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Study microbes or microbes? Animation of nouns

1. What is the animation of nouns?

“The category of animate-inanimate nouns is a grammatical expression of the opposition between the living and the inanimate, but understood not in scientific terms (in the sense of living and inanimate nature, that is, the organic and inorganic world), but in terms of everyday life.”

(Eskova N.A. A Brief Dictionary of the Difficulties of the Russian Language. 6th ed., Rev. M., 2008.)

2. How is animation expressed?

“Firstly, animateness-inanimateness is expressed by the endings of the noun itself:

1) animated nouns have the same accusative and genitive plural endings, and for masculine nouns this extends to the singular;

2) inanimate nouns have the same accusative and nominative plural endings, and for masculine nouns this extends to the singular.

Animation has and extraverbal expression: the ending of an adjective or participle agreed with the noun in the accusative case differs depending on the animateness or inanimateness of the noun, cf .: (I see) new- s students, but new- s tables».

(Litnevskaya E.I. Russian language. A short theoretical course for schoolchildren. M., 2006.)

3. When Do Hesitation and Variations Occur?

“All fluctuations between grammatical animation and inanimateness (found in the variative formation of the accusative case) are explained precisely by the ambiguity in assessing the object as living or inanimate.

Some of these cases refer to those objects whose belonging to animals or plants may seem non-obvious: amoeba, bacteria, bacilli, vibrios, viruses, ciliates, microbes and etc. ( study microbes And microbes).

The second typical case is the name of those living beings that we tend to perceive primarily as food: squid, shrimps, mussels, lobsters, sea cucumbers, oysters and etc. ( eat oysters And oysters).

Another clear case is the names of inanimate objects imitating living beings: kite (paper), doll, puppet, robot, sphinx and etc. ( make dolls And dolls)».

(Eskova N.A. A Brief Dictionary of the Difficulties of the Russian Language. 6th ed., edited by M., 2008.)

Seafood should be mentioned separately. Words like squid, crabs, shrimps, mussels, lobsters, oysters, according to most reference books, can be used as inanimate and animate nouns when talking about food, but only as animate when talking about living beings. However, in the "Grammar Dictionary of the Russian Language" by A. A. Zaliznyak, the words squid, crab, mussel, lobster given as animate in all senses (the recommendations of this dictionary we reproduce below in the answers of the "Information Bureau") .

Names of canned fish sprats, gobies, sprats, sardines(in plural) are used as inanimate nouns: open sprats, eat sprats, love sardines.

QUESTIONS FROM THE "INFORMATION OFFICE"

Anchovy

How to: cook anchovy or cook anchovy?

Answer: Noun anchovy in the meaning of "food" inanimate. Right: cook anchovy, pickle anchovies. However, it is true to say about a living being: catch anchovy, breed anchovies.

Daughter

Would the phrase be correct? as well as Gazprom decided to support its subsidiaries if the word daughter used in the sense of "subsidiary"?

Answer: Word daughters in the meaning of "subsidiaries" is used as an inanimate noun: Gazprom decided to support its subsidiaries.

Bunny

How to: catch a sunbeam or sunshine bunny?

Answer: Both options are correct. "Grammar dictionary of the Russian language" A. A. Zaliznyak indicates that the word bunny in the meaning of "light spot" can be used both as animated and as

germ

Is the word animated germ?

Answer:Germ - inanimate noun.

Serpent

At school, the task was to make a sentence out of words. The child made: The boy bought a kite. The teacher corrected The boy bought a kite. Who is right?

Answer: According to dictionaries, the word snake in all meanings The children flew a kite.

Squid

How to: boil squid or cook squid?

Answer:Squid - cook squid.

Goat

How to: slaughter the goat or goat(about playing dominoes) jump over the goat or through the goat?

Answer: Noun goat can be used both animate and inanimate, depending on the meaning. In the meaning "animal" as well as "card game or domino game" is an animated noun: feed the goat, slaughter the goat, play the goat. In the meaning of "sports equipment" options are possible: jump over the goat And jump over the goat. See: Zaliznyak A. A. Grammatical Dictionary of the Russian Language. 5th ed., rev. M., 2008.

Crab

How to: export crabs or crabs?

Answer:Crab - animate noun. Right: export crabs.

Shrimp

How to: ate shrimp or eat shrimp?

Answer: Noun shrimp is animate when it comes to a live shrimp ( I saw tiny brown shrimps in the aquarium). If it's about shrimp as food, options are possible: the word shrimp in this case, it can also be declined as an animated noun ( ate with pleasure tiny brown shrimp), and as an inanimate noun ( ate tiny brown shrimp with pleasure).

Doll

How to: love dolls or love dolls?

Answer: doll in the meaning of "toy" can be used both as an animate and as an inanimate noun. And here doll in the meaning of "man" (a doll can be called a soulless and empty person, as well as a person blindly acting at the will of another) - only animated.

Face

How to say: we invite interested persons or stakeholders?

Answer: Word face in the meaning of "man" - an animated noun. Right: we invite all interested persons. N. A. Eskova writes: Noun face in the meaning of "man" behaves like an animate, but in combination actor fluctuates between animate and inanimate (cf. the character).

Salmon

How to: salmon or get salmon?

Answer:Salmon - animate noun . Right: harvest salmon.

Maksim

How to correctly about the machine gun: Ribbons inserted into "maxima" or in maxim?

Answer: Word " Maksim" in the meaning of "machine gun" is declined as an inanimate noun. This means that the form of the accusative case will be the same as the form of the nominative case. Therefore it is true: ribbons are inserted into the "maxim".

Mussel

Who do I eat: mussels or mussel?

Answer: Mussel- animated noun eat mussels. See: Zaliznyak A. A. Grammatical Dictionary of the Russian Language. 5th ed., rev. M., 2008.

Microbe

How to say: studying microbes or studying microbes?

Answer: Word microbe can be used both as an animate and inanimate noun. Both options are correct.

Moskvich

What is correct when it comes to cars: attempt on "Muscovites" or assassination attempt on "Muscovites"?

Answer:Moskvich in the meaning of "car" - an inanimate noun: attempt on Muscovites.

An object

How to: or consider pathogenic biological objects?

Answer: Word an object is not animated. Right: consider pathogenic biological objects.

Oscar

How to: The film won an Oscar or Did the movie win an Oscar?

How to write in an essay: introduce a comic character or introduce a comic character?

Answer: Options are possible. Here is what N. A. Eskova writes about the word the character: Word the character simultaneously names a person and expresses a certain literary concept. hesitation depicts a character, characters And depicts a character, characters obviously connected with the fact that it is the writer (or the speaker) who wants to emphasize (Eskova N.A. A Brief Dictionary of the Difficulties of the Russian Language. 6th ed., Rev. M., 2008).

Parsley

How to write: make parsley or parsley(about dolls)?

Answer: Noun parsley used as animate in the meaning of "doll; theatrical character" (correct: make parsley). In the meanings of "puppet theater; ridiculous thing" and "plant" parsley - inanimate noun.

Police officer

How to: drive through a speed bump or through a speed bump(about a traffic obstacle)?

Answer: Both options are possible (cf. goat as the name of a sports equipment can also be used both animate and inanimate) .

Ghost

What is the best way to write: believe in ghosts or believe in ghosts?

Answer: According to the "Grammar Dictionary of the Russian Language" by A. A. Zaliznyak ghost may be animate or inanimate.

Prototype

Correct way: created prototypes or created prototypes?

Answer:Prototype - inanimate noun in meaning. "original pattern, prototype of smth.": I see a prototype of a new weapon. In the meaning "a person who served as an original for the author to create a literary image" prototype can be used as an animated noun.

Robot

How to: or use robots for body welding?

Answer: Word robot- an animated noun. Right: use robots for body welding.

snowman

How to: The kids made a snowman or Did the kids make a snowman?

Answer:snowman- an animated noun. Right: The kids made a snowman.

Subject

What about the subject? I see a suspicious person or see a suspicious person?

Answer:"Grammar dictionary of the Russian language" A. A. Zaliznyak indicates that the word subject(in philosophy, in law) can be used both as an animate and as an inanimate noun. When used in other meanings: subject(in logic, in grammar) - only inanimate, subject(personality, person) - only animated.

Creature

Answer: According to the "Grammar Dictionary of the Russian Language" by A. A. Zaliznyak, the word creature in the meaning of "something alive" can be used both as an animate and as an inanimate noun.

Talent

How does the word talent? As an animate or inanimate noun?

Answer:Talent - inanimate noun (including about a person). Right: He came to support folk talents.

Ace

How to: pull an ace or pull an ace(in a card game)?

Answer: Word ace- an animated noun in the meanings of "playing card" and "important person". Right: pull an ace, turn into a financial ace.

Tuna

How to: chop the tuna or cut tuna?

Answer:Tuna- animate noun, correct: chop the tuna.

Snail

Is a snail an animated noun?

Answer: Yes, even when it comes to snails used for food. Right: eat snails.

Oyster

How they behave oysters? As animate nouns or as inanimate ones?

Answer: Noun oyster is animate when it comes to a live oyster ( breed oysters). If it's an oyster as food, options are possible: buy oysters And buy oysters.

Embryo

How to: carries an embryo or an embryo?

Answer:Embryo - inanimate noun. Right: bears an embryo.

References:

Belchikov Yu. A. Practical stylistics of the modern Russian language. 2nd ed., M., 2012.

Graudina L.K., Itskovich V.A., Katlinskaya L.P. Dictionary of grammatical variants of the Russian language. -3rd ed., ster. M., 2008.

Zaliznyak A. A. Grammatical Dictionary of the Russian Language. 5th ed., rev. M., 2008.

Eskova N. A. Brief dictionary of difficulties in the Russian language. 6th ed., rev. M., 2008.

Russian Grammar / Ed. N. Yu. Shvedova. M., 1980.

Andrei NARUSHEVICH,
Taganrog

A few questions about the animate/inanimate category

The category of animate/inanimate nouns is little mentioned in school textbooks of the Russian language, but meanwhile it is one of the most interesting linguistic phenomena. Let's try to answer some questions that arise when considering this category.

What is "animate" and "inanimate" object?

It is known that the assignment of nouns to animate or inanimate is connected with the division of the surrounding world by a person into living and inanimate. However, V.V. Vinogradov noted the "mythology" of the terms "animate / inanimate", since textbook examples ( plant, deceased, doll, people and etc . ) demonstrate the discrepancy between the objective status of the subject and its comprehension in the language. There is an opinion that animate in grammar means “active” objects identified with a person, which are opposed to “inactive” and, therefore, inanimate objects 1 . At the same time, the attribute "activity/inactivity" does not fully explain why the words dead man, deceased belong to the animate, and people, crowd, flock- to inanimate nouns. Apparently, the category of animateness/inanimateness reflects everyday ideas about the living and the inanimate, i.e. a subjective assessment by a person of objects of reality, which does not always coincide with the scientific picture of the world.

Of course, the “standard” of a living being for a person has always been a person himself. Any language stores "petrified" metaphors showing that people from ancient times saw the world as anthropomorphic, described it in their own image and likeness: the sun came out, the river runs, the leg of the chair, the spout of the kettle and so on . Let us recall at least anthropomorphic gods or characters of lower mythology. At the same time, life forms different from humans: some invertebrates, microorganisms, etc. - are often ambiguously evaluated by ordinary native speakers. For example, as the survey of informants showed, to nouns sea ​​anemone, amoeba, ciliate, polyp, microbe, virus question asked regularly what? Obviously, in addition to signs of visible activity (movement, development, reproduction, etc.), the ordinary concept of a living being (“animate” object) also includes a sign of similarity to a person.

How is the animateness/inanimateness of a noun determined?

Traditionally, as a grammatical indicator of animation, the coincidence of the accusative and genitive forms in the singular and plural of masculine nouns is considered. (I see a person, a deer, friends, bears) and only in the plural of feminine and neuter nouns (I see women, animals). Accordingly, grammatical inanimateness is manifested in the coincidence of the accusative and nominative cases. (I see a house, tables, streets, fields).

It should be noted that the grammatical opposition of nouns by animateness/inanimateness is expressed not only in the form of a specific case: the difference in the forms of nouns in the accusative case leads to a difference and opposition of paradigms in general. For masculine nouns, on the basis of animateness/inanimateness, singular and plural paradigms are distinguished, and for feminine and neuter nouns, only plural paradigms, that is, each of the animate/inanimate categories has its own declension paradigm.

There is an opinion that the main means of expressing the animateness / inanimateness of a noun is the form of the accusative case of the agreed definition: “It is by the form of the agreed definition in the accusative case that the animateness or inanimateness of the noun in the linguistic sense of the word is determined” 2 . Obviously, this provision requires clarification: the form of the adjectival word should be considered as the main means of expressing animateness/inanimateness only in relation to the use of invariable words: see beautiful cockatoo(V. = R.); see beautiful coat(V. = I.). In other cases, the form of the adjectival word duplicates the meanings of case, number, gender and animateness/inanimateness of the main word - the noun.

The coincidence of case forms (V. = I. or V. = R.) in the declension of allied words of the adjectival structure (in a subordinate clause) can also serve as an indicator of animation / inanimateness: These were books, which I knew(V. = I.); These were writers, which I knew(B. = R.).

Feminine and neuter nouns, which appear only in the singular form (singularia tantum), do not have a grammatical indicator of animation / inanimateness, since these words have an independent form of the accusative case, which does not coincide with either the nominative or the genitive: catch swordfish, study cybernetics etc. Thus, grammatically, the animateness/inanimateness of these nouns is not determined.

What is the fluctuating grammatical indicator of animateness/inanimateness?

Let's look at a few examples: And from now on the embryo is called fruit(I. Akimushkin) - I saw in a flask embryo, swirling like a French horn(Yu. Arabov); science microbiology studies various bacteria and viruses(N. Goldin) - Bacteria can be identified by morphological properties(A. Bykov); Marrying a woman blows away with myself their dolls (I. Solomonik) - Before going to bed, you played again in my office. Feeding dolls (L. Panteleev). As you can see, the same words behave either as animate or as inanimate.

Variative forms of the accusative case of nouns germ, embryo, microbe, bacterium etc. are explained by the ambiguity of the assessment of the corresponding objects by the speakers. Usually these forms of life are inaccessible to observation, which causes the fluctuation of native speakers in attributing these objects to living or non-living.

Dolls are involved in the game (as well as magical) human activities. In children's games, dolls function like living beings. Dolls are bathed, combed, put to bed, that is, actions are performed with them, which in other conditions are aimed only at living beings. Game activity creates conditions for understanding dolls as objects that are functionally similar to living things (functionally animated). At the same time, dolls remain inanimate objects. The combination of signs of living and inanimate causes fluctuations in the grammatical indicator of animation / inanimateness. Similar features are revealed by some names of game pieces: queen, ace, pawn and etc.: I took from the table, as I remember now, ace of hearts and threw it up(M. Lermontov) - By placing the cards take all the aces lying on top of the packs(Z. Ivanova).

Some animals have long been considered by people mainly as food (cf. the modern word seafood). For example, lobsters, oysters, lobsters, as V.A. Itskovich, “do not occur in Central Russia in a living form and became known first as exotic dishes and only later as living beings” 2 . Apparently, nouns oyster, squid, lobster and others were originally inclined only according to the inanimate type, the appearance of the accusative form, coinciding with the genitive form, is associated with the development of the meaning of ‘living being’, which is later in relation to the meaning of ‘food’: Boil squids, cut into noodles(N. Golosova) - Squids are boiled in salt water(N. Akimova); Local fishermen brought fish in the city: in spring - small anchovy, in summer - ugly flounder, in autumn - mackerel, fat mullet and oysters (A. Kuprin) - And are you eat oysters? (A. Chekhov) Interestingly, in the meaning of ‘food’, not only the names of exotic animals acquire grammatical inanimateness: fatty herring Okay soak, cut into fillets(M. Peterson); Processed pike perch cut into pieces(V.Turygin).

Thus, the fluctuation of the grammatical indicator of animateness/inanimateness is caused by the peculiarities of semantics, as well as the ambiguity of assessing the subject as living or inanimate.

Why nouns dead man And dead person animated?

Human understanding of living nature is inextricably linked with the concept of death. ‘Dead’ is always ‘being alive’, having previously possessed life. In addition, it is no coincidence that folklore is replete with stories about the living dead. Until now, one can find echoes of the ideas of our distant ancestors that a certain special form of life is inherent in the dead, that a dead person is able to hear, think, and remember.

Nouns dead person, deceased, departed and others denote dead people, i.e. possess the attribute ‘human’ – the most important for the meaning of animation. And here is the word corpse means ‘the body of a dead organism’, i.e. only the material shell (cf. expressions corpses of the dead, corpses of the dead). Apparently, this semantic difference explains the grammatical animation of the names of the dead and the inanimateness of the word corpse: How strong are the stones all in their callings, - When the dead covered watch over (K.Sluchevsky); BUT convene I am the ones I work for the dead Orthodox... - Cross yourself! call the dead for housewarming(A. Pushkin); Nastya only once, long before the war, had to see a drowned man (V.Rasputin); Teamsters throwing corpses on a sled with a wooden clatter(A. Solzhenitsyn).

Why words people, crowd, flock inanimate?

The listed words denote a certain set of living objects - people or animals. This set is understood as a single whole - a set of living beings, and this set is not equal to the simple sum of its components. For example, the attribute "set", expressing the idea of ​​quantity in the concept of "people", in the concept of "people" is combined with the idea of ​​quality - "the totality of people in their specific interactions". Thus, the common feature of the words of this group - 'collection' - turns out to be the leading one and forms the meaning of inanimateness. V.G. Gak connects the nouns under consideration with the category of a collective (quasi-animate) object: “Between animate and inanimate objects there is an intermediate group of collective objects consisting of animate units. Words denoting such objects ... can be conditionally called quasi-animate” 4 . The grammatical generalization of semantics is expressed in the morphological indicator of inanimateness (V. = I.): I see crowds, nations, flocks, herds etc.

Why are nouns denoting plants inanimate?

In the linguistic picture of the world, plants, which are a qualitatively different form of life than animals and humans, are not perceived as living organisms. The ability to move independently has long been recognized as one of the characteristic features of the living. As Aristotle pointed out, “the beginning of movement arises in us from ourselves, even if nothing has set us in motion from outside. We do not see anything like this in inanimate [bodies], but they are always set in motion by something external, and a living being, as we say, moves itself” 5 . The inability of plant organisms to move independently, the lack of visible motor activity and a number of other signs lead to the fact that in the mind of a person, plants, together with objects of inorganic nature, constitute an immovable, static part of the world. This is indicated by V.A. Itskovich: "... a living object is understood as an object capable of independent movement, so that plants are inanimate objects" 6 . Thus, the predominance of signs of the inanimate in everyday concepts of plants, as well as the nature of the labor activity of a person who has long widely used plants for various purposes, led to the fact that plants in most cases are perceived as inanimate objects.

How does the meaning of animate/inanimate manifest itself?

The attribute ‘living’ (‘non-living’) can be manifested not only in the meanings of nouns, but also in the meanings of indicative words. Indeed, the analysis showed that not only nouns, but also verbs and adjectives have the meaning of animateness/inanimateness in the language. This is manifested in the fact that verbs and adjectives can denote signs of objects that characterize these objects as living or inanimate. For example, the meaning of the verb to read indicates that the action is performed by a person (person) and is directed to an inanimate object: read a book, newspaper, ad etc.

The existence of such semantic connections made it possible to build a classification of Russian verbs according to the presence in their meanings of an indication of the animateness / inanimateness of the subject and object of the action. This classification was developed by Prof. L.D. Chesnokova 7 . So, all the verbs of the Russian language can be divided into the following groups:

1) animated-marked - denote actions performed by living beings: breathe, dream, sleep and etc;
2) inanimate-marked - denote actions performed by inanimate objects: burn, crumble, evaporate and etc . ;
3) neutral - denote actions common to living and inanimate objects: stand, lie, fall and etc .

A similar division is observed among adjectives:

1) animate-marked adjectives denote signs of living beings: external signs, temperament, volitional qualities, emotional, intellectual and physical properties, etc.: lean, long-legged, lop-eared, phlegmatic, quick-tempered, kind, evil, intelligent, persistent, blind, talented etc.;
2) inanimate-marked adjectives denote signs of inanimate objects (phenomena) - spatial and temporal qualities and relationships, the properties and qualities of things perceived by the senses, signs in relation to the material of manufacture, etc.: liquid, rare, deep, spicy, sour, bitter, strong, thick, iron, glassy, ​​woody, marshy etc.;
3) neutral adjectives denote features that can be attributed to both living beings and inanimate objects - the most common spatial characteristics, color characteristics, evaluative characteristics, belonging, etc.: left, right, tall, small, heavy, white, red, good, mother's.

Thus, the animate/inanimate meaning of a noun is usually supported by animate or inanimate marked context elements. Otherwise, figurative meanings are updated, which ensures the semantic agreement of words.

So, for animate nouns in combination with inanimate-marked verbs, the metonymic transfer ‘work - author’ is most typical: Then the worker started read Brockhaus (M. Bulgakov); But anyway Doderlein necessary view... Here it is - Doderlein. "Operational Obstetrics"(M. Bulgakov).

For inanimate nouns, names can be transferred from inanimate objects to living ones: hungry bursa prowled through the streets of Kyiv and forced everyone to be careful(N. Gogol); Me saw off all warm and loving camera in full force, without party distinctions(E. Ginzburg); Prison doesn't like brave men(V.Shalamov). There are also many cases of occasional metonymic transfer affecting the semantics of the animate/inanimate substantive: - Fast! To the phone! A tube vibrated, fluttered, choked with anxiety, did not dare to speak fatal question. Only repeated with an interrogative intonation: “Is that you? It's you?"(E. Ginzburg); Once in the hospital I heard: “From the seventh ward nasal furuncle discharged» (V. Levy).

The semantic discrepancy in the aspect of animateness/inanimateness can be overcome due to the metaphorical transfer of the meaning of the noun. An example is the combination of inanimate nouns with animate-marked words, creating an artistic device of personification (personification): sitting on the forehead of a short man, Pimple with envy glanced on the foreheads of tall people and thought: “I wish I were in such a position!”(F.Krivin).

So, let's sum up. Animate and inanimate nouns designate not so much living and inanimate objects as objects, understood as both living and non-living. In addition, between the members of the opposition ‘thinkable as living / thinkable as inanimate’, there are a number of intermediate formations that combine the signs of the living and the inanimate, the presence of which is due to the associative mechanisms of thinking and other features of human mental activity, for example:

1) conceivable as having been alive ( dead person, deceased, departed and etc.);
2) mentally represented alive ( mermaid, goblin, cyborg and etc.);
3) conceivable as a semblance of a living ( doll, baby doll, jack, queen and etc.);
4) conceivable as a set of living things ( people, crowd, flock, herd and etc.).

Thus, the category of animate/inanimate nouns, like some other linguistic phenomena, reflects the anthropocentric setting of human thinking, and the discrepancy between the linguistic picture of the world and scientific understanding is another manifestation of the subjective factor in the language.

1 Stepanov Y.S.. Fundamentals of general linguistics. M., 1975. S. 130.

2 Miloslavsky I.G. Morphological categories of the modern Russian language. M.: Nauka, 1981. S. 54.

3 Itskovich V.A.. Animate and inanimate nouns in the modern Russian language (norm and tendency) // Questions of Linguistics. 1980, No. 4. S. 85.

4 Gak V.G. Verbal compatibility and its reflection in the dictionaries of verb control // Lexicology and lexicography / Pod. ed. V.V. Morkovkin. M.: Russk. yaz., 1972. S. 68.

5 Aristotle. Physics // Works in 4 vols. M., 1981. T. 3. S. 226.

6 Itskovich V.A.. Animate and inanimate nouns in the modern Russian language (norm and tendency) // Questions of Linguistics. 1980, No. 4. S. 96.

7 Chesnokova L.D.. Pronouns who, what and the semantics of animation - inanimateness in the modern Russian language // Russian Linguistics. Kyiv: Higher. school, 1987. Issue. 14. P. 69–75.

Animated nouns include the names of persons and animals: man, daughter, son, Vera, Petrov, Dima, duty officer, cow, goat, goose, starling, carp, spider, etc. These are mostly masculine and feminine nouns. Nouns of the middle gender are not numerous: a child, a creature (meaning "living organism"), a person (meaning "man"), words in -ische (monster, scarecrow, e), substantiated adjectives and participles (animal, insect, mammal). As a defining feature of animate nouns, the ability of the “objects” they call to move independently, to move, which inanimate objects do not possess, is often noted.
This semantic classification does not coincide with the scientific division of everything that exists in nature into living and non-living: in the science of nature, plants also belong to the living. It does not fit into the framework of the "everyday" understanding of the living and non-living. So, the words dead man, dead man, it would seem, contrary to logic, belong to animated nouns. (Boiled) duck, (roasted) goose in the grammar are also animate. This also includes a doll, a ball (in the language of billiard players), an ace, a trump card, a jack, etc. - words that have nothing to do with the living world. The category of inanimate includes nouns denoting a set of living beings (people, crowd, platoon, flock, swarm, group, etc.), as well as collective nouns such as youth, peasantry, children, proletariat, etc., denoting a set of persons.
The division of nouns into animate and inanimate is built not only on semantic grounds, but also on grammatical ones. The accusative plural of animate nouns is the same as the genitive, and for inanimate nouns it is the same as the nominative. Wed:
I see trees, mountains, rivers, clouds, I see people, cows, birds, insects,
flock of geese
buy cucumbers, notebooks, buttons buy sheep, pigeons, dolls
ate tangerines, ate oranges, chickens, crayfish
filed (fried) eggplant served (fried) partridge
In the singular, the distinction between animate and inanimate nouns is consistently expressed morphologically in masculine words. Wed:
animated nouns I will cook a goose, a rooster we see off a friend to put a guest
inanimate nouns
I will cook soup, broth we see off the steamer to plant potatoes
An exception is masculine words ending in -a. For them, as for feminine nouns, the accusative case does not coincide with either the genitive or the nominative. Wed: I. - a young man, a girl; R. - boys, girls; V. - a young man, a girl.
In animate neuter nouns, as well as inanimate ones, in the singular the form of the accusative case coincides with the form of them. case. For example: Oh, how I love this empty creature \ - groaned Pavel Petrovich (Turgenev). The same is observed for feminine nouns with a zero ending in them. fall: see lynx0, mouse0.
A deviation from the basic norm of expressing the meaning of animation is the formation of wine forms. pad. pl. h. with a preposition in nouns - the names of persons expressing attitudes towards a particular social group: student, nanny, livestock breeder, etc. In constructions with the meaning "become (do) what" these words form the form of wines. pad. as inanimate nouns: promote to general, elect to academician, candidate for deputy, etc.
The names of microorganisms fluctuate between animate and inanimate nouns: microbe, bacillus, ciliate, bacterium, amoeba, etc. They have two forms of the accusative case: (study) microbes and microbes (examine) viruses and viruses (under a microscope); (destroy) bacilli i bacilli. In the professional language, such words are usually used as animate nouns, and in the non-professional sphere as inanimate ones.
One and the same noun in one of its meanings can refer to animate, in another - to inanimate. So, the names of fish in direct meanings are animated nouns: (catch) crucian. Used as the names of foods, they act as inanimate nouns: (eat) sprats, etc.
Animation / inanimateness is peculiarly manifested in the words blockhead, idol, idol, idol, etc., which figuratively denote people. In the meaning of “statue”, these words clearly gravitate to inanimate, and in the figurative meaning of a person, to animate nouns. True, this feature is expressed inconsistently. Compare: From shaving his beard, he creates an idol for himself (Saltykov-Shedrin) and ... make an idol out of this old useless person (L. Tolstoy).
The names of works of art based on their heroes act as animated nouns. Wed: call Rudin and read "¦ Rudin", etc.
Wed See also: see a snake, let (launch) a snake, I make a snake.
The names of the ancient gods are animate nouns, and the names of the luminaries homonymous with them are inanimate: to anger Mars, I look at Mars, honor Jupiter and see Jupiter, etc. ~
They are used as inanimate nouns such as image, character, acting as the names of characters in works of art: to create a strong character; characterize negative types and positive images. Compare: list the characters of the novel, the heroes of the fairy tale, the characters of the fable, but: bring out a comic character.

In Russian there is a concept of animation. To put it figuratively, from the point of view of the Russian language, some objects are more alive than others. This state of affairs may seem strange, but let's try to figure it out and first consider the term. If you are already familiar with word formation in Russian, you can easily find the root of the beautiful word "animation". Root - shower -. Single-root words: soul, sincere.

The soul is life. Animated nouns denote those objects in which there is life, pulse, breath. For example. A person, a child, a cat, a bird are biologically living objects, therefore, they are animate. A student, a musician, a librarian, a politician (although many argue with this fact) are also animated nouns. Dolphin, bear, parrot - animated.
Table, coffee, trees, city, brick are inanimate nouns.

For animate nouns, we ask the question "who?" (who? who? who?)

- I heard the door slam. Who is it?
- Mom came.

For inanimate nouns, we ask the question "what?" (what? what? what?)

Knowledge about the animation and inanimateness of nouns helps to understand the cases of the Russian language. To determine the case, we usually put questions to the nouns.

Nominative case - who? what? - boy, book
The boy is riding a bicycle, the book is on the table.

Genitive case - whom? what? - boy, books
The boy is not at home, no one cares about the book.

Dative case - to whom? what? - boy, book
The boy is not interested in reading, and the book must be very boring.

Accusative - whom? what? - boy, book
The bright cover attracted the boy, he drew attention to the book.

Creative - by whom? how? - boy, book
Previously, this had not happened to the boy - he was carried away by the book in earnest.

Prepositional - about whom? about what? - about the boy, about the book
In the story about the boy and the book, many recognize themselves in childhood.

As you can see, the difference between the genitive and accusative cases, which are often confused, is immediately visible.

The main thing to remember about the concept of animation is that in living speech, animation and inanimateness roughly coincide with the concepts of living and inanimate.

Looking at a bird sitting on a branch, we say:
- Who is it?
- It's a finch.

Or about the fish that swims in the river:
- Who is this?
- It's trout.

At the same time, animals that have passed from the category of living beings into the category of, say, food will become inanimate, and the same trout will no longer become "who", but "what":
What kind of fish is in the fridge?
- It's trout.

There are not many exceptions when inanimate objects are referred to as animate. Here they are.

Nouns "dead" and "dead" (historically, this is associated with belief in the afterlife); however, their synonym noun "corpse" refers to the inanimate;

Chess pieces: rook, queen, pawn and others; they "walk" and "beat", the names of their actions can be correlated with the actions of living objects, so they also answer the question "who";

The same goes for dolls and toys, as they imitate living, animated objects.

On this topic, I would like to add something regarding grammar. In animate nouns, the plural accusative form is the same as the plural genitive form. And for inanimate nouns, this form, that is, the form of the accusative case of the plural, coincides with the form of the nominative case. You can take any animate or inanimate noun and practice cases using the questions in the middle of this article.

Have you ever heard words that were put in inappropriate cases? Surzhik sins with this - mixed speech from Russian, Ukrainian and Jewish words. This is due to the fact that the rules of declension in different languages ​​are different.

To correctly choose the case of nouns, you need to know what form they belong to.

Animate and inanimate nouns

Words misused hurt the ear. For their proper use, there are certain rules, not so complicated. In Russia, from ancient times, living and non-living things were changed in different ways in cases. When the language was systematized, it was determined that there are proper nouns and common nouns, animate and inanimate. Moreover, it is not always possible to independently determine what kind a particular word belongs to. The deceased is inanimate, does not have a soul, but the word is grammatically animated. But plants are alive - they grow, breathe. But inanimate. Why?

There is one aspect of this question that is rooted in mythology. In ancient times, people adhered to other ideas about the living and nonliving things. Hence the set of well-established expressions showing the inanimate nature of the sun (it looks out, gets up, sits down, wakes up, in fairy tales it is asked for advice, and it answers) and dolls (in games it eats, sleeps, walks, speaks, cries). Previously, they were really considered alive and this was reflected in linguistic forms. The word "corpse" has always been considered inanimate, because under it only the shell of the being is considered, while the personality is absent. How to identify animate and inanimate nouns?

rule

Since living and non-living answer different questions, it is good to use this method. Then check the result obtained. After that, we can refine our study in accordance with the exceptions that are better to remember.

1. So, first it is worth finding out who or what is in front of us. So in most cases, you can understand what type the word we need belongs to.

2. In the future, the plural of the desired word is put in the accusative case (for simplicity, it can be designated VP) and find out which case it coincides with. If with a nominative (IP) - this is inanimateness.

• Toys.
• Armchairs.
• Games.
• Noses.
• Nicknames.

If with a genitive (RP) - animation.

• Puppies.
• Birdies.
• Animals.
• Chickens.
• Friends.

Often this is enough to identify animate and inanimate nouns. The rule has exceptions.

living inanimate

These are dolls, Teddy bears, dogs, bunnies, robots and the like. That is, those toys with which they perform actions, as if they were alive. The existing forms of words will look like this:

• Dolls.
• Mishek.
• Zaichikov.
• Dogs.
• Robots.

Some symbols in games are also considered animated. This should be remembered:

• Kings.
• Valtov.
• Queens.

People who have died or perished are considered to be animate: suicide, deceased, deceased, deceased.

• Suicide.
• Deceased.
• Reposed.
• The dead.

There are many such words, but they are all animate. When it comes to a mortal shell (corpse, body, carrion, carcass) - this is already inanimate.

Fairy-tale and non-material characters (angels, demons, nymphs) are also animated. A regularity is observed: if in the people's mind something is alive - in the declension of such a word VP = RP.

living inanimate

A group, any set, a collection of people, animals or beings classified as living beings are considered to be inanimate. This is a crowd, an army, a people, a herd, a flock, a host. It is correct to say: "I see crowds, armies, peoples, herds, flocks, hosts."

All plants and fungi are inanimate. They have long been considered as food, and not as part of wildlife. Interestingly, some types of seafood (lobsters, oysters, lobsters) first appeared in Russia as exotic dishes. Therefore, in the recipes there is their declension according to the inanimate principle: boil the squid and cut it into the shape of noodles.

What is not visible to the eye is considered inanimate.

These are microorganisms, viruses, embryos, yeast, bacteria. There are interesting exceptions here, though. For example, the attitude towards an embryo changes when it becomes visible - in a test tube.

When it is impossible to determine animate and inanimate nouns

Examples showing the impossibility of attributing a word to a particular division:

• do automation,
• see the swordfish.

These words do not decline in numbers. When changing by cases, they have their own form of endings. Therefore, they are beyond animation.

Helper adjectives

Animate and inanimate nouns are determined by the form of the accusative case of agreeing adjectives. Examples:

• We saw a new student - we saw a new table.
• Stroked a beautiful puppy - stroked a beautiful blouse.
• Got big calves - got big trouble.

First, there is a phrase, where the accusative case is equal to the genitive (VP = RP), and then - the nominative (IP).

These adjectives will make it easier to distinguish between animate and inanimate nouns.

Own and common nouns

All proper nouns got such a name because they are the only ones of their kind. Usually these are names, but there may be nicknames and nicknames. If they find a match - it's rather nonsense. For such cases, there is the word "namesake", for example. Even if it is the nickname of an inanimate toy, it is still animated. There are also inanimate names. These are names given to an institution, work of art, or composition. There are also geographic names.

Common nouns - from the Old Slavonic "to name" (to name) - these are the names of groups of objects or concepts.

The table will help to change them by cases correctly.

Skills develop well when filling out such a table. You can fill it in by putting all the words in the accusative case, although this is not necessary. You can simply divide the sheet into four parts and write out the suggested words in groups.

Even better to deal with this topic will help special exercises.

Exercises

They will help to consolidate skills, how to identify animate and inanimate nouns, exercises. You need to substitute the correct word, choose the right case or check the spelling of the written phrase.

Exercise 1

Substitute the correct words in the following sentences.

• Coming to school, students see (teachers, director, new desks, posters, friends, duty officer, old doors, school crayons).
• Purchased for the city park (songbirds, carousels, benches, visitors).
• Being late for work, I had to catch up (a trolleybus, a tram, a familiar taxi driver).

Exercise 2

Choose the correct case in the following sentences.

• We housed (kittens) and gave (food bags) for them as well.
• Coming out into the clearing, we saw (boys and baskets of mushrooms).
• At the zoo, keepers feed (birds) and water (trees).

Exercise 3

Give examples of animate and inanimate nouns suitable in the following cases:

• Sitting at the table ... and dreaming.
• The doctors said that ... he was no longer breathing.
• Ours ... completely crumbled.
• How brightly this ... today burns.
• The old one… completely fell apart.

Lesson

In order for students to remember the above rules well, the teacher can devote a lesson to animate and inanimate nouns. It is good to use a scheme denoting the equality of cases.

Odush.	Inanimate
VP = RP	VP = IP

Recalling that the plural is being tested, as an exercise, you can suggest naming five animate and five inanimate nouns while looking at the picture. A photo of a puppy with a toy chicken in its mouth will do.

The resulting phrases will not always be correct, this is natural. But especially funny teacher can emphasize. Such a method "on the contrary" will help to remember the incorrect use of cases.

Examples of animate and inanimate nouns that are substituted for missing words will help to understand the rule well. For this exercise, write out in advance on a sheet of sentences with missing words. In their place, one of the suggested words written on the board should be inserted. The teacher makes sure that the students have different options: on one side of the board they are animated, on the other they are not.

As one of the options, the following set of words can be used:

Text suitable for this exercise:

The weather was beautiful on the weekend. The guys ran out into the yard. (?) fed and dressed up their (?). (?) did not attract such games, they launched (?) from the mountain. (?) and (?) pleased the old (?). “Where else can you find such (?),” they said, and were in no hurry to call their (?) and (?) home. And the guys have already taken (?) and (?) and made noisy (?).

The kids will love this lesson. The main thing is to prepare visual material and diagrams well. Good luck!