Dabartinės lietuvių literatūrinės kalbos laiko konstrukcijos su galininku

LIETUVIŲ KALBOS GRAMATIKOS TYRINĖJIMAI LIETUVOS TSR MOKSLŲ AKADEMIJA TIME CONSTRUCTIONS WITH THE ACCUSATIVE IN CONTEMPORARY STANDARD LITHUANIAN A. RUZĖ Introduction § 1. The main meanings of the temporal accusative in old Lithuanian texts and colloquial speech have been discussed by more than one linguist1. In many cases, their claims also apply to contemporary standard language. The most information about the meanings and use of the temporal accusative in contemporary standard language is found in J. Jablonskis’s “Cases and Prepositions”2 and in the academic grammar3. In the works mentioned above, the temporal accusative is discussed as one of the meanings of the accusative case. In this article, we will examine not the temporal accusative as a distinct meaning of the accusative case, but temporal constructions4 formed with the accusative case. We will attempt to determine the grammatical structure and lexical composition of temporal constructions with the accusative, their meanings, how these meanings depend on the constructions’ grammatical and lexical features, and the usage tendencies of these constructions. § 2. Compared with constructions formed with other cases, temporal constructions with the accusative are the most productive and most widely used in contemporary standard language. They also have the greatest number of meanings. Four principal meanings of temporal constructions with the accusative can be distinguished: 1) the moment or period of an action, 2) the duration of an action, 3) the duration of the result of an action, and 4) the frequency of an action. In addition, constructions with these meanings may have further nuances arising from their grammatical structure or lexical composition. Differences in the meanings of temporal constructions with the accusative are generally determined by the following principal factors: 1) the aspect of the verb serving as the main constituent of the construction, 2) the lexical meaning of the noun serving as the dependent constituent, 3) the grammatical and lexical properties of the modifier accompanying the noun in the accusative, 4) the construction’s 1 A. Schleicher, Litauische Grammatik, Prag, 1856, p. 262—264; F. Kurschat, Grammatik der littauischen Sprache, Halle, 1876, p. 380—382; E. Fraenkel, Syntax der litauischen Kasus, Kaunas, 1928, p. 161—163. 2 J. Jablonskis, Rinktiniai raštai, t. I, Vilnius, 1957, p. 617—621. 3Institute of the Lithuanian Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the Lithuanian SSR, Grammar of the Lithuanian Language, vol. I, Vilnius, 1964, pp. 197—199. 4Here, temporal constructions are defined as verbal word combinations expressing temporal relations. 85 the singular accusative form of the noun functioning as the dependent constituent. These factors do not always play an equal role. In some cases one of these factors is more important, in others another. I. Constructions expressing a moment or period of time § 1. The action of the verb functioning as the main constituent of the construction determines whether the construction expresses a moment or a period of time. A moment of time is expressed by constructions whose main constituent is a verb of perfective aspect. The action expressed by the verb takes place at a point in time denoted by a noun. Kastulis Narvilas arrived in Vilnius hungry at midnight. VaižgRR II 72. In the morning all the old women scattered. ŽemR I 100. On Sunday, the eve of the examinations, mother came. AvyžĮSK 126. In spring, after returning home for the holidays, cousin Jurgis Šauklys came to visit us. SimonNTP 308. A period of time is expressed by constructions whose main constituent is a verb of imperfective aspect. The duration of the action is not stated precisely: it may take place over a shorter or longer period, or throughout the entire time denoted by the noun. Karusė wept at night, her face buried in a heavy homespun pillow. Gud-GuzR I 26. It drizzled on Sunday. MačAD 86. After all, birds know nothing else but how to chirp, and in winter they have to starve to death. BalčAP 184. In summer the golden rye fields would undulate. MarcBR 148. In other respects, these constructions with similar meanings do not differ, so they are discussed together here. In the illustrations, however, constructions expressing a moment of time are presented first, followed on a new line by constructions expressing a period of time. § 2. The dependent constituent of constructions expressing a moment or period of time is always the singular accusative of a noun. These temporal constructions are formed with nouns having fairly specific lexical meanings. Typically, they use names of parts of the day, days of the week, seasons, units of time, and indefinite quantities of time. Constructions formed with nouns denoting other temporal meanings are relatively rare. Constructions formed with nouns denoting units of time or indefinite quantities of time always have a structurally obligatory modifier. Constructions with the same meanings formed with nouns from the other semantic groups mentioned above may occur either with or without modifiers. § 3. In the contemporary standard language, constructions expressing a moment or period of time are highly productive when their dependent constituent is the unmodified accusative of a name for a part of the day, a day of the week, or a season. Occasionally, an unmodified noun with another temporal meaning is also used. In the morning many carts gathered in the churchyard. ŽemR III 355. As much as is reaped by day must be threshed by night. KatkR 91. At midnight they roused everyone from sleep with a pounding. Gs. At last, at midday, they reached a large, boggy marsh. VienR IV 24. On Monday, sometimes Tuesday, he would return to his family home and stay until the following Saturday. Myk-PutR III 256. In spring one cow died, now another. Ėr. In autumn Bartkus received a letter from his son. MarcBR 157. In midsummer he came to Andriu- 86 what, found him lying down. GričŽ 240. It would happen that when I came back, people would come to my place on a feast day to hear the news. BilR I 104. Birds of the night sleep by day. Jnš. I know well what it means to seek one’s shore at night. MiežSA 163. With whom were you whispering over the fence by the house in the morning? SruogR III 10. At noon, having sat down somewhere in a pear tree, you read, write, and stretch out in the sun to warm yourself. VienR VII 40. Vilius wants to cut the summer crops on Tuesday or Wednesday. SimonR V 13. We will go and see on Monday. SimonNTP 224. His rooms, unventilated in summer and unheated in winter, stood for a long time piled with all kinds of spare household items. Myk-PutR IV 9. In winter he would wear trousers of thick broadcloth and black, worn-out, rubbed-down fur coats. KrėvRg 171. At harvest time both old and young are busy. Grl. § 4. Constructions formed with the singular accusative of the nouns kartas, sykis are very common. The accusative of these words expresses a very general, indefinite time⁵. In meaning and function, the accusatives of these words are close to adverbs⁶. In constructions of the meaning under discussion with the accusative of kartas, sykis, the main constituent is usually a verb form in the past simple tense. But then one time people came, took the flax by its tops, and pulled it up by the roots. BalčAP 24. Once he even offered to escort him, but he cannot utter a single word properly. Grušk 122. One time such a “rocket” fell onto Damijonas’s hat. SajK 111. Once the two of them stood by Wolf’s Eye Lake and looked toward the pine forest. VenclR II 50. Once upon a time there lived an old fisherman. BalčTVN₁ 9. Constructions whose main constituent is a present-tense verb form occur occasionally. Once we are coming back from church—and there’s a horse standing in the yard. ŽemR IV 314. However, in such cases the present-tense form always denotes a past action. Constructions with the meanings under discussion are not formed in contemporary literary language, without modifiers, with past frequentative or future-tense verb forms and the accusative of the nouns kartas, sykis. Constructions with the accusative of the words kartas, sykis denote a very indefinite moment or period of time when an action takes place. Therefore, they are often expanded by another noun case, a case with a preposition, or an adverb that specifies the time of the action. One autumn I drove the oxen to Burbiškis to plough fallow land. BilR I 178. He came back one time after a severe thunderstorm. SajJ 48. Once, during a firefight, the company commander was wounded (tsp). But I couldn’t stand it any longer and once sneaked off at night to the pastures. BaltPV I 91. Once, in the late afternoon, I’m going to the manor and meet a beggar (rš). Once during a short break, I’m hobbling around with my friends and find a cigarette butt in the yard. SruogR V 169. However, constructions with kartą, sykį are structurally complete even without such expansions. § 5. The accusative of nouns most often occurs with optional modifiers—nouns, adjectives, numerals, pronouns, and participles. Words functioning as these modifiers also usually have a lexical temporal meaning. ⁵ Lietuvių kalbos gramatika, t. I, p. 198. ⁶ K. Ulvydas, Dėl vienaskaitos galininko prieveiksmėjimo dabartinėje lietuvių kalboje, „Lietuvių kalbotyros klausimai“, t. II, V., 1959, p. 75. 87 1) These constructions are expanded by a nominal modifier when their dependent constituent is a noun denoting a part of the day. The following day, Marta came to the Kavoliai with her mother. ŽemR IV 136. What did we think when we fell asleep on an autumn night beneath our own roof? MaldŠM 165. On Saturday afternoon, Arvydas, as usual, headed once again toward the lake. LankNR 171. But on Friday morning her enthusiasm vanished. VienR VII 157. On Saturday evening everyone could breathe freely again. Myk-PutR VI 40. When the wedding began, on the evening before the wedding, the Kupsčiai took Petras to the granary to give him the promised share. ŽemR I 181. Around Zarasai, to protect crops from thistles, the ploughshare was smeared with boiled meat on Shrove Tuesday. LEB 59. The following morning, at sunrise, Petras Balsys was already driving through the village to the fields with a yoke of oxen. Myk-PutR VI 71. On Christmas Eve, animals talk among themselves. Jnšk. And my love flies like a falling star on an August night. MaldŠM 85. In temporal constructions, the accusative of the noun vakaras ‘evening’ is used more often with a modifier than without one. In temporal constructions of literary language, the unmodified accusative of this word is gradually being displaced by the locative vakare7. 2) Adjectival modifiers are generally used with nouns denoting parts of the day, seasons, and days of the week. The most characteristic and most frequently used constructions are those expanded by the adjectives ankstus, ankstyvas, vėlus and vėlyvas. Temporal constructions with the accusative are expanded by other adjectives quite rarely. Next Sunday afternoon, Katrė Kedulienė set off for Šilėnai. Myk-PutR VI 583. Early in the morning they will put the coals into paper bags and distribute them by cart among the city’s shops… MarukŽŠG 18. Although the master returns early in the morning, nevertheless everyone soon runs out to meet him, even the old woman. CvMS 331. Where will you doze off late in the evening? SNērKBM 85. As she was leaving, after a quick lunch, Julė said she would return only late in the evening. KrėvLŽ 184. Alma went home late in the afternoon. BubLK 155. In early autumn, when all nature glitters, everyone sees the colors. LankNR 98. Tomato seedlings are grown in hotbeds in early spring (trš). On a feast day I would not drive them to the far end of the field. MaŠAMB 41. Her tear plays in my soul both on a quiet night and on a restless day. Myk-PutBV 60. In the waves, the stars will caress us on a refreshing night. SNērP₁ 172. 3) An ordinal numeral also frequently serves as a modifier with nouns denoting parts of the day. Constructions expanded by ordinal numerals have a clear meaning of the time point of an action only when the construction’s main constituent is a verb of perfective aspect. On the second day I went out into the garden. BilR I 217. On the fourth night sleep laid them all low. KrėvP 81. On the second night the fisherman scattered sand around the barrel. CvR₁ VII 226. On the third evening the devil comes again. CvR₁ VII 337. When the main constituent is a verb of imperfective aspect and the dependent constituent is an accusative noun with an ordinal numeral, the meaning of a period of action time may become apparent only from the context. In isolation from a sentence, such constructions denote the duration of an action. 7 K. Ulvydas. Dėl vienaskaitos galininko prieveiksmėjimo dabartinėje lietuvių kalboje, „Lietuvių kalbotyros klausimai“, t. II, p. 80. 88 On the second morning, all the water was teeming and seething, full of golden fish. LKŽ VI 572. Fish and guests stink on the third day. PP 140. Only on the third evening was he sitting in his office again. MarcBR 24. 4) However, demonstrative and indefinite pronouns most often serve as modifiers in constructions with these meanings. Demonstrative pronouns are used with various nouns denoting concepts of time. They set to work in earnest, and on that very day put up even the last haystacks. VienR V 45. Jankus killed himself the previous Friday. Grl. This spring, warmth suddenly set in. CvMS 39. That winter, Baltaragis turned completely gray and stooped under the burden of his worries. BorBM 67. This time, however, fear for the child made her speak. BalčHP 185. After all, the last time they nearly knocked his eye out. SimonR V 140. With grim, gloomy faces, the Šilėnai ploughmen yoked the oxen to the ploughs that morning. Myk-PutR VI 291. I hope our invalid will reap the rye beautifully this autumn! LzPR II 363. So, what was I talking about the other time? MarukŽSG 20. Of the indefinite pronouns, only adjectival ones are used in these constructions, most often – one or another. One afternoon, the pastor beckoned to the curate with a letter recently brought back from the post office. Myk-PutR IV 12. One morning, the little mother led all the children out to the clover field. ŽemR IV 447. You’ll also go to the eye doctor one day. Vkš. I’ll drop by your place one evening. AvyžĮSK 95. Listen, come visit us in Rūdžiai one Sunday. PaukštPM 108. Many years after the raven’s wedding, one autumn, before flying south to the warmer coastal lands, the flock alighted to rest in a sown rye field. CvR₁ VII 75. It is true that Mina once beat me up badly. Simon NTP 42. One evening, the winds tossed us about with the flames of our campfire. SNėrP₁ 416. The next day Gerda was running around that wonderful flower garden again in the warm sunshine. BalčAP 232. One winter it was terribly cold. Akm. Another time, the three sisters were washing laundry in the stream. BsRP 96. 5) Participial modifiers are also used with various nouns denoting concepts of time. Most often, the modifier function is performed by “coming,” “passed,” “past,” “previous.” Other participles are used much less frequently. Last night, some man and woman knocked on my door. BalčTVN₁ 194. I suggest you come with your applications next Sunday! GričŽ 354. Listen, Bertašius, next spring you’ll scatter the paths, and he’ll already be running along them! GričŽ 192. Last autumn, Rimas and Nerimas sent their second son each off to serve as a soldier. VaižgRR II 21. The matchmakers arrived on the appointed day. Trš. We’re going to Šiauliai tomorrow morning. Trk. After all, last Saturday, beating his breast, you promised to pay everything. And last Sunday you were still campaigning at Icikas’s. Myk-PutR IV 29. They (the horses) even had to haul documents, just like the ones I hauled last summer. SruogR V 311. And indeed, the previous time […] I saw a beautiful town. BilR I 101 6) The accusative of a noun sometimes also occurs with several modifiers. Words from various inflected parts of speech can serve as modifiers. Such modifiers can specify the time expressed by the accusative noun not only temporally, but also in other respects. 89 Perhaps some of their gift fell to me too on that biting January morning. Myk-PutBV 8. Late one evening, unable to settle down, Vinceas Kaniava set off to visit his companion in good times and bad. VaižgRR I 371. After three months, the police also caught the real church thief, who had torn off a tin sheet in the church on the night of St. John’s feast. VienR II 137. One hot summer day, some joker from our village was hauling a cartload of hay from the riverbank across the clearings. BiIR I 176. One warm late afternoon in early spring, I hurried to my native home (trš). § 6. In all the cases discussed above, modifiers in the structure of constructions denoting a moment or period of action time are optional. Even without those modifiers, the constructions would retain the meaning of an action-time moment or period and would be structurally complete. When the dependent constituent in constructions with these meanings is the accusative of nouns denoting units of time measurement or an indefinite amount of time, it is always used with a modifier, which is an essential element of the construction's structure. Without modifiers, these constructions would acquire a different meaning—that of the duration of an action. Words belonging to the same parts of speech as those that function as optional modifiers in the constructions discussed above serve as structurally essential modifiers. 1) Among nominal modifiers, only the accusative of the noun month is widely used. In this case, the modifier is usually a noun denoting the name of a month. Constructions with other nouns denoting units of time measurement or an indefinite amount of time, used with a nominal modifier, are very rare. But I fell ill in September and have not worked since. T 1967 85. A new major strike by Vilnius workers began in February. LI II 304. The carters were on strike in June. LI II 313. Nobody saw how she used to catch toads in May. LKŽ VI 815. Jurgėla knew how to keep his composure in a moment of danger (tsp). 2) Adjectives of various meanings function as structurally essential modifiers much more frequently. At the last minute I saw a lawyer I had known from long ago (trš). From my lips, in the dark hour, serpents leap out hissing. BaltakPU 171. Reach out a hand to someone in a difficult hour. MilŽP 66. Benius wanted to say that he had taken Anicetas to the workers' meeting, but at the last moment he held back. AvyžISK 104. Several groups of foreign tourists visited Vilnius last week (tsp). 3) Ordinal numerals function relatively rarely as essential modifiers in constructions with these meanings. Constructions of this type occur somewhat more often only with the noun hour. Constructions whose main constituent is a verb of punctual aspect have a clear meaning of an action-time moment. At five o'clock, countless crowds flooded the market and the adjoining streets. Myk-PutR VI 357. In the second half of the year, Vasaris wrote about ten poems. Myk-PutR III 236. When the main constituent is a verb of durative aspect, the meaning of an action-time period becomes clear only from the context. Outside a sentence, such a construction has the meaning of action duration. 90 At five o’clock, look, he’s back at the gymnasium, puttering around in the teachers’ room or somewhere. PaukštPM 172. 4) Pronouns most often serve as structurally necessary modifiers. Among them, demonstrative pronouns are generally used, and indefinite pronouns much less frequently. That day the group went about 50 kilometers into the enemy’s rear. T 1967 4. The previous week Adam came and stripped everything down to the last groschen. GričŽ 83. At that very moment the handle understood that it was he, Pranaitis. Myk-PutR VI 620. At this moment he wanted even more desperately for his estate to change suddenly, as in a fairy tale. MarcR I 32. Who knows, perhaps Vesuvius will sigh at just that moment. VienR VII 242. The following week the servant came again and invited the boy to visit his master. BalčAP 321. All this recurs day after day, at the same hour, the same minute, or perhaps even the same second. VienR VII 110. This month has the shortest days of the year. T 1966 279. After all, Pundzius stood on the edge of the abyss at that second. DovA A 269. At this moment he hated Griaužinis with all his soul. Ayž ISK 23. At this moment Mother was not looking at me. SimonOBT 84. I am not working at all next month. Vkš. 5) The same participles that serve as facultative modifiers also perform the function of structurally necessary modifiers. Next week I intend to cut out this little lump here. SajJ 14. Next month I’m taking vacation. GrušK 155. Last week the telephones rang frequently in the editorial office. T 1967 84. It rained in the republic during the previous day (tsp). At the appointed hour all the invited guests were present. LKŽ VI 1085. II. Constructions expressing the duration of an action § 1. In constructions expressing the duration of an action, the action of the verbs occupies the entire period of time denoted by the nouns in the accusative. The dependent constituent in these constructions most often denotes an amount of time. This amount of time is generally expressed in two ways: 1) The dependent constituent is a noun that itself has the lexical meaning of an amount of time (names of units of time and of indefinite periods of time). For those marks the Saxon will be a scoundrel for a month. VienR VII 120. He lay in bed for almost a year. ČiurlRR II 171. All this lasted perhaps a minute. SajK 126. The praise did not suit Barbelė; frowning, she listened for an hour. LzPK 9. For a little while the two of them silently looked at each other. Gud-GuzR I 72. From time to time we would come upon colorful pheasants wallowing in the sand on the road; when they saw us from afar, they would crouch to the ground and, after squatting there for a minute or so, would slip off into the forest with hunched shoulders. VienR VII 72. 2) The dependent constituent is a noun with a quantitative modifier. In the latter case, the noun itself may denote not only an amount of time but also certain other temporal concepts or even processes. ‘They shut the wild boar in the pen and fed it for seven weeks. BorJPK 75. Women everywhere rejoiced to welcome Jokūbas as one of their own, as some kind of guest, and it was nothing new for the old man to spend several days wherever he happened to get stuck. LzPR II 359. All summer Thumbelina lived alone in a great forest. BalčAP 182. Look, Jokimas spent the whole evening worrying- 91 it. GričŽ 168. He stands around in the middle of the room for whole days (trš). All the way to the little town, Ignotas wondered how it would end. Gud-GuzR I 86. § 2. The main constituent of constructions expressing the duration of an action may be a verb of imperfective or perfective aspect. Constructions with imperfective verbs predominate. Juozas stood motionless for an hour, as if rooted to the spot. LzPR II 17. Domantienė prepared for the ball all week. GrušK 15. I was ill all winter. MarcBR 217. I walked for two months, until I got back… Gud-GuzR I 73. At the gymnasium the two of them sat at the same desk for several years. KrėvLŽ 136. For a long time, only one prisoner worked here. SruogR V 354. However, perfective verbs denoting an action of a certain duration may sometimes also serve as the main constituent. I’ll graze for another half hour and then drive them home. SajK 147. He frowned, thought for a moment, and finally agreed. VienR VII 153. I stop by some shed and lean against it: I want to stand here for just a minute. Gud-GuzR V, 126. I barely made it home alive and then lay in bed for three weeks… BilR I 179. The daughter talked with her mother all evening, but they got nowhere. DovŽE 126. He would stand for hours in [Šyvoj] pasture. CvR₁ VII 111. The perfective verbs in constructions of this kind, which express the duration of an action, can generally be replaced by their imperfective counterparts without changing the meaning of the construction, e.g.: I’ll graze for half an hour – I’ll be grazing for half an hour; he thought for a moment – he was thinking for a moment. § 3. Accusative constructions can express both definite and indefinite duration of an action. These nuances are determined by the lexical meaning of the noun serving as the dependent constituent, or by the lexical and grammatical properties of the construction’s modifier and, in certain cases, also by the number of the noun in the accusative. § 4. The most widely used constructions are those that express a definite duration of an action. They are formed with nouns in the accusative, either without a modifier or with one. An unmodified noun always takes the singular accusative form. The only exception is the plural noun metai ‘year’. Without modifiers, constructions with this meaning are usually formed with nouns denoting units of time. It seems we worked in vain for a month because we had to cover the landlord’s loss. Gud-GuzR V 97. You’ll let the pigs out, then root around for half a day until they call you back. Vj. He tended the calves for half a year. SajJ 24. That is how Petras Alešiūnas walked around for a week. BaltVRA 158. Of course, he’ll resist for at least another year… VaižgRR I 414. The bog will hold out for another week, perhaps even longer. DovŽE 430. What’s the big deal if he spends half an hour here? LankNR 148. He sang all day, and godfather Vaurus looked weaker. VaižgRR I 374. After listening to such confessions for an hour, Vasaris felt that his attention was beginning to grow dull. Myk-PutR IV 35. Endure a year or two; bear your hardships. LTt I 55. § 5. Much less frequently, constructions expressing definite duration are formed with an unmodified accusative noun denoting another temporal concept. The main constituent of such constructions is always a perfective verb. The hens were loose for a day and ruined the whole garden. Trgn. Krizas and the master spend a day at Adomas’s as if it were a great feast. CvMS 130. I worked through the autumn 92 for a meal. Krš. He stayed awake all night; the sun is already rising, yet the young man has not even closed his eyes. KrėvP 66. It has already been mentioned that in constructions denoting the duration of an action, the dependent constituent emphasizes the amount of time. Since names for parts of the day, seasons, days of the week, and other defined periods do not have a clear meaning of quantity of time, constructions formed with their accusative forms tend to be expanded with quantitative modifiers. Apparently, for this reason, constructions with nouns of the aforementioned meanings and without modifiers are not productive in contemporary standard language. Occasionally, there are cases in which a defined duration of an action is also expressed by constructions whose main constituent is an imperfective verb and whose dependent constituent is a noun of the aforementioned meanings without a quantitative modifier. However, these constructions can acquire such a meaning only in context. He lies around for a day, another, loafs about for a week—and still does nothing. Grušk 108. I herded cattle for the summer, then for a second. MašAMB 53. The daughters waited a day, waited a week, a month, but their mother was nowhere to be found. CvR₁ VII 161. § 6. Most often, the accusative of nouns occurs with modifiers, a function that can be performed by cardinal and ordinal numerals, the indefinite generalizing pronoun whole, and the adjectives round, entire, whole. In some cases these modifiers are necessary structural elements of the construction; in others, they are optional. Cardinal numerals are always structurally necessary, regardless of the verb’s aspect and the noun’s meaning, because without these numerals the constructions would denote an indefinite duration of an action. Ordinal numerals, the indefinite generalizing pronoun whole, and the adjectives round, entire, whole are structurally necessary when the verb in the construction is imperfective and the noun denotes parts of the day, days of the week, seasons, other defined periods, or processes. When the main constituent of the construction is a perfective verb, these modifiers are optional. They are also optional when the noun in the construction denotes units of time measurement. In this case, the verb in the construction may be either perfective or imperfective. First, we will review constructions with structurally necessary modifiers. § 7. Constructions that include cardinal numerals in their structure are used very intensively. When a noun occurs with a cardinal numeral, it usually takes the plural accusative form. The singular accusative form is used only with the numeral one. For two weeks I could not budge or move a muscle. Trak. Kordušas waited three hours for his daughter to come in. MarcR I 46. Oh Lord, to spend another three years drying and ripening among books?! DovŽE 125. The pies are baked for three days. SimonR V 15. The young man spent three nights lodging beneath a high bridge. KrėvP 66. Not for nothing did I count nine stars each evening for nine evenings, wondering what would become of my beloved. BorBM 46. After Magdutė was taken away, Adomienė wept for four more consecutive springs, sending her children, one after another, “out into the world.” GricŽ 79. I worked for four summers. Rmš. He taught the general physics course here for two semesters (tsp). If a person were to live for two centuries, three centuries, ten centuries—all of them would have to be devoted to destroying such a life and building a new one! GricŽ 307–308. You won’t die if you don’t sleep for one night. Grl. 93 The General Secretary sat for five minutes, asked after his health, and got up. KrėvLŽ 201. If you last three days without sleep, I’ll give you a bag of gold. LT 346. The roof held up for one day. SajJ 53. In constructions whose structure includes cardinal numerals, the genitive of nouns is often used instead of the accusative, because some cardinal numerals govern the genitive of the nouns that accompany them. We have not been in serfdom for a hundred years. SruogR III 36. For ten days Žilaitienė travelled by train. BaltVRA 73. And get up at four, as soon as the sun has risen, and work for fifteen hours. VaižgRR I 420. Get up, walk for half a day, and you will reach a tall castle with a golden roof. BalčTVN₁ 161. Thus for three days the old manor steamed and smoked on the high hill. LzPR II 116. He wandered about foreign countries for thirty years. VienR I 140. They kept the little fellow shut up in the sauna for about 18 hours. BitKMD 175. I spent twelve days in the Mažeikiai hospital. Mžk. In contemporary standard Lithuanian, as in Russian, the genitive of nouns with such cardinal numerals8 forms a syntactic unit that bears the same relation to the verb as the accusative of nouns. § 8. Constructions whose structure includes ordinal numerals are used somewhat less frequently than constructions with cardinal numerals. Characteristically, the main component of these constructions is generally a present-tense verb form. On the third day we are cutting the rye. BaltPV I 302. On the second night we sleep away from home (trš). And so, for the fourth autumn and the fourth winter, I have been sitting at home. SajK 135. He is so overwhelmed with work and has to travel so much on party business that for the second semester now he has not only failed to pass a single exam, but has not managed to earn any credits either. Grušk 14. § 9. Constructions expressing a definite duration of an action, with the structurally obligatory indefinite generalizing pronoun visas ‘all’, are used in contemporary standard language no less frequently than constructions with structurally obligatory numerals. With the pronoun visas ‘all’, nouns denoting not only parts of the day and seasons, but also days of the week and other definite periods of time, and sometimes even processes, are quite often used. Antanas Strimas was anxious all day. VendIGD₁ 235. Where were you hanging around all evening, when you weren’t at home? Vkš. Jokūbas has been lying down all afternoon. ŽemR IV 247. All night Dovydienė screamed and dashed about the threshing floor. VaižgRR I 122. We waited for you all Sunday; we nearly wore our eyes out watching. Grl. We raised them in the house by the window all spring. SajK 27. All winter he just shuffles around the barns. Gs. Simukas is forced to climb down from the treetop, where he had made a nest out of branches, and he sits in it all his free time. CvR₁ VII 51. I run around all haymaking season without tying up my trousers: just whey and leafy soup! Gud-GuzR I 70. I felt very ill at ease throughout the journey to Grodno. VienIMA 155. He lived in my cottage with you as if in God’s ear. He lived there throughout the war! Gud-GuzR I 67. Mother keeps weeping all the way. ŽemR IV 368. He won’t spend his whole life tussling with your pigs. BaltPV I 28. 8 Plyag. V. M. Filippova, Verbal-Nominal Phrases with Temporal Meaning in Contemporary Russian, Studies in the Grammar of the Russian Literary Language, Moscow, 1955, p. 164. 94 § 10. Constructions of this meaning with structurally necessary adjectival modifiers are used rather rarely. Adjectives kiauras and ištisas, meaning ‘entire’ and usually occurring with names of parts of the day and seasons, can perform the function of such modifiers. Nouns in these constructions always take the singular accusative form. The plural accusative form is used in constructions expressing an indefinite duration of an action (see II § 12 1). There, wade, get wet, freeze all day long—and come back empty-handed… Gud-GuzR I 24. And all night long temptation plays its symphony. SNeŕKBM 22. We grazed the cows in the forest all summer. Lž. § 11. The same modifiers, which are structurally necessary in the constructions discussed above, are optional in other cases (see II § 6): they do not give the construction a new meaning, but merely specify the duration expressed by the noun. Such constructions retain the meaning of a definite duration of an action even without a modifier. 1) Only those constructions whose main component is an imperfective verb and whose dependent component is a noun denoting units of time are often expanded by ordinal numerals. Constructions with perfective verbs are very rare. She has been kept sick abed for a second week [the patient]. GričŽ 300. We have been living without any government for a third week now… BitKMD 268—269. Born in the fire of the October Revolution, Soviet literature has been fighting for peace for a fourth decade now. T 1951 239. Now you can s t u d y f o r a s e c o n d y e a r i n t h e s a m e c l a s s. Paukšt PM 16. We spent a second night wide awake. Trš. 2) Constructions with the indefinite generalizing pronoun visas. You know, when I was coming back from the forest that year, the wind got in my ear, and I couldn’t hear with my left ear for a whole month. VienR II 254. [Romas] walked around Kaunas all day long. MarcBR 37. The wedding festivities lasted a whole week. BalčAP 111. For an entire hour they watched as the county officials gathered. Gud-GuzR V 11. And they swelter all year long in the stifling air, surrounded by swarms of flies. VienR VII 57. The lads rarely stay for a whole year. MarcR I 58. Laurynas walked around Riga for a whole week, looking for work. BilR I 65. The men come and snore away the whole evening, seated around the table. Vj. I spent the whole night smoking and thinking about the journey. SajK 166. I stayed in Kaunas all Sunday. Prn. He spent the whole autumn traveling around to the neighboring girls’ homes, courting them as brides. BorBM 24. I spent my whole life loafing around the estate. VenclR III 357. Although the modifier visas is optional in constructions of this type, constructions containing it are formed much more frequently than those with just a noun, because a noun accompanied by the pronoun visas expresses duration more emphatically than a noun standing alone. 3) Constructions of the same type are expanded somewhat less frequently by the adjectives ištisas, kiauras and apskritas than by the indefinite pronoun visas. The adjective apskritas is used only with nouns denoting units of time. I heard you clatter around on all fours on the stairs for half an hour, looking for the door. VenclR II 110. The sultan’s wives mourned for a whole year. BalčTVN₁ 5. For a whole month, without a break, he was consumed by a strange heaviness of spirit, a bitter melancholy. MarcR I 21. 95 Thus he spent a whole year in the city. BilR I 35. Thus I spent almost a whole month living as if in some kind of sanatorium, cared for, entertained, and soothed… Bit KMD 356. Perhaps I would have toiled through the whole night like that. BorJPK 40. I was ill for the entire winter; by spring I could barely drag my feet. Vkš. 4) Sometimes these constructions are expanded by the indefinite pronoun whole and the adjective entire; they are also used when the dependent constituent is a noun accompanied by a cardinal numeral. The person labored and labored on the journey for all three days and on Christmas Eve. ŽemR IV 274. He suddenly shudders when he sees that for a whole twenty-five years he had walked over the earth like a black cloud, wherever the wind blew him. MarcBR 40. It was as if the greatest stone had rolled off his chest—the one that had weighed on him for a whole twelve years. BorBM 72. The mother sat by the baby’s cradle all three nights (trš). § 12. Constructions expressing an indefinite duration of an action are less productive than constructions expressing a definite duration of an action. Their main constituent may be a verb of either the durative or the punctual aspect. The meaning of indefinite duration is determined by the structure of the dependent constituent. On the basis of that structure, three main types of constructions expressing this meaning can be distinguished: 1) those with a plural accusative noun form (excluding constructions with cardinal numerals and constructions with the noun year used in the sense ‘one year’), 2) those with the singular accusative of a noun denoting an indefinite amount of time, 3) those with combinations of nouns and indefinite, non-specific numeral pronouns. 1) The dependent constituent of constructions of the first structural type may be the plural accusative of a noun, with or without a modifier. Time-measure nouns are generally used without a modifier. Among other nouns denoting temporal concepts, names of the times of day day and night. are also used. For ages you will rustle, willow-leaved ash tree. SNėrKBM 51. For decades the Lithuanian people endured hardship and oppression (tsp). Before its eyes passes the long struggle of the Russian people, lasting centuries. KorsLK 326. And you stand for centuries as if frozen, bound by sorrow and duty. MaldšM 157. The little one cried for days and nights, giving no peace to the exhausted women. LzPR VII 220. A person can go without food for a week, without water for days, but cannot hold their breath for longer than a minute or two. MG 1967 9. Constructions of this type are most often expanded by optional adjectival modifiers whole, long, entire. For ages the Djigit people lived freely in their beloved mountains and steppes. VienR I 37. May the walls built of our hands stand for long centuries. BaltakPU 28. For whole decades the Western countries frightened one another with the Soviet bogeyman. T 1966 267. One has to wait entire weeks for the fishing season to begin. ČekNGK 35. He would forget the most urgent work and stand outdoors for whole hours, gazing at the sky until its beauties disappeared (rš). Jonas plowed and harrowed for whole days. BaltPV I 55. 96 I spend whole nights nursing the sick. Vkš. His idea also interested the young countess, and the two of them would stand for long hours before some cross or other. VienR II 41. The lexical meaning of the nouns here has become faded. Their combinations with adjectives tend to become fixed and are close in meaning to the combination for a long time. Constructions expressing an indefinite duration of an action with the noun years always have a structurally necessary modifier—the adjective long. He pursued it for many years. GrušK 284. For many years the Lithuanian nation fought for its national liberation. T 1952 172. He remained here motionless for many years. BilR I 176. Constructions of this type are formed comparatively rarely with nouns of other meanings, used with structurally necessary modifiers. The family would eat skimmed milk for entire summers. Trš. He would not leave the ship's helm for entire shifts. T 1967 242. 2) Constructions of the second structural type, with the singular accusative of nouns denoting an indefinite amount of time, are very unproductive, since only a few nouns have this lexical meaning. The most commonly used constructions are those with the words a little while, a moment, a minute, an hour. He has been standing there for a long while, following with his eyes the girls fluttering down the slope. CvMS 123. The two of us are silent for a minute, then he begins whispering again. Gud-GuzR V 159. Benius hesitated for a minute. AvyžISK 120. Ilžė watches herself for a moment. SimonR V 254. Dzidė stood for another hour by the threshing floor of the little barn, then vanished like a shadow into the thick of the garden. LzPR II 341. That took a moment. MarcR I 28. After chatting for another little while, the father and brother got up to drive home. Myk-PutR IV 26. You could keep it going for another hour; you'd get a good threshing. Trg. Constructions of this type are usually formed with a single noun in the accusative. Only occasionally are they expanded with optional modifiers. For a short while [Benius] stood motionless. AvyžISK 51. He may have been glad to see his son, but it lasted only a short while. VencIGD, 61. Such boundless apathy had overcome me that I had to struggle with it for quite a long while. BitKMD 260. 3) In constructions of the third structural type (with a numeral and an indefinite pronoun), nouns with the same meanings are used as in constructions with cardinal numerals. The modifiers are the indefinite pronouns a few, several, a few (of a kind), a dozen or so, and one or another. For several months the poor fellow wandered around the camp, with absolutely nothing to do. SruogR V 348. The news of the overthrow of the government affected the teaching staff so much that they all stood there stunned for several minutes. PaukštPM 192. He raved for several hours and yet recovered. Klm. He had been grazing for several summers. Brt. The duke's thoughts flew once more to Marienburg, Kraków, Polotsk, to the regions of the Narew and Bug, where he had ruled for several years and made new friends and allies. VienR IV 50. He wandered around with those boards for several weeks. SruogR V 60. Although he has no savings, if he cut some expenses, he could still manage one month or another— 7. Lietuvių kalbos gramatikos tyrinėjimai 97 you will make a living. GruŠK 154. The little pile of apples that had lain there for several days began to dwindle. MačAD 59. In constructions with the pronouns keletas, keliolika, nouns take not the plural accusative form but the genitive, because these pronouns, like the corresponding quantity numerals that they replace, govern the genitive of the nouns with which they are used. He stayed with us for several days. ŽemR IV 315. He has been sitting in the same class for several winters. Prn. For a dozen or so days I wandered about unrestrained by anyone. MašAMB 57. Žarakai’s daughter Nastutė lay in bed for several months. VienR II 256. Constructions with the pronouns kelintas, kelioliktas, like constructions with ordinal numerals, are used relatively rarely. He has been doing no work for several months now. Sd. Everyone was concerned about the rye, while here a fine drizzle, as if on purpose, had been pattering away for several days already. BilR I 231. For several days now, the whole world has been fenced off by bars and a high masonry wall. T 1967 204. § 13. The duration of an action is often expressed by constructions with the noun laikas, used with a necessary modifier. Constructions with the accusative of the noun laikas express both definite and indefinite duration of an action. The nuances of these meanings are determined by the lexical and grammatical properties of the words functioning as modifiers. Constructions with laikas, modified by the adjectives ilgas, trumpas or the indefinite pronouns kuris, visas, express an indefinite duration of an action. Sometimes mother said that he had lived in Argentina and Brazil for a long time. MarukŽŠG 20. For a short while longer, the howling of those murderous enforcers resounded in the night’s silence, then fell quiet in the manor buildings. LzPR II 108. For a short time I used to walk to kindergarten. VienR II 297. For a while we walked in silence. Myk-PutR III 186. Would you marry, for heaven’s sake, or what—you’d get at least a little dowry and manage somehow for a while. VaizgRR I 452. And Vilius spent all his time dreaming about what gifts his relatives would bring from Berlin. SimonR V 10. Antanas Balsys’s ties with his homeland had been completely severed for a long time. Myk-PutR VI 266. He lived here for a longer period. BalčTVN₁ 145. Communication between the northern and southern coasts was completely interrupted for a while. VienR VII 271–272. Combinations of the noun laikas with these modifiers tend to become fixed. Definite duration of an action is expressed by constructions in which the dependent constituent is the noun laikas with a nominal, adjectival, or pronominal modifier. Nouns, adjectives of quite varied meanings, and demonstrative pronouns are used as modifiers. An indefinite generalizing pronoun visas is also an essential structural element of these constructions. The cow kept nodding in the yard throughout the entire haymaking season. Kal. Jaunius thought about his failures throughout the journey (trš). Throughout the war, we officers teach them how to treat the inhabitants. BitKMD 259. She had been so preoccupied with herself throughout this whole time. SimonR V 238–239. § 14. In constructions expressing definite or indefinite duration of an action, where the verb contains the negative prefix ne- and the dependent constituent is emphasized 98 With the negative particles nė and nei, the genitive is always used instead of the noun’s accusative. I didn’t last even a month—I spat and left. BilR I 79. It’s such a place that you can’t sit still for even a minute without working. Ds. Well then, what is it—are you angry about something, that you’re running off like this without staying even a minute? PaukštPM 277. He wasn’t there for even a couple of days before something strange happened to him: as if he had become overgrown with weeds. LzPR II 332. Aunt Normantienė regarded us as her closest relatives… She never spent a summer without us. ČiulRR II 150. I won’t wear or use a single day of it. LTt I 310. Just take the chest along too; I don’t want to keep it in my house for even an hour! BalčAP 163. In other cases, the accusative is used in constructions with a negative verb. She didn’t get out of bed for a week. DožŽE 179. After that event, the young countess did not leave the palace for two days. VienR II 40. For nine nights I could not sleep; I burned nine candles until they shone brightly. LKŽ VII 460. They did not fall asleep all that night. BaltVRA 141. I haven’t heard you chatter for several days now; haven’t you had a beating from your husband? LKŽ VI 30. They remain restless for whole days and wander about in terror. BitKMD 266. III. Constructions expressing the duration of the result of an action § 1. In contemporary standard Lithuanian, one group stands apart from other temporal constructions with a noun in the accusative: these constructions express not the duration of the action denoted by the verb, but the duration of the result arising from that action. As early as J. Jablonskis, when discussing the meanings of the accusative in “Cases and Prepositions,” distinguished the accusative of stay from the accusative of “length, distance, and extent.”⁹ As the examples show, J. Jablonskis’s notion of the accusative of “length, distance, and extent” also includes the accusative of duration—that is, an accusative used in constructions expressing the duration of an action. He considered the accusative of stay to be an accusative that “we use in a sentence most often after prefixed verbs of motion or movement, to indicate the time for which someone withdraws, leaves, returns, or stops, stays, remains, spends time, visits, settles…”¹⁰, and adds that “the infinitive ‘to stay’ is most often merely understood; sometimes the word of movement is also left unspoken in the sentence, being simply understood by the speaker”¹¹. Thus, the accusative of stay is an accusative used in constructions that express not the duration of the action denoted by the verb, but the duration of the result of the action. It is true that among J. Jablonskis’s examples of the accusative of stay there are also accusatives of duration. For instance, in the construction keletą dienų truktumai¹² (‘you would last several days’), the accusative keletą dienų (‘several days’) denotes not the result of the action but the duration of the action itself, and according to J. Jablonskis should be regarded as an accusative of “length, distance, and extent.” § 2. The main component of constructions expressing the duration of the result of an action is usually a perfective verb. Constructions with this meaning less often 9 J. Jablonskis, Rinktiniai raštai, vol. I, pp. 618–621. 10 Ibid., p. 619. 11 Ibid., pp. 619–620. 12 Ibid., p. 620. 7* 99 are formed with verbs of motion denoting an ongoing action. The dependent constituent is most often a noun denoting an indefinite amount of time or a unit of time measurement, as well as day and time. Constructions with nouns denoting seasons also occur. Nouns denoting an indefinite amount of time or units of time measurement are used in constructions with this meaning both on their own and with modifiers. Nouns with other meanings are used only with structurally necessary modifiers. The modifier function is generally performed by cardinal numerals and the indefinite pronouns several, a few, several (of a kind), a dozen or so, one or another, whole, whichever. § 3. The duration of the result of an action, like the duration of an action, may be 1) definite or 2) indefinite. Whether the duration is definite or indefinite is determined by the lexical and grammatical properties of the dependent constituent. 1) When the dependent constituent is a noun denoting a unit of time measurement, either on its own or with a cardinal numeral, the constructions express a definite duration of the result of an action. Constructions with the modifier whole have the same meaning; with nouns denoting units of time measurement this modifier is optional, whereas in other cases it is obligatory. Jonas asked me too to come into the cottage for at least half an hour. JablRR I 619. The authorities notice the scandal and lock up the whole class right there in the dust for three hours. Vaižg RR II 445. We must disappear for three days. DovAA 293. Are you going into town, or are you going out for the whole day? Jabl. Tėfa stayed by her little sister’s grave for the whole half-day. VienR VII 204. And he left home for the whole summer. JablRR I 619. A week later, the patient got up for the first time, for a whole hour. BalčAP 284. I’ll go home for a week. Lž. 2) When the dependent constituent is a noun denoting an indefinite amount of time, the constructions express an indefinite duration of the result of an action. For a minute, Tomukas grew sad and embarrassed, but quickly pulling himself together, he straightened up and asked the lady to check whether the tails of his frock coat were uneven at the back. VienR II 164. After stopping for a moment at the threshold, the daughter suddenly rushed toward her mother as if pushed hard. Gud-GuzR I 53. Now, sleep for a minute. Pšl. There are occasional cases in which nouns denoting an indefinite amount of time also occur with modifiers that are optional in the construction. Brazgys’s face clouded over, but only for a moment. Myk-PutR III 318. I dozed off for a short while. Kp. Constructions expressing an indefinite duration of the result of an action and formed with other nouns always have a structurally necessary modifier, whose function is performed by the indefinite pronouns mentioned above. Let’s stop here for a few minutes, too. JablRR I 620. I’ll leave my eldest son here for at least a few days. ŽiugždLKG II 33. For some time the blacksmith disappears; he is nowhere to be seen at lunchtime or dinnertime. CvMS 263. § 4. However, in present-day standard language, constructions expressing the duration of the result of an action are formed with the accusative relatively rarely. Constructions with the dative are becoming prevalent in their place13; these are synonymous with constructions with the accusative. Cf.: 13 Cf. J. Kruopas, “Expressing Adverbials of Time in Lithuanian,” Tarybinė mokykla, 1953, No. 7, p. 23; B. Kalinauskas, “Some Trends in the Use of Cases in Present-Day Lithuanian,” Tarybinė mokykla, 1955, No. 5, p. 19; Lietuvių kalbos gramatika, vol. I, p. 199. 100 The men leave for the meadows for a week. KatkR 33. And I went home for four weeks. SimonNTP 154. They planted [their daughter] for two years... GricŽ 429. He asked to be released from service for a whole week. LzPR VII 338. For a little while I too forgot my troubles. VaižgRR II 341. Once a nobleman went away for several days. BsRP 144. The parish priest had been arrested by the Germans for several hours. BitKMD 275. IV. Constructions expressing the frequency of an action § 1. In the contemporary literary language, constructions expressing the frequency of an action are formed with imperfective and perfective verbs. Constructions with imperfective verbs predominate. There are no structural differences between constructions with imperfective verbs and those with perfective verbs. In constructions with the meanings under discussion, the dependent constituent is always a noun in the accusative with a structurally necessary modifier. On the basis of the structure of the dependent constituent, two types of constructions with this meaning can be distinguished: 1) with the indefinite generalizing pronoun kas and 2) with the indefinite generalizing pronoun kiekvienas or the adjectives dažnas, retas. J. Jablonskis did not discuss separately the accusative used in constructions with this meaning. He gave examples of its use while discussing the accusatives of time and of “length, distance and duration”14. The accusative used in this way is now generally called the frequency accusative15. 1) In constructions of the first type, the dependent constituent is a noun in the accusative with the indefinite generalizing pronoun kas, meaning “each.” In this instance, the pronoun kas is indeclinable16 and always takes the nominative form17. Nouns in constructions of this type generally denote units of time measurement, an indefinite amount of time, parts of the day, days of the week, and seasons. Constructions with other nouns denoting concepts of time or processes are very rare. The doctor did not visit the “Intellectuals’” ward every day, because he himself lived nearby and could see his chosen patients every hour. VienR II 138. Everything changes every minute, every moment. T 1967 85. Bring Genė’s things and pay fifty rubles each month; then we’ll raise the child. T 1968 67. They sheared my sheep every week and cut off my beard completely. CvR₁ VII 295. Every little while, a dream—the memories of youthful days—opens a new path. GirR₁ I 48. To the saddened Minija I would like to reveal one secret, when no one is listening: how long is her other bank each day. MairRR I 74. Then I went there every day: still not ready and not ready. VaižgRR II 413. I know one song—I sing it every day, every evening, every morning, the same one, yet always different. GirR₁ I 83. I waited every night for a creak, a clatter, a rumble. SimonNTP 85. The old man’s stubbornness in going fishing every morning annoys his mother. CvMS 73. At first, the old woman would eat with her daughter-in-law and son at 14 Žr. J. Jablonskis, Rinktiniai raštai, t. I, p. 618–619. 15 Žr. K. Ulvydas, Dėl vienaskaitos galininko prieveiksmėjimo dabartinėje lietuvių kalboje, „Lietuvių kalbotyros klausimai“, t. II, p. 81; Lietuvių kalbos gramatika, t. I, p. 199. 16 A. Schleicher, Litauische Grammatik, p. 264; F. Kurschat, Grammatik der litauischen Sprache, p. 381. 17 Lietuvių kalbos gramatika, t. I, p. 703. 101 at one table, he would utter a little word about farming matters, and every Sunday he would walk eight kilometers to church. MarcBR · 99. Almost every spring, they had to move their belongings into the wagons. ŽemR IV 415. By working this way, we achieved good results in every lesson (tsp). The decisive hour may strike at any minute. BinkGR 77. They were permitted, only by way of exception, to withdraw 15 marks a month from their current account. SruogR V 352. Every week she would spin five to ten litas’ worth. MarcBR 17. Every evening, as she went home, Jungienė would receive a liter of milk. LzPR VII 372. Every day, new looms and machines are put into operation. LKŽ VII 280. After some time, the dog began staying away for a long time every morning. ŽemR IV 204. Every autumn, after the sheep due for slaughter had been slaughtered, furriers would come to our village. GričŽ 384. Thousands visit it (Trakai Castle) every season (tsp). The phrase consisting of the pronoun kas and a noun in the accusative, which functions as the dependent constituent in constructions of this type, tends to become adverbial, but is not fully adverbialized, since it can still take an attribute¹⁸. Its attributes are somewhat more often ordinal numerals and the indefinite pronouns kelintas, kelioliktas, and, very rarely, adjectives. In general, constructions expanded by attributes are rare. They let him out into the yard for a walk every other day. SruogR V 38. We fasted for several days at a time almost every second or third month... Gud-GuzR V 195. Every few months he goes to Liepāja with wool. Mžk. You will toil all your life; every dear little day you will shed tears. LKŽ I 631. Every night the young beloved visits the bright awl. LKŽ V 365. Each performance will reach the audience only once every other month. T 1967 141. The frequency of impulses changes every several dozen seconds (trš). First-type constructions whose structure includes a cardinal numeral occur occasionally. The head of state changed every four months. PalM 57. As he was leaving, the doctor ordered that two tablets of the prescribed medicine be taken this evening and tomorrow morning, and that the temperature be measured every three hours. KrėvLŽ 194. 2) In constructions of the second structural type, the dependent constituent is a noun with an attribute: either the indefinite generalizing pronoun kiekvienas or the adjectives dažnas ‘frequent’ and retas ‘rare’. Constructions of this type use nouns with the same meanings as those in constructions of the first type. The most productive constructions are those with the indefinite generalizing pronoun kiekvienas. They express the frequency of a regular action. Every second Regina waited for the shuffling of footsteps and a rattling at the door. LKŽ VI 22. And your parents trembled every hour for their own skin or even their lives. BilR I 107. Every morning he shaves with a razor and freshens up with rose water. LKŽ VI 429. Every day he hoped to meet Murza here. GrušK 106. Every spring, sleighs belonging to broad-acre farmwives turn into our little village: to buy a herdboy. BaltPV I 21. Liučė spoiled everyone’s mood every Sunday. Myk-PutR III 219. 18 Cf. K. Ulvydas, On the adverbialization of the singular accusative in contemporary Lithuanian, “Lietuvių kalbotyros klausimai,” vol. II, p. 81. 102 He could collapse at any hour. Up. It seems to him that his son will rob him at any moment (trš). Every morning the two women would come, carrying hoes and a crust of bread, to work the land. BaltRn 5. Every Sunday Mother gives a few dozen cents. AvyžISK 45. And every spring thunder strikes that cliff where Baltaragis’s mill stood, and where now there is only a pile of stones. BorBM 259. Today Mother Queen crossed the great kitchen several times and each time noticed that Grėtė was preparing for something. SimonR V 187. From time to time, such constructions are expanded with other modifiers as well. However, these are optional and do not alter the meaning of the construction. Every Saturday evening, having got ready, Ona goes out to the village dance. BaltPV I 40. Constructions whose dependent constituent is a noun with the adjective dažnas ‘frequent’ or retas ‘rare’ are seldom used in contemporary standard Lithuanian. These constructions express the frequency of an irregular action. She gets home on many evenings only around midnight. Grl. Since midsummer, he had barely been able to go out into the yard on most days. GričŽ 14. Those girls, why, they fail to bring home their dowry in many an autumn! Gud-GuzR V 21. Conclusions 1. Temporal constructions with the accusative in contemporary standard Lithuanian express: 1) the moment or period of an action, 2) the duration of an action, 3) the duration of the result of an action, and 4) the frequency of an action. 2. Differences in the meanings of temporal constructions with the accusative are determined by: 1) the aspect of the verb serving as the main constituent, 2) the lexical meaning of the noun serving as the dependent constituent, 3) the grammatical and lexical properties of the modifier accompanying the noun in the accusative, and 4) the number of the noun. 3. Constructions denoting the moment of an action differ from those denoting its temporal period in the aspect of their verbs. The moment of an action is denoted by constructions with perfective verbs, whereas its temporal period is denoted by constructions with imperfective verbs. In other respects, constructions with these closely related meanings do not differ. In constructions denoting the duration of an action, the main constituent is most often an imperfective verb and, less often, a perfective verb denoting an action of a certain duration. In constructions denoting the duration of the result of an action, the main constituent is usually a perfective verb and, fairly rarely, an imperfective verb of motion. Constructions denoting the frequency of an action are formed with both imperfective and perfective verbs. 4. The dependent constituent of temporal constructions is most often a noun, alone or with modifiers, denoting a part of the day, a day of the week, a season, a unit of time measurement, an indefinite amount of time or, less often, certain other temporal concepts. Nouns denoting processes are always used with modifiers. 5. Modifiers are optional or structurally necessary. Their function is performed by nouns, adjectives, and participles, usually with a lexical temporal meaning, as well as by numerals and demonstrative and indefinite pronouns. 103 In constructions expressing the duration of an action or its result, cardinal numerals and indefinite pronouns used as modifiers keli, keletas, keleri, keliolika, vienas kitas, kelintas, kelioliktas, kuris are always structurally necessary. In constructions expressing the frequency of an action, the dependent constituent is always a noun in the accusative, with structurally necessary modifiers: indefinite generalizing pronouns kas, kiekvienas or adjectives dažnas, retas. In all other cases, the structural necessity or optionality of modifiers is determined by the action of the verb or the lexical meaning of the noun. 6. In constructions expressing a point or period in time of an action, the noun is always in the singular accusative form. Constructions with a plural accusative noun, except for constructions with cardinal numerals and the plural noun metai, used in the sense of “one year,” always express an indefinite duration of an action. In other cases, the number of the noun does not determine the meaning of the construction. 7. In contemporary literary language, constructions expressing a point or period in time of an action and its duration predominate. Constructions expressing the frequency of an action are used less often. Constructions with the accusative expressing the duration of an action’s result are rare. They are being displaced by synonymous constructions with the dative. TEMPORAL CONSTRUCTIONS WITH THE ACCUSATIVE CASE IN MODERN LITHUANIAN LITERARY LANGUAGE А. РУЖЕ Abstract 1 The article discusses the structure and meanings of temporal constructions with nouns in the accusative case in modern Lithuanian literary language. It also identifies certain trends concerning the productivity and use of the constructions under study. In modern Lithuanian literary language, temporal constructions with the accusative case express: 1) the moment when an action is performed or the period of time during which it takes place, 2) the duration of an action, 3) the duration of the result of an action, and 4) the frequency of an action. The different meanings of temporal constructions with the accusative case are determined by the following main factors: 1) verbal aspect, 2) the lexical meaning of the noun, 3) the lexical and grammatical properties of the modifier included in the construction, and 4) the number of the noun. Constructions expressing the moment when an action is performed differ from constructions expressing the period of time during which an action takes place only in verbal aspect: constructions with perfective verbs express the moment when an action is performed, whereas constructions with imperfective verbs express the period of time during which an action takes place. 104 The main component of constructions expressing the duration of an action is usually an imperfective verb. In such cases, perfective verbs always denote a durative action. The main component of constructions expressing the duration of the result of an action is usually a perfective verb. Constructions with imperfective verbs occur fairly rarely. In such cases, imperfective verbs denote movement. Constructions expressing the frequency of an action are used with both imperfective and perfective verbs. The dependent component of temporal constructions may be nouns denoting parts of the day, days of the week, seasons, units of time, and other temporal concepts, with or without modifiers. Nouns denoting processes are used only with modifiers. Modifiers are expressed by nouns, adjectives, and participles, most often with a temporal lexical meaning, as well as by numerals, demonstrative pronouns, and indefinite pronouns. Cardinal numerals and indefinite pronouns keli, keleri, keletas, keliolika “several,” vienas kitas “one another,” kelintas, kelioliktas “which,” kuris “some,” which form part of constructions expressing the duration of an action or the duration of the result of an action, are structurally obligatory. In constructions expressing the frequency of an action, the dependent component is always a noun in the accusative case accompanied by an obligatory modifier: the indefinite pronouns kas, kiekvienas “each,” or the adjectives dažnas “frequent,” retas “rare.” In all other cases, the possibility of using modifiers depends on the verbal aspect or the lexical meaning of the noun. In constructions expressing the moment when an action is performed or the period of time during which it takes place, nouns are always used in the singular accusative case. Accusative plural constructions, except for constructions with the noun metai “one year” and constructions that include a cardinal numeral, always denote an indefinite duration of an action. In other cases, the number of the noun does not affect the meaning of the construction. In contemporary standard Lithuanian, the most common constructions are those expressing the duration of an action and the moment when an action is performed, or the period of time during which it takes place. Constructions expressing the frequency of an action are much less common. Accusative constructions expressing the duration of the result of an action are quite rare. They are displaced by synonymous dative constructions.