas Eve, the master told someone to go to the well for water. Lt IV 421. This summer, the son turned exactly two on St. Peter’s Day. PaukštPM 18. You’ll use them all up [the eggs], and there’ll be nothing to refresh yourself with at Easter. VenclPU 66. By the Assumption of Mary, four years had already passed since he returned. BitK 163. At Pentecost, one should decorate oneself with birch branches. Skr. The whole town was preparing for the carnival at Shrove Tuesday. VienR VII 194. I’ll be at my brother’s for Christmas. BilR I 91. Do you remember how we used to swim in the Nemunas at Pentecost CvR VIII 197. We’ll dye [the eggs] at Easter. ŽemR I 81. In present-day literary language, the constructions under discussion with the preposition per, whose dependent noun denotes a holiday, have no syntactic synonyms. 8 520 113 § 14. Constructions with the preposition per and nouns denoting various defined periods of work, rest, ceremonies, history, and the like are particularly productive. During the busy season we ran short of trees. ŽemR II 107. During the rye harvest, one evening Marelė suddenly seemed to lose the use of her legs—she fell into bed. ŽemR IV 168. During the rye harvest he hired a day laborer for himself. VienR V 46. Another time the manor workers, having gone to mow the meadow during haymaking, all agreed to trick their master. Lt IV 354. During the holidays, contact with the publishing house was broken off. Myk-PutR X 729. Tautkus also came to visit during the holidays. ŽemR IV 160. And Konstantinas perished without a trace near Pinsk during the Polish uprising. VienR II 28. During the busy season he would go to the village to bind rye. AvyžISK 55. For, during haymaking, Besasparis plows his strip in the meadow not from the field boundary, following the width of the plot, but from the end of those outermost furrows. Gud-GuzR I 17. There were some rather chilly days during haymaking. Husband: I’ll give you a good tractor, and you can putter along during sowing like a hedgehog in a raspberry patch. SajJPK 22. During Advent nobody would dance or celebrate (dial.). Throughout the winter, throughout Lent, Marelė somehow managed on her own. ŽemR IV 167. These constructions are synonymous with the corresponding constructions using the postpositions metu, laiku and the genitive of nouns. In terms of their prevalence, they are in no way less common than constructions with the preposition per. But it really was impossible to get away from the farm during the busy season […]. Myk-PutR X 698—699. During the rye harvest, Majeris began urging the Norwegians to get to work as well. SruogR V 343. During the potato harvest, Monika gave birth to her second child. CvR VIII 94. During sowing, he got some seed on loan. PaukštK 216. I wrote and sent it while still on vacation. Myk-PutR III 139. During the holidays, the Germans forbade us to leave or drive away from our homes after dark. BitKMD 372. During haymaking he rolled about in the windrows. Myk-PutR III 66. During sowing, the sower’s hand scatters the golden grain into the crumbly soil. VenclR I 103. During threshing he never left the threshing floor. VienR V 31. He stayed with us during the holidays. BitK 676. During Advent they would go to early-morning “rorate” services. Myk-PutR III 11. During Advent and Lent, when the number of such fasting days increased, Antanas would more often visit a restaurant or spend time with friends and acquaintances. KrėvLŽ 154. Like a maidservant at the rectory, she observes Lent. BaltPV II 413. In literary language, constructions with the postpositions metu, laiku and compound nouns whose second element is -metis are avoided. In such cases, constructions are formed with the instrumental case of the same nouns; these are also synonymous with constructions using the preposition per. During the busy season even a stone is on the move. LKRŽ 83. During the Ice Age there were neither wild nor domestic sheep, at least in northern Europe. IvanAŽP 51. Less frequently than constructions with the preposition per and the postpositions metu, laiku, constructions are also formed and used with the singular instrumental case of nouns of the same meaning. The farmwives must have as many pots and bowls ready as needed, because many are required during the busy season. KatKR 39. During the rye harvest, great clouds carrying rain and thunder rolled in. Once, right in the middle of haymaking, a German came to the workers. After I came back from haymaking that way, I became a day laborer. Lt IV 527. Lt IV 606. Gud-GuzKIT I 176. During the potato harvest, the collective farmers got quite a number of helpers from 114 Viekšniai village vocational school (dial.). The first groups of people began to venture into Lithuanian territory in the Late Glacial period. LKŽ VII 225. At harvest time even a stone stirs. Lt V 351. At haymaking the son will lead with the first scythe. SimonR I 121. They were the first to impose penalties during rye harvest, haymaking, and manure hauling. VienInMA 38. It was not like that even at Bataičiai’s during the rye harvest. BaltPV II 420. As you pass the old village site with its abandoned, collapsed wells and overgrown orchards, nostalgia grips you—you, born and raised among their birds, who had heard the fragrant lindens rustle and hum in the honey season like enormous beehives. CvR IV 335. Surely you won’t go hunting again during the feast. VaižgRR II 171. What, what, we’d have some honey to eat during Lent. ŽemR I 269. Smiling, Father explained that during Advent Pastor Liauska had gone caroling at our place and handed out mint candies to the children. BaltPV I 129. In the postglacial period there were about 30,000 lakes in Lithuanian territory (dial.). § 15. Highly productive constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per ‘during’ with nouns denoting various processes, most often deverbal and denominal abstract nouns. One must dress in black during a funeral. ČiurlRR II 213. To tell the truth, at the funeral feast he would gladly have slurped down some hot cabbage with beef and pork for the deceased’s sake. VaižgRR II 11. They got merry at the farewell party. Žvr. During the auction she had run over to see all her mother’s little things being sold. SimonR V 99. A great many trees were felled in Lithuania during the war. GŽ. During the commotion they grabbed it; only at Kaunas station did they notice—the cactus was in their hands. BaltR I 166. They gave him a good thrashing during the meeting. Kn. One pickpocket knocked them (his teeth) out during a fight. LankNR 7. While writing, I learned that nothing incriminating had been found at my place during the search, and therefore I would not be brought to trial. BitK 737. During the inspection, the others began collapsing to the ground from exhaustion. SruogR V 410. Be well, oak of freedom, broken, splintered, that fell during the storm. SNėrP₁ 380. He croaked, curled up in a corner of the bed: he had got wet and chilled during the downpour. Gud-GuzR I 51. During the heat, milk production declined. Dkš. The ladder was wobbly, and the roof had been rained on during the thaw. SajJPK 17. The matchmakers sat the whole time during the wedding. Rk. During the church festival, the towns ring with the clanging of scythes and pots. KatkR 39. During the courtship negotiations, Marijona asked her brothers for nothing, but only wept and pulled her kerchief over her eyes. VienIMA 148. They say that during the interrogation they insisted they knew nothing about that fabricated appeal. JankKK 200. He saw her in church during the service. Myk-PutR VII 127. During the revolution, progressive people throughout the world supported the Russian proletariat (trans.). During the lesson, Benius sat there irritated and distracted. AvižJŠK 48. They cut hay during the heat. Grl. That’s why I danced several dances with him at the party. PaukštK 151. Fieldwork increasingly has to be done in bad weather. T 1971 215. She walked along the very edge of the sea in the rain, watching the waves. SajJPK 88. Constructions with the preposition per and nouns denoting processes are synonymous with the corresponding constructions involving the postpositions metu, laiku and the genitive of nouns. The latter are also fairly productive and widely used in the present-day standard language. During the revolution in Russia, some student knocked out two of the gendarme Žuravliovas’s front teeth. VienR II 144. There was an old underground group in Mažeikiai, which had gathered around the left-wing Social Democrat Taurys during the occupation. Gud-GuzR V 316. That change had already begun yesterday, and from the hour when 115 During the procession he passed by that woman without daring to look at her. Myk-PutR III 113. During the brawl, quite a few people were beaten and wounded, and about ten were arrested. Myk-PutR VI 360. That is why slanderous statements were made again during the conversation. T 1966 273. The regimental headquarters had a small French-make car, badly battered during the war. Gud-GuzR V 357. During the search, especially as it dragged on so long, the gendarme, though showing no impatience, nevertheless deigned to ask. BitK 704. During the shootout, Sierakauskas unexpectedly managed to come to Kolyška’s aid. Myk-PutR VII 194. The Rudenai people’s huts were burned during the battle. Myk-PutR VII 291–292. And during a storm, water, rocks, and air wage war here. VienR VII 52. For some reason he left on tiptoe, as one does when walking through a church during Mass. BaltPV II 470. And during the church festival there was no avoiding drinking and quarrels (trans.). During the spring flood, the “Black Hawks” kept watch in all the darker outskirts, making sure no resistance arose anywhere. PaukštPM 208. Only in times of danger did the Pilėnai rush with their families into the castle and defend themselves there. LI I 45. In wartime people do not choose where they are. BaltVRA 110. During the strike in Vilnius and other cities, alongside workers’ class-based and general political demands, national demands were also raised by Lithuanians and other peoples. LI II 303. During the meeting, the merchants criticized the suppliers (dial.). Apparently, the participants were terribly bored during the session. KrėvLž 84. And you, sir, look at them the way they looked at us during the occupation, and then your heart won’t ache. VienR VII 142. Tradition and sailorly pride demand that you show no one your bad mood during a storm. ČekNGK 18. Constructions using the locative of nouns denoting processes, as well as definite periods of time, are somewhat less frequent than constructions with the postpositions metu, laiku and the genitive of nouns, owing to the more restricted use of the locative. Constructions with the locative have a clear locative nuance, and often it is difficult even to say which meaning predominates—place or time. He disgraced himself at the meeting. Ūkm. Only recently Viktor Survila told the priest that their neighbor might play a significant role in the uprising and that he ought to take a greater interest in him. Myk-PutR VII 78–79. A man died in the battle. Myk-PutR VII 159. In the general turmoil no one even noticed them. VienR IV 63. In the commotion, eggs are crushed and little birds are pushed out of the nest (trans.). And today I look at the world again with those particular eyes that most people acquired in this war. BitKMD 749. In the crush I felt separated from my mother. BaltR I 109–110. Perhaps today, or tomorrow or the day after, more than one will die in the storm. VenclJA 377. He was not afraid that both priests and Liucė would be at Petryla’s farewell party. Myk-PutR III 80. I was proud that I sang at the funeral together with the grown-ups. VenclPU 145. Two eyes—two bullets; they sank into the enemy’s chest, when, as so often happened, enemies lay in wait for those eyes like thieves, cruelly, in battle... MiežŽ 31. When it rains, pick potatoes; when it’s clear, rake hay. Lt V 382. Constructions expressing an action and its frequency § 16. Constructions with the preposition per expressing an action and its frequency are relatively productive in contemporary literary language. However, the meaning of frequency is not always sufficiently prominent and often has shades of other meanings. Very clear, strict boundaries cannot be drawn between constructions expressing an action and its frequency and constructions, 116 expressing an action and its point or period in time, as well as an action and its duration. In other words, the meaning under discussion of constructions with the preposition per has not fully crystallized. Therefore, Lithuanian grammars generally do not distinguish a frequency meaning of the preposition per. Only in A. Senn’s grammar, among other meanings of the preposition per, is a distributive temporal meaning indicated11, though, like the other meanings, it is not illustrated with examples. E. Valiulytė singles out and discusses this meaning of the preposition per in greater detail in her candidate’s dissertation12. § 17. These constructions express an action and the periods of time during which that action recurs. Their main component may be a verb of either the imperfective or perfective aspect. The aspect of the verb does not determine the meaning of the construction. The full moon hangs in the sky, ripening the July honey; the silent little house is watched over through the nights. SNėrKBM 134. During the church services Jurgutis would sit in the tavern and guzzle beer (dial.). When spring warmed up, before lessons, and sometimes during lessons, the teacher would take us out into the yard. VenclPU 237. However, in contemporary literary language, constructions with imperfective verbs predominate. § 18. The frequency meaning of temporal constructions with the preposition per is most often determined by the grammatical properties and lexical meaning of the dependent noun. Of course, the grammatical properties of the verb also play a certain role. § 19. The clearest and most prominent frequency meaning is found in constructions with the preposition per and the plural accusative of nouns that have both number forms (except nouns denoting units of time and constructions with quantifying modifiers). She screams all day long, unable to control them. LzPR VII 64. He cries night after night—an absolute howler. Skr. It seemed, what could a third-grade lamb have in common with a pretty young lady, already eyed by upper-grade gymnasium students, and whom even the teachers would lead out to dance at parties! VenclPU 313. You get awfully worn out over the course of the day. Kal. The main component of these constructions may be a verb of any aspect and meaning—the plural accusative of the noun determines and signals the meaning of the construction. § 20. Constructions in which the dependent component consists of the preposition per with a plural-accusative noun, and the main component is a past frequentative form of a verb of any aspect, may express either an action and its frequency or an action and its point or period in time. One or the other meaning of these constructions usually becomes clear only in the sentence or in a broader context. Nevertheless, they most often express an action and its frequency. So my father would make things with them, and during the holidays I too would carve a few things. Myk-PutR VII 297. Even during Mass he would emerge from the dungeon and roam about the tower. SimonR I 117. The same applies to constructions with a present passive participle. 11 A. Senn, Handbuch der litauischen Sprache, t. I, p. 418. 12 See E. Valyulite, The Meaning and Use of Prepositions with the Accusative Case in Modern Lithuanian, p. 11. 117 The Holy Scripture was read during breakfast. Myk-PutR III 26. She left me, a couple of strange women, and old Saladienė to look after the house; Saladienė was a widely renowned hostess, always invited to funerals, weddings, and christenings. BaltPV I 286. Fewer and fewer people were caught during the raids. LI II 431. Constructions consisting of iterative verbs with the preposition per and the plural accusative of nouns often also acquire a nuance of frequency in a sentence. Kasdien per pusryčius apie kojas [katinas] trinasi. Grl. It used to happen: they would give some at Mass, and I would take some to the beggars on All Saints’ Day. BaltR II 91. However, in such cases the nuance of frequency becomes apparent only in the sentence—the constructions themselves, isolated from context, denote an action and its time period or point in time. § 21. Sometimes constructions (especially those whose verbs are perfective and denote an action associated with a particular time period), while indicating an action and its frequency, also carry a nuance of duration. Gorky was often together with him (Jasiukaitis) ; sometimes, by moonlight, the two of them would come with Gorky to the ruins of Tiberius’s palace and sit all night on that rock from which the Caesar used to sacrifice his unfaithful servants and courtiers to the sea goddess. VienR VII 248. § 22. In constructions denoting an action and its frequency, the dependent constituent is formed with the preposition per, used with nouns denoting both units of time and processes. Constructions with the nouns day and night are particularly common; summer and winter are used less frequently. Other names for parts of the day and seasons are used very rarely to form constructions with this meaning. And if it weren’t for my little animals, I don’t know what I would do during the days when there isn’t a soul left in the cottage. SajK 19. — “The lady herself,” said Uncle, “would spend her days going about, either slapping the girls or serfs, or having them whipped.” ŽemR IV 408. She’ll be rustling away all day and burning all night. KorsP 254. He keeps creaking away on the bed all day. Father Jacob writes all night. ŽemR IV 238. What is the reason Jadvyga cannot sleep all night? MairRR II 79. Do you think I don’t hear you coughing and groaning all night? SimonNTP 165. They gather in the evenings and chatter (will chatter), and won’t leave us in peace. Vvr. I grew up in the gray-green thatched shelter of a village, where in summers the wind stole white dust from the road. MaldŠM 82. The same unsetting sun warmed these desolate mountains, forests, and lakes during the polar summers thousands of years ago, just as it does now. VenclJA 434. They suffer hunger and cold throughout the winters (dial.). Constructions with these nouns are close to constructions denoting an action and its duration. In the present literary language, these constructions have synonymous counterparts with the plural instrumental. I decided that Žlibakis would no longer be able to do anything to him, and once again I let him out into the yard by day. SajK 36. Day and night the brotherhood groaned and waited for the blizzard to stop raging. VienR I 29. The serfs, having finished the manor’s work on their knees, at night 118 worked his fields. Jž. How lovely it is to spend the night here, daydreaming in the evenings and dreaming at night. VienR I 152. And in summers I will be able to live there for a few months at a time. GrušK 242. In summers they used to travel to Palanga. JabIR I XXVII. In summers I herded the birds. ŽemR IV 305. In winters she spun and wove. ŽemR IV 304. The frequentative meaning of constructions with the plural instrumental is much more pronounced than that of constructions with the preposition per; moreover, they lack the nuance of duration. § 23. Constructions expressing a colloquial meaning are fairly productive with nouns denoting various definite periods of time. Before there were machines, we used to think up all sorts of things during the rye harvest. Šk. They never hired a farmhand, but during the rye and hay harvests they would call in day laborers. VienIMA 7. I used to remember Aukštoji Freda, where I would stay during the holidays. VencIJA 445. He often also stayed with Rev. Šipaila in Keturvalakiai during the vacations. JabIR I XIV. She went out among the ladies, yet did not turn her nose up at them and remembered them during the holidays. BaltPV II 201. At least during the holidays you get to visit one another. Šv. The men used to make up all sorts of things during pipe-smoking sessions. Lt IV 509. During breaks, pupils again gathered in the classroom and corridors, seeking out news. VencIPU 303. During lunch we used to nap for a couple of hours. Iš. The syntactic synonyms of these constructions are constructions with the postpositions metu and laiku, and with the genitive plural of nouns. The frequentative meaning of constructions with the postpositions metu and laiku is much weaker than that of constructions with the preposition per. Constructions with the postpositions metu and laiku expressing this meaning are also used less frequently than constructions with the preposition per. Being an excellent expert in his field, following the latest French historiography of literature, and visiting France during the holidays, the professor was one of those who greatly shaped my taste. VencIJA 25. During the vacations, after returning home, he would help his parents with the fieldwork. JabIR I XIV. He enjoyed seeing her in the corridor during breaks. AvyžĮSK 98. When the cows lay down at midday, we would wander off into the hills. CvR II 14. § 24. In contemporary literary language, constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with nouns denoting holidays have no syntactic synonyms. Mother, still wearing her maiden’s floral silk kerchief with a black background, which she would not wear even at Easter. BaltPV II 478. At Easter, at Christmas, or after finishing threshing the rye, Gvalda would brew four small barrels of beer. MarcBR 88. At Shrove Tuesday, people used to go about in disguises. Lt IV 703. § 25. The most productive constructions expressing an action and its frequency are those whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with nouns denoting various processes. During lessons, he would remark that the people needed to be enlightened. Vair-RačkKM 79. During brawls, more than one person would lose his teeth (dial.). In church, during services, he would always stand in the sacristy. Myk-PutR VII 288. During early hunts, a great many ducks were shot. IvanLP II 74. Nowadays the young people do not dance at all, they just socialize at parties. Šts. I, too, never forgot the impression made by this performance, although I had seen it only in fragments during rehearsals. VencIPU 320—321. The worst thing was that during inspections he would make us sing in German along with the others. SruogR V 176—177. During lectures, students climbed all over one another. VencIJA 78. During the ancient rebellions, as the elders remember, the springs used to be warm… 119 ŽemR IV 333. In Aukštaitija, during frosts, the shepherd usually slept in the cottage, on a bench or on the stove. LEB 95. In winter, during severe frosts, he would slip into my little room. SajK 48. When fishermen lose their way at sea during storms, he alone dares to find them a way. SNėrR I 414. Through the fiercest storms, that word will ring out, loud as a bell, and awaken everyone. GirR₁ I 151. For constructions with the preposition per and the plural accusative of nouns denoting processes, synonymous constructions are formed with the postpositions metu, laiku and the plural genitive of nouns of the same meaning. The latter constructions have a weaker meaning of frequency of action than the corresponding constructions with the preposition per. They are also used less frequently. People were killed and wounded during the clashes. T 1967 14. At the time of Mass, he would saddle his sorrel and ride across the fields like a kite. MarcBR 35. During such clashes, military leaders were bound to emerge. LI I 34. If a dog barked during the volunteer’s lessons, Monika would throw everything aside—and go behind the stove. CvR VIII 64. During symphony concerts they sit at separate little tables. VienR VII 180. During equatorial downpours, rivers rise and inundate large areas. T 1967 15. During the summer heat, when the animals, bitten by insects, began to grow restless, they were driven home before noon for the so-called midday rest. LEB 100. Syntactic synonyms of constructions with the preposition per and the plural accusative of nouns denoting processes are the corresponding constructions with the plural inessive of nouns of the same meaning. It is true that constructions with the plural inessive have a very weak frequency meaning and, moreover, are characterized by a pronounced spatial nuance. The constructions in question are not very common in present-day language—usually constructions with the preposition per and the plural accusative are used instead. The latter have a much clearer meaning of frequency. What he explained in class is not for me to judge. VenclJA 442. Kudirka disliked his profession and treated patients harshly; but otherwise he was highly esteemed among friends and at gatherings. BitK 412–413. They played games between dances. ŠRgSD 95. At first, scarecrows rather than horses were put up for auction, and no one wanted to buy them. BitKMD 752. He led the high school choir, teaching beautiful Russian and Ukrainian folk songs, which we used to sing at high school parties and sometimes at public concerts. Myk-PutR VII 350. That was how the nephew behaved among friends and at balls. BalčHP 150. Constructions Expressing an Action and Its Duration § 26. These constructions denote an action that lasts for the entire period of time expressed by the dependent noun. In this respect, they are similar to constructions denoting an action and its time period. However, unlike those constructions, the dependent constituent in constructions denoting an action and its duration emphasizes the amount of time covered by the action. The noun in constructions denoting an action and its duration almost always has a quantitative modifier. Its function is performed by cardinal numerals, pronominal numerals, the indefinite generalizing pronoun visas ‘all’, and adjectives close to it in meaning, ištisas ‘entire’ and kiauras ‘whole’. He took a nutshell, with which he carried water for himself over three days. Šmk. And the manor began to sink at that time, and sank for seven years. Lt IV 652. 120 It rained for several days (tsp.). I mowed hay all day. Lt I 45. It was already the end of April, but in those days people hunted throughout the year. VienR IV 51. [The nanny goat] fought through the whole night. ŽemR IV 464. Quantitative modifiers are almost always structurally necessary elements of the construction. Constructions with optional modifiers or without them altogether are very rare (see § 29). Besides quantitative modifiers, constructions with this meaning may be expanded by various modifiers denoting the quality of an object; except in constructions with the noun time (see § 12), these are optional and do not alter the meaning of the constructions. Know that every sick person recovers immediately if they taste that apple, and never fall ill again for the rest of their life. BalčTVN₁ 68. Remember that for some reason she did not write him any letters at sea during the last two voyages (tsp.). She spent her whole life sleeping in. Lš. Constructions with this meaning whose dependent constituent consists of the preposition per with a quantity-denoting word and a noun in the genitive are much rarer. For several days, the forest resounded with the voices of the people helping with the work (trš.). § 27. The main constituent of constructions denoting an action and its duration is usually an imperfective verb. They poured for three days and three nights. Auk. When the finger swelled up, then it ached nicely all winter. Užp. I was at the whole wedding, stomping and dancing as much as I pleased. Valanč[Rn] 50. Constructions with this meaning are somewhat less often formed with perfective verbs denoting actions associated with a particular period of time. He managed to get through the entire occupation without any unpleasant incidents. Gud-Guz R IV 254. Constructions with perfective verbs bearing the negation prefix ne-. are more common. Throughout the entire service, she did not glance at Vasaris even once. Myk-PutR III 245. The consumptive suffers and coughs, having not closed his eyes all night. VienR VII 12. § 28. Constructions with the preposition per denote an action and its definite or indefinite duration. These differences in meaning are generally determined by the lexical structure of the construction’s dependent constituent, and occasionally also by the number form of the noun. First, we will examine constructions denoting an action and its definite duration. Three main types of these constructions can be distinguished: 1) constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with a noun in the accusative and the pronoun visas ‘whole’ or the adjectives ištisas, kiauras ‘entire, through’; 2) constructions whose dependent constituent consists of the preposition per with a noun in the accusative and a cardinal numeral; and 3) constructions whose dependent constituent consists of the preposition per with a cardinal numeral in the accusative and a noun in the genitive. § 29. First-type constructions are formed with nouns denoting a fairly wide range of temporal concepts and processes. Constructions with names of times of day (usually day and night) are relatively common; those with names of seasons, accompanied by the indefinite generalizing pronoun entire or the adjectives whole, entire, are somewhat less common. When the verb in the construction is imperfective, the aforementioned words are structurally necessary elements of the construction. Without those modifiers, the constructions would express an action and its time period (see § 9). The dependent constituent of these constructions always consists of the preposition per with a singular accusative noun. 121 He would carve and hammer away all day. MašAMB 201. Once, a fisherman fished all day long, until dusk, but did not catch a single one. BsRP 200. Then Jurga raved all night long. BorBM 172. All night long, without sleeping a wink, Father coughed. MačAD 41. All night long, without rest, the enraged Persians battered the fortress walls, rushed inside, climbed the walls by the hundreds, and fell back in hundreds as corpses. VienUT 17. That ring is pale as a dove’s eye; innocent as the high heavens, and it blooms all summer long, delighting all the people. MairPB₁ 46. Švelna hung around our house all winter. BitK 549. I guarded the cabbages all autumn. Grl. I run about all spring with my tongue hanging out. ŽemR IV 414. When the main constituent of the construction is a perfective verb denoting an action associated with a particular period of time, or one containing the negation ne-, these modifiers are optional. We did not say a word to each other all evening. ŠRgSD 92. I did not close my eyes all night (colloq.). The plant stays green all winter. F II 50. I got my pheasants in late autumn and kept them in a large cage, about two metres long and one and a half metres wide, all winter. IvanAŽP 304. They struggled along without work all spring. Prn. It stood outdoors uncovered all summer (colloq.). On the other hand, although these modifiers are optional, constructions with perfective verbs expressing these meanings are formed much less often without them He’ll make it through the night and be outside, too. Grl. She is shut in for the summer. VienR VII 33. Somehow the cat will feed them through the summer; we’ll feed them ourselves as well. CvR₁ VII 11. With great difficulty Šimonis managed to get through the winter and the following summer. SimonR I 166. All three little does stayed in the pen assigned to them through the winter. IvanAŽP 112. As the examples show, constructions without a quantitative modifier are difficult to distinguish from constructions expressing an action and its time period, and can be interpreted in two ways. § 30. Constructions with the preposition per and names of times of day and seasons accompanied by the modifiers entire, whole, and all can always be replaced by corresponding synonymous constructions with the accusative, and in certain cases also by constructions with the nominative¹³. The syntactic synonyms of constructions whose main constituent is a perfective verb and whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with names of times of day and seasons lacking quantitative modifiers are corresponding constructions with the accusative of the same nouns; these too are uncommon. The night passed; the sun is already rising, yet the young man has not closed his eyes. KrėvP 66. I was ill all summer and ended up without hay. Vkš. The durative meaning of constructions with the preposition per is somewhat clearer than that of constructions with the accusative. § 31. Constructions with the preposition per expressing an action and its definite duration are not formed with nouns denoting units of time without quantitative modifiers. These constructions are apparently avoided because of their ambiguity; for example, the construction laukiau per valandą can mean both laukiau valandą and laukiau daugiau 13 Žr. A. Ružė, Iš sintaksinės sinonimikos, „Kalbos kultūra“, 19, Vilnius, 1970, p. 15, 17. Pavyzdžius žr. p. 16. 122 like an hour. Therefore, constructions with this duration meaning are always formed with the accusative without a preposition per. For a week, while he was better, he worked, but after a month he fell ill. MacAD 36. They walked for an hour without speaking. LzPK 9. The man waited a month. T 1966 296. He watered the calves for half a year. SajJPK 24. Names of units of time, as well as names of parts of the day or seasons, are used in constructions with the meaning under discussion with modifiers whole, entire, all and (except for the noun metai meaning “one year”) generally take the singular accusative form. I did not have a single free day for the whole month (trš.). He slept like a little bear for the whole day. VaižgRR I 265. For the whole week you root around in the earth like some animal, drinking dust. LKŽ VI 255. Rapolienė was not at home for the whole week. VaižgRR I 155. Exams and tests can be taken throughout entire years. T 1967 234. We were exhausted for whole years, without a roof of our own (trš.). But throughout the whole autumn not one young man with a matchmaker managed to come to Baltaragis’s daughter. BorBM 94. Constructions with this meaning and the preposition per can always be replaced by constructions with the accusative, and in certain cases also by constructions with the nominative14. Constructions with the accusative in contemporary literary language have a much clearer duration meaning than constructions with the preposition per; consequently, they are gaining ground and displacing from usage constructions of the same meaning with the preposition per. § 32. Other nouns denoting various definite periods of time are also used to form constructions expressing an action and its definite duration. Most often, the dependent noun takes the singular accusative form. Constructions with this meaning are also formed with plural nouns. The definite-duration meaning of such constructions is always determined by the quantifying modifier whole, less often by entire. Without these, the constructions would have the meaning of a time period. So you kept us laughing throughout the whole lunch. ŠRgSD 91. In the old days, throughout Lent we ate nothing but hempseed food. Up. Joniukas rides around during the whole manure-spreading season, singing his song throughout it. BilR I 162. I was a martyr all my life. VaižgRR I 442. By then, [Irena] had long held the eyes and hearts of all the students she knew captive, beautifully, throughout entire holidays. VaižgRR II 78. You’ve been asking all through flax-pulling season, so now I’m not leaving here. Lt IV 509. I worked like a horse all my life. Grl. For constructions with the preposition per there are synonymous constructions formed with the accusative of the same nouns, without a preposition. We used to eat dry food throughout Lent. Slm. Throughout the manure-spreading season, our hired hand and the girl spread manure. Akm. Buffeted by life’s whirlwinds and weighed down by bodily pain, he bore the true cross of suffering all his life. JabIR I XII. She milked me all my life. Dbk. I run around all haymaking season without fastening my trousers: just whey and leafy soup! Gud-GuzR I 67. In contemporary literary language, constructions expressing an action and its definite duration are not used with the accusative of plural nouns of this meaning. § 33. Productive constructions expressing an action and its definite duration are formed with nouns denoting various processes, accompanied by the structurally necessary modifier whole. 14Ibid., pp. 15, 17. For examples, see pp. 16–17. 123 Throughout the entire war he sat in Laužadis’s yard as if pinned there, while his debt kept growing. Gud-GuzR I 48. At last there was no time at all: throughout the whole lesson one had to watch how each person solved the problems. VaižgRR II 448. And that brute Artūras sat down so that he could stare at me throughout all the church services. SimonNTP 140. Throughout the entire Mass, such thoughts swirled in the mind of the cleric Liudas. Myk-PutR III 246. She had begun to weep at the betrothal and kept weeping until she nearly lost her reason; she wept throughout the entire wedding. VaižgRR II 396. Often, throughout the entire eclipse, the northern or southern edge of the Moon remains seemingly untouched. SlavSS 37. Throughout the whole wedding, the bride and groom seemed not to meet. Valanč[Rn] 36. Throughout his illness he had not heard even the slightest complaint. VaižgRR I 416. Concrete nouns that have a figurative process meaning in the given context are also used at times to form constructions denoting an action and its specified duration. Thus, throughout all my years at the gymnasium, I did not think about dancing. ŠRgSD₁ 36. Synonymous constructions for those with the preposition per and nouns denoting processes are formed with the accusative of those same nouns. However, constructions denoting an action and its duration with the accusative of process-denoting nouns are used very restrictively in contemporary standard language—they are formed with only one or another noun of this meaning. I felt very uneasy throughout the whole journey to Grodno. VienlMA 155. Your people lived in my cottage as if in God’s ear. They lived there throughout the whole war! Gud-GuzR I 67. Mother dear weeps all the way. ŽemR IV 368. He stood in the corner throughout the whole lesson. Vkš. § 34. Constructions of the second type, denoting an action and its specified duration and containing cardinal numerals, are not common. They are generally formed with words denoting units of time, and less often parts of the day (diena, naktis). Constructions with names of seasons are also occasionally found. In Sicily, even in summer, it does not rain a drop for five months. VienR VII 257. I did this work in this way over five years. BitK 443. My wife tells me what happened, what she endured, what sustained her over three years. VenclR I 178. For two weeks, old Geišė did nothing but look for a chance to run to Auzbikai and meet Severja. VaižgRR I 87. At Ventė Cape, one can see endless flocks of crows. Sometimes, over the course of 2–4 hours, one can see a mass of them flying. IvanLP III 87. I will not love an old man; I will keep him in smoke for three days. Lt I 289. There was a commotion in the Januliai yard for two days. VienR I 157. Once, for three nights in a row, he had a strange dream. BalčTVN₁ 144. He spent both summers with us. Grl. They all climbed down through the hole and stayed there for two hours. BalčTVN₁ 156. Not a single person visited our hotel for two days. VienR VII 153. The soldiers were punished with fasting instead: that is, for four days they were ordered to be given nothing to eat, other than half a pound of bread each day. BitKMD 561. These constructions with the preposition per are being displaced from usage by synonymous constructions with the accusative. Their durative meaning is very clear and unambiguous. You’d better ask how happily we lived during those four years. Maruk ŽŠG 11. Near Šiauliai, a group of peasants at Meškučiai fought stubbornly against the tsarist army for four months. LI I 351. Because the newlyweds were late, the serfs 124 Two pairs stood in the fields with carts of white sand and waited for the order to begin spreading it on the road. VienR II 33. I will serve you as a farmhand for seven years and be as faithful as possible. BorBM 73. I will learn to care for that widower (=look after him), and keep him in the smokehouse for three days. Lt I 290. He sat in the tree for two days and nights. BsRP 278. For two days Grei Aulis called to him incessantly. IvanAŽP 102. I worked for four summers. Rmš. If you stay awake for three days, I will give you a sack of gold. Lt 346. And when it is time to return, one wanders around the house, looking for this and that—spending two hours roaming about. SajK 73. The fine weather held for two days. LKŽ VII 42. § 35. Third-type constructions, whose dependent constituent consists of the preposition per with a cardinal numeral in the accusative and a noun in the genitive, are very rare. After arriving, he placed Juze with a German master tailor to learn the trade for twelve years. Valanč[Rn] 12. In literary language, synonymous constructions are generally used, with a cardinal numeral in the accusative and a noun in the genitive serving as the dependent constituent. For fourteen hours they defended the battery positions without any respite, without a break. T 1971 209. Žilaitienė traveled by train for ten days, herself not understanding how she had summoned the courage for such a journey. BaltVRA 73. Thus, for three days, the old manor on the high hill steamed and smoked. LzPR II 116. § 36.Sometimes constructions of both the second (a) and third (b) types are further expanded in the sentence by the modifiers whole and entire. These modifiers are optional, do not give the construction a new meaning, but eliminate its ambiguity. a) Thus matters fermented and swelled for three whole years. VaizgRR I 397. Everyone, down to the very last person, even the little shepherds, was warmly and lovingly welcomed, well fed, and given delicious beer to drink; they caroused and celebrated for two whole days. VaizgRR I 222. For nine whole months the monks were cut off from the rest of the world. VienR I 25. b) No one had ever said such words to her in all nineteen years. MarPRL 109. However, even these constructions are being displaced from usage by synonymous constructions whose dependent constituent is a noun in the accusative with a cardinal numeral (a), or a cardinal numeral in the accusative with a noun in the genitive (b). a) The poor man suffered for three whole years. MarcBR 106. The prince stayed with the princess for two whole months. BalčTVN₁ 176. For four whole days the city was immersed in some kind of fog. T 1967 100. The [person] struggled and struggled on the journey for all three days and on Christmas Eve. ŽemR IV 274. They stayed in Vilnius for four whole days. Myk-PutR III 214. b) But Dovydienė had continued to torment herself over him day after day for a whole ten years now. VaizgRR I 128. It was as though the greatest stone that had weighed upon his chest for twelve whole years had rolled off it. BorBM 72. § 37.Constructions denoting an action and its indefinite duration are used less frequently than constructions expressing definite duration. The structure of the dependent constituent determines the meaning of indefinite duration. Three main types can be distinguished: 1) constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with the plural accusative of nouns, 2) constructions whose dependent constituent 125 the dependent constituent is the preposition per with the accusative of nouns and numeral-like indefinite pronouns, and 3) constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with a word expressing an indefinite quantity and the genitive of a noun. § 38. The dependent constituent of first-type constructions is the preposition per with the plural accusative of nouns having both singular and plural forms, either without a modifier or with one. Without modifiers, nouns denoting units of time measurement are used occasionally. Constructions with the modifiers ištisas, kiauras, and sometimes visas are somewhat more frequent. With nouns denoting units of time measurement (a), these modifiers are optional, whereas with other nouns (b) they are structurally necessary. Among other nouns, diena ir naktis ‘day and night’ are more often used to form such constructions (cf. § 22). Constructions with nouns denoting processes occur only very rarely. a) Sometimes for whole months not a single spot on the Sun could be seen. SlavSS 186. For whole weeks the wind direction does not change (trans.). b) For whole days they went in a flock across the fields, grazing on the young shoots (trans.). Do you remember that autumn, cold and damp, when from morning till evening and throughout whole nights a fine rain drizzled. BilR I 59. For whole days I saw him standing in the same street corner. VaizGRR II 282. For whole evenings they would argue about ideological questions (trans.). We would not see a drop of milk for whole summers. Grl. There are first mates who draw and photograph everything that comes their way throughout entire voyages. T 1967 234. How many bitter tears he shed, how many times, like a silver star, through whole nights he did not close his eyes. MairRR I 61. The plural noun metai ‘years’ is used in constructions with the meaning under discussion together with the structurally necessary modifier ilgas ‘long’. And so, for long years, the son sat after his father in the high castle of Merkinė. KrėvAP 9. In many cases, the lexical meaning of the nouns in such constructions has faded. Their combinations with adjectives often tend to become fixed and are close in meaning to the phrase ilgą laiką ‘for a long time’ or the adverb ilgai ‘for a long time’. Syntactic synonyms of the constructions with the preposition per discussed above, which denote an action and its indefinite duration, are constructions with the plural accusative and constructions with the plural instrumental¹⁵. This meaning is most pronounced in constructions with the plural accusative. In addition to the meaning of indefinite duration, constructions with the plural instrumental also have a fairly strong frequency nuance. The frequency nuance is weaker in constructions with the preposition per denoting an action and its indefinite duration than in constructions with the plural instrumental. They occupy, as it were, an intermediate position between constructions with the plural instrumental and those with the plural accusative. All of them are approximately equally frequent. § 39. In second-type constructions denoting an action and its indefinite duration, the dependent constituent is usually the preposition per with the accusative of nouns denoting units of time measurement or parts of the day, and the indefinite pronouns kelì, kelèri. 15 Ibid., pp. 17–19. 126 Later, over several centuries, Kražiai passed from hand to hand. Vair-RačkKM 136. What is more, after observing it (Uranus) over several nights, it became apparent that the object was moving among the constellations. SlavSS 352. I did not understand a single word of what the teachers taught in class over several months. BitK 378. Surrounded on all sides by clouds and buried in snow, the monks could not set foot beyond the threshold for several weeks. VienR I 28. Constructions of this type are unproductive. The corresponding synonymous constructions with the accusative case without a preposition are more frequent. After all, we lived at my parents’ for several years. BilR I 198. For several weeks I lived with that thought day and night. BitKMD 790. The returning ruler was welcomed with joy by huge crowds of people, who celebrated for several days. BalčTVN₁ 24. Then warm spring rain began to fall, and it continued for several days, until not a trace of snow remained. BaltPV I 51. After struggling like this for several weeks, we realized that the shoes were not stretching out but growing narrower each time. BitKMD 594. The pile of apples that had lain in the hay for several days began to dwindle. MačAD 59. § 40. There are two subtypes of constructions of the third type, which denote an action and its indefinite duration. The first subtype consists of constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per ‘for’ with the accusative plural of numerals dešimtis, šimtas, tūkstantis, milijonas, etc., and the genitive plural of the noun metai ‘year’. The good soil has all been washed away from the mountains, hills, and slopes; several inches of fertile humus have been carried off, soil that the air labored for thousands of years to create. VaižgR VII 14. For thousands of years they washed the bleak interiors of the lands. VaižgRR II 353—354. That connection formed over millions of years. JG 1968 7 5. Syntactic synonyms of these constructions are constructions with the accusative plural of the same numerals without a preposition and the genitive plural of the noun metai ‘year’ (a), and constructions with the instrumental plural of the same numerals and the genitive plural of the noun metai ‘year’ (b). a) We walked together, shoulder to shoulder, for decades. T 1969 106. With the help of science, stones that had been silent for thousands of years began to speak and revealed secrets guarded for centuries. DovAA 268. Well, little man, it will stand for hundreds of years yet. KrėvSP 217. Such heat radiation from it (radium) continues uninterrupted for hundreds of years. BrazdžBF IV 181. b) It was like that for hundreds of years—you won’t change a thing either. Mžk. These riches lay hidden in the vast expanses of Siberia for millions of years (tsp.). In literary language, constructions of this lexical structure with the accusative case without a preposition are more usual. Constructions with the preposition per and constructions with the instrumental case are rare. Constructions of the second subtype, whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with the accusative case of the indefinite pronouns keletas, keliolika, or the pronoun keliasdešimt followed by a noun in the genitive, are unproductive. Sometimes there will be no guests for several days. ŽemR IV 326. For several decades they saved and saved, and it all went to waste (trš.). In literary language, synonymous constructions are generally used whose dependent constituent consists of the accusative case of the pronouns keletas, keliolika, or the pronoun keliasdešimt with a noun in the accusative plural. 127 And so [the landlady] suffers inconvenience for several weeks for our convenience. ŽemR IV 218. The Taručiai family guarded the cow for several nights. CvR VIII 116. For a dozen days I roamed freely, unrestrained by anyone. MašAMB 57. § 41. An action and its duration are sometimes expressed by constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with the accusative of the noun time, used with a necessary modifier. They express an action and its definite or indefinite duration, depending on the modifier. An action and its definite duration are expressed by constructions in which the dependent constituent is the preposition per with the accusative of the noun time, together with nouns of various lexical meanings and demonstrative pronouns dependent on it. In addition to these modifiers, the pronoun whole is also a necessary structural element. Throughout the entire war, no one even thought of raising this question. SimonR V 298. One of them, named Juzė, throughout the entire occupation had to ride out to tend the horses at night and sleep outdoors until late autumn. Gud-GuzR V 310. Throughout this entire time I felt the reproachful looks of neighbors and acquaintances (tsp-). Constructions whose dependent constituent is the accusative of the noun time with only the modifier whole, express an action and its indefinite duration. Go home before you catch cold, or you’ll be shivering for the whole time afterward. Vdš. Accusative constructions are synonymous with these constructions. In contemporary literary language they are much more productive and more frequent than constructions with the preposition per. a) Constructions expressing an action and its definite duration. Throughout the war we, the officers, teach them how to treat the local residents. BitKMD 259. They crouched under the table throughout the fight. Vkš. She had been so preoccupied with herself throughout this whole time. SimonR V 238–239. b) Constructions expressing an action and its indefinite duration. Horses stood by the forge all the time, carts stood harnessed, and men milled about. KrèvRg 185. The rooster kept clucking on its perch all the time: “kud kudaks.” Mc. In a changed voice, he asked for food and did not utter a word the whole time. BilR I 221. Constructions denoting an action and the period within which it is completed § 42. Constructions denoting an action and the period within which it is completed are formed only with telic verbs. These verbs denote the completion of an action, its result, or a resultant state. The dependent constituent indicates the amount of time within which the action is completed or the result or resultant state is achieved. The meletos complete their building in two or three weeks. IvanLP III 63. They will recover within a year. Zr. He languished through the winter and died in the spring. Ggr. They dug three long pits in an hour. ŽemR IV 362. Only after returning from the fields did Ignotas sit by the open window and, lowering his arms, exhausted by the day, gaze at the blue, misty thickets. I, your master, order that within three days the soil be manured, ploughed, harrowed, and sown with rye and wheat. I had not sold a thing all day. Gud-GuzR I 82. CvR₁ VII 198. BalčAP 43. 128 § 43. The constructions denote an action and a definite (a) or indefinite (b) period within which it is completed: a) He grew robust over the summer. MarukŽSG 30. The factory can process 40 tons of apples a day. T 1967 208. With six strong rowers, we paddled along the water and reached my summer cottage in an hour and a half. BalčTVN₁ 141. b) All the plans changed in a moment; everything was turned upside down. (dial.). How [the pigs] fattened up over whole summers! LKŽ VII 408–409. How much he has changed over several years. Gud-GuzR V 97. The soot-blackened ceiling and the pitted clay floor darkened over many years. VenclGD 83. These distinctions are determined by the lexical and grammatical properties of the dependent constituent. § 44. Constructions denoting an action and a definite period within which it is completed can be divided into three types according to the lexical and grammatical properties of the dependent constituent: 1) constructions whose dependent constituent consists of the preposition per with a noun in the accusative, without a modifier; 2) constructions whose dependent constituent consists of the preposition per with a noun in the accusative and a cardinal numeral; and 3) constructions whose dependent constituent consists of the preposition per with a cardinal numeral or a noun denoting a definite quantity in the accusative, and a noun in the genitive. § 45. Type-one constructions are generally formed with nouns denoting units of time, parts of the day, and seasons. Constructions with names of units of time express the period most clearly. Father will never give me that much money, since he earns one hundred and twenty litas a month. MarcBR 210. The wounds can heal in the ground in a year, as soon as the grass thaws. MaldŠM 70. They changed so much in a year, as if I had not seen them for an entire decade. KorsP 257. We hoisted the sails in a minute. VienR VII 49. Losses fell ninefold over five years. T 1971 41. Cattle being fattened on farms in the Akmenė, Ignalina, and Jurbarkas districts gain little weight per day because of inadequate feeding. T 1966 274. What can you load up in half an hour, what can you take away?.. BitKMD 218. She laid just one egg a week. MairRR II 180. Even the rowan tree turned reddish in a week. SajK 148. It has been calculated that a woodpecker strikes 8–10 times per second. IvanLP III 53. The factory will grow considerably over the seven-year period (dial.). Priekulė is not very far; one can walk there in an hour. SimonR I 66. Very often, constructions with this meaning are formed with names of parts of the day and seasons used without a modifier. Of the names of parts of the day, day and night are generally used. Other names for parts of the day are very rarely used in these constructions. You’ve been running around with the animals all day; now you could sit down. Gs. I work off a pound of black bread a day. LKŽ VII 94. All the water gurgled out of the barrel overnight. Brt. Wake in the morning, look through the little window in the shape of a heart, and you will be amazed: the stiffened poplars have become silver-frosted overnight. SajJPK 4. I knitted them in an evening [gloves]. Grl. They tried to haul away in one day all the manure that had accumulated over the winter. LEB 66. Over the spring we trampled the cattle yard so badly that it is hard even to walk through it. LKŽ I 864. This enterprise failed to meet even one monthly production target over the summer. T 1967 220. Thousands of cubic kilometers of water melted over the summer act as a thermostat. ČekNGK 19. I’ll spin enough bread flour over the winter. Jrb. We gather hundreds of tons of mushrooms in the autumn (dial.). The oxen were skilled and had not forgotten the art of ploughing over the winter. Myk-PutR VI 72. 9. 520 129 As the examples show, the temporal meaning of these constructions is determined by the preposition per. If the preposition per is removed, constructions with names of parts of the day and seasons would express an action and its point in time, whereas those with names of units of time measurement would be entirely impossible. With nouns denoting other temporal meanings, constructions expressing an action and the time allotted for its realization are not formed without a modifier. § 46. Constructions of the second type are particularly frequent; their dependent constituent is the preposition per followed by the accusative of nouns denoting units of time measurement and parts of the day, and less often seasons, as well as by cardinal numerals. That young man will destroy in one month everything that was built and done over the years. PaukštPM 89. I lost everything in three years. BalčTVN₁ 36. Sunlight reaches us from the Sun in 8 minutes and 20 seconds. SlavSS 7. Soon they chose a seven-year-old devil, who carried the musician down to earth in seven minutes. Lt IV 499. After all, in two days he ate only one pretzel and drank only a cup of milk. MarcBR 13. We unloaded her in three days (the ship). ČekNGK 32. Our flax dried well in four weeks. The wind sometimes brings fishermen back from the sea in two hours. Lnkv. VienR VII 34. He spent 300 litas in three days. Slk. Mercury completes its orbit in 88 days. SlavSS 229. I drove to Paris in two nights. VaižgRR II 337. In two evenings, Žemaitė and I managed to make two acts, but got stuck on the third. BitK 681. The yard, garden, fields—everything was covered with such a layer of snow that it seemed it would not melt even in three summers. BaltPV I 23. The child will learn in three winters. LKŽ. Constructions expressing an action and a defined period for its realization are sometimes also formed with other nouns denoting a defined interval of time and processes, used with cardinal numerals. In two semesters B. Sruoga read the entire course (colloq.). This topic is covered in 24 lessons (colloq.). I mowed the field in two work periods. Pšl. § 47. In constructions of the third type, the accusative of a cardinal numeral or of a noun denoting a defined quantity, together with the preposition per, governs the genitive of nouns with the same lexical meanings as those used to form constructions of the second type (see § 46). The householders never run out of work when they give a tithe each year for five years. VaižgRR I 361. We visited all the Baltic republics in twelve days (colloq.). The rabbits grew considerably in a couple of weeks. SajK 34. The German, too, learned a thing or two in a couple of wars. Grl. Over the half-century I have been observing them, the status of the woodpeckers in Lithuania seems not to have deteriorated. IvanLP III 62. § 48. In a sentence, constructions of all three types (especially the first) that express an action and a defined period for its realization sometimes have the modifiers entire, full, whole, but these are optional and do not give the construction any new shades of meaning. After working hard all day, getting tired and running around, it is so pleasant to sit down with a book in the evening. ŠRgSD₁ 10. The Saxons spend very little money in those café-taverns all evening. VienR VII 117. I could not sleep a wink all night long. BalčTVN₁ 100. Throughout the winter I could scrape together only those few litas. Up. Hey, you idlers, up there you did no work all summer long, not even worth a couple of cents. CvR₁ VII 29. You’ll get into trouble throughout the whole year. BinkGR 130 406. We won’t eat a cake like that in a whole month! KrevLŽ 146. How much I suffered over the course of a whole year (colloq.). Thousands of tons of peat burned over the course of two whole months (newspaper). His body had time to become thoroughly soaked in it over the course of a full six months. VaižgRR I 414. It is enough that Kaziukas, too, did not mention his illness and recovery even once over the course of a full six months. VaižgRR I 411. § 49. There are four main types of constructions denoting an action and an indefinite time span for its realization: 1) constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with the singular accusative of nouns denoting an indefinite amount of time; 2) constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with the plural accusative of time-measure nouns that have both singular and plural forms; 3) constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with the accusative of nouns and indefinite pronouns; and 4) constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with words denoting an indefinite quantity and a noun in the genitive. § 50. First-type constructions formed with nouns denoting an indefinite amount of time are highly unproductive and lexically restricted. And in an instant his whole extraordinarily happy life came crashing down on him. VaižgRR I 475. Small as you were, you could still get a lot done in an hour. MašAMB 23. § 51. Second-type constructions with this meaning are also uncommon; their dependent constituent is the preposition per with the accusative of nouns that have both singular and plural forms. A person could not have created so much over the course of centuries. TilvR I 442. Yet even specialists who have seen a great deal nod in satisfaction when the station’s programs and timing devices “reported” to Earth that orientation had been completed in seconds. T 1967 246. No economic benefit was obtained from the organic matter accumulated over millennia. T 1971 262. Between the sandy shore and the great grotto, the sailors showed us a very interesting, truly wonderful cave—a spout—lying in hollows formed over the ages. VienR VII 45. § 52. The most productive and most frequently used constructions denoting an action and an indefinite time span for its realization are those of the third type. The nouns serving as their dependent constituent always have the structurally required modifiers keli and keleri. The nouns used to form them have the same lexical meanings as those used in constructions indicating an action and a definite time span for its realization, which include an obligatory structural modifier—a sequence-number numeral (see § 46). The first thing the counts did was repair the manor house, because over the course of several years, uninhabited, it had become damp and dilapidated. VienR II 69. The sun will appear in a few minutes. BalčAP 155. Mostly because of his cheerful disposition and the southerners’ hot temper, he squandered in Sevastopol in one night everything he had earned at sea over several days. VienR VII 35. During construction, it deteriorated completely in a few weeks. DovŽE 290. At the slightest bang, [people] run out of their houses within a few seconds. T 1967 29. More than one hunter boasted of having shot several dozen ducks in them (the small lakes) over a few hours. IvanLP II 75. Over a few nights the comet’s tail disappeared (colloq.). From the peat bog, they scraped together a decent sum over a few summers (newspaper). § 53. There are three subtypes of fourth-type constructions denoting an action and an indefinite time span for its realization. 131 The first subtype comprises constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with the accusative plural of the numerals dešimtis, šimtas, tūkstantis, milijonas, etc., and the genitive plural of the noun metai ‘years’. National writings took shape not over tens, but over hundreds of years. LKŽ VI 152. In the outcrop, layers of sediment can be seen that formed over millions of years (trš.). The second subtype consists of constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with the accusative of the indefinite pronouns keletas ‘several’ and keliolika ‘a dozen or so’, or of nouns denoting an indefinite quantity, and the genitive of nouns. Constructions with the pronoun keliasdešimt ‘several dozen’ are also assigned to this subtype. These constructions are usually formed with nouns denoting units of time. Nouns expressing other time concepts occur in them less frequently. Over several months I barely managed to get through. LKŽ VI 220. But Poland collapsed in a dozen or so days. VencIJA 478. They threw the iron rods out of the trucks in a few minutes. JankKK 102. Over several years the Jews bought up the beautiful forests around our village. BilR I 176. That terrible wealth had been plundered over many years. BalčTVN₁ 48. Only after many years was the name of that duke forgotten. SimonR I 32. Over several decades the town fell into decline (tsp.). The third subtype consists of constructions whose dependent constituent is the preposition per with an adverb denoting an indefinite quantity and the genitive of a noun. They are unproductive and used rarely. The wounds inflicted by the war will not heal even in many years (tsp.). In all that time they completely stripped the house bare. Brt. § 54. Constructions with the noun laikas ‘time’ express an action and a definite or indefinite time limit for its realization. Constructions with the preposition per and the accusative of the noun laikas without modifiers always express an action and an indefinite time limit for its realization. Perhaps she will grow stronger over time. Užv. In time, the gentleman’s anger will pass. JablRR I 659. In such constructions, the dependent constituent per laiką ‘over time’ is already used as an adverb. Constructions in which the dependent noun laikas ‘time’ is accompanied by the modifiers ilgas ‘long’ or trumpas ‘short’ likewise express an action and an indefinite time limit for its realization. Over a long time, the gold had worn away. BalčAP 319. Over a longer time, the material’s defects became very pronounced. SruogR V 365. The house was built in a short time. LKŽ VI 976. He was astonished that his son had changed so suddenly in such a short time. Gud-GuzR V 363. Constructions with the same meaning are those in which the dependent noun laikas ‘time’ takes a demonstrative pronoun as an obligatory structural element. And during that time they also have to provide for a home. ŽemR IV 160. During that time Akvalina had a good look at the bearded man. SajJPK 9. § 55. Constructions with the preposition per expressing an action and the time limit for its realization can be said to have no syntactic synonyms in present-day standard Lithuanian. Occasionally, one or another construction with the singular instrumental has the same meaning¹⁶, but such constructions are incidental, formed only with individual nouns. 16 Cf. A. Rasimavičius, “Verb and Noun Instrumental Combinations Expressing Temporal Relations in the Lithuanian Literary Language,” Vilnius State Pedagogical Institute, Research Papers, Lithuanian Language and Literature, vol. XI, Vilnius, 1960, p. 141. 132 a) Constructions expressing an action and a definite time limit for its realization. You’ll get it done in one day—there isn’t that much work here (dial.). Verutė changed so much in one night that it was hard to recognize her. VienR II 134. I pulled up all the beets in one morning. Grl. You’ll mow down the whole clover field in one day, working the cow that hard. Bržr. Let your son make a great road in one night from your house to my house. BsRP 249. In one morning he laid all the meadows flat. Švnč (LKŽ VI 157). b) Constructions expressing an action and an indefinite time limit for its realization. The bridge blew up in an instant (dial.). In a single moment he realized that he was being sought. SajJPK 105. The wolves fell upon the fawn, and in a single moment the little animal was torn to pieces. SimonR I 63. After those events, the poet’s name became even more popular, and everyone eagerly sought his poetry booklet; in a short time the old edition was sold out. VienIMA 210. They orient themselves in an instant and immediately, having crossed the mountain, appear near the airfield. DovAA 31–32. For a moment, wrinkles appeared on his forehead. GričŽ 192. And what he saw pierced him through in an instant, and he quickly lowered his eyes. Myk-PutR III 105. It is known that fairies and other spirits can perform extraordinary deeds in a short time. BalčTVN1 80. The Germans came and did everything in a short time. BitKMD 334. Constructions with the preposition per that express an action and the time limit for its realization stand out most clearly from other temporal constructions with this preposition. The productivity and clear meaning of these constructions with the preposition per apparently also prevent corresponding instrumental constructions from becoming more widespread. Conclusions 1. Temporal constructions with the preposition per are highly productive. By meaning, they can be divided into 5 main groups: 1) point in time, 2) period of time, 3) frequency, 4) duration, and 5) time limit. These meanings are not sharply delimited: transitional cases occur. 2. The most important factor determining whether a construction expresses a point in time or a period of time is the aspect of the verb. Constructions with perfective verbs generally express an action and its point in time; constructions with imperfective verbs express an action and its period of time. The dependent constituent of these constructions is formed by nouns with the same lexical meanings, except for day, night, the names of seasons, and units of time (the latter are always used with a structurally necessary modifier), which form only constructions expressing an action and its period of time. 3. The dependent constituent of constructions expressing an action and its frequency always consists of the preposition per followed by a plural noun in the accusative. Constructions with this meaning are never formed with nouns denoting units of time, and never have quantifying modifiers. Constructions with imperfective verbs predominate; those with perfective verbs are less common. 4. Constructions expressing an action and its duration almost always have a quantifying modifier. The main constituent is a verb that may be imperfective or perfective, the latter expressing an action associated with a particular period. 133 5. The main constituent of constructions denoting an action and the time by which it is completed is always a telic verb of event, marking a particular completion, result, or resultant state of the action. Nouns with or without quantifying modifiers serve as the dependent constituent. 6. In temporal constructions with the preposition per, nouns usually denote concepts of time and processes. 7. Constructions with the preposition per denoting an action and its point or period in time have the greatest number of syntactic synonyms. Constructions with the corresponding lexical composition and the singular accusative, singular instrumental, singular or plural locative, or the postpositions metu, laiku. are synonymous with constructions having these meanings. 8. Synonyms of constructions with the preposition per denoting an action and its frequency are usually constructions with the plural instrumental or the postpositions metu, laikui and the plural genitive; constructions with the plural locative are very rare. 9. The syntactic synonyms of constructions with the preposition per denoting an action and its duration are most often constructions with the singular or plural accusative, and in certain cases also constructions with the plural nominative or plural instrumental. 10. Constructions with the preposition per denoting an action and the time by which it is completed have no syntactic synonyms, apart from isolated cases with the singular instrumental. Received 1971. XI. 3 А. РУЖЕ TEMPORAL CONSTRUCTIONS WITH THE PREPOSITION PER IN MODERN LITHUANIAN LITERARY LANGUAGE Summary The article discusses the structure and meanings of temporal constructions1 with the preposition per in modern Lithuanian literary language. Trends in the productivity and use of the constructions under study are established, and their syntactic synonyms are identified. In modern Lithuanian literary language, temporal constructions with the preposition per are highly productive. They express: 1) an action and a time interval at one point during which the action takes place, 2) an action and a period of time during which it occurs, 3) an action and particular intervals at which it is repeated, 4) an action and its duration, and 5) an action and the time limit within which it is carried out. Constructions expressing an action and a time interval at one point during which the action takes place differ from constructions expressing an action and a period of time during which the action occurs, 1Here, temporal constructions or constructions are defined as phrases consisting of a verb and a noun that express temporal relations. 134 primarily by verbal aspect. Constructions with perfective verbs express an action and a time interval at one point during which the action takes place, while constructions with imperfective verbs express an action and a period of time during which it occurs. As the dependent component of these constructions, except for the nouns diena ‘day’, naktis ‘night’, names of seasons, and units of time (the latter always occur with a required modifier), which are found only in constructions expressing an action and a period of time during which it occurs, nouns with the same lexical meaning are used. In constructions expressing an action and particular intervals at which it is repeated, the noun is always in the plural accusative case. Nouns denoting units of time are never used in these constructions. Constructions with imperfective verbs are the most productive. Constructions expressing an action and its duration almost always include a required quantitative modifier. Their principal components are imperfective verbs and those perfective verbs that denote a prolonged action. In constructions expressing an action and the time limit within which it is carried out, the verb is always perfective. Temporal constructions with the preposition per include nouns with the lexical meaning of time or process. Syntactic synonyms of constructions with the preposition per expressing an action and a time interval at one point during which it takes place, or an action and a period of time during which it occurs, are corresponding constructions in the singular accusative, singular instrumental, singular or plural locative, and constructions with the postpositions metu, laiku. Syntactic synonyms of constructions expressing an action and particular intervals at which it is repeated are usually constructions in the plural instrumental or constructions with the postpositions metu, laiku, and sometimes constructions in the plural locative. Constructions with the preposition per expressing an action and its duration can most often be replaced by synonymous constructions in the singular or plural accusative, and in some cases by constructions in the plural nominative. In modern literary language, syntactic synonyms of constructions expressing an action and the time limit within which it is carried out are absent, apart from a few isolated cases. Received 3.XI.1971