Сравнительная грамматика английского и украинского языков

1

The verbs in contrasted languages may be divided according to the expressing predicativity in the verbs of complete predication or incomplete prediction. 

The first group is presented with notional verbs, which are in their turn divided into

subjective (to act, to go, to sleep, спати, блищати тощо – always intransitive);

objective (to give, to take, to envy,– брати, давати, заздрити тощо – only transitive);

terminative expressing action having final aims: (to close, to open, to come, to find – зачиняти, приходити, заходити) (to find, зачиняти – express an action with some result);

durative verbs, expressing action with no final aim: to like, to love, to hate, to hope, to work (подобатись, любити, ненавидіти);

mixed, which can have both terminative and durative meaning: to sit, to stand, to know, to remember – сидіти, стояти, знати –both terminative and durative);

reflexive, which are formed in English with the help of reflexive pronouns oneself, myself, himself, ourselves: to wash oneself, to shave himself, to see herself in the mirror, etc. The last group is really widespread in Ukrainian.

Verbs of incomplete predication are presented in English and Ukrainian in four common groups which are as follows:

Auxiliary verbs (to be, to do, to have, shall/will), which are 'used in the corresponding person and tense form to express in English the following categorial meanings of the verb:

a) the continuous aspect (he is/was reading a book);

b) some forms of the subjunctive mood (He ordered we should go. I shouldn't be surprised if I settled down here. (B. Shaw));

c) the passive voice (The passage is/was translated).

Auxiliary verbs in Ukrainian are restricted to one which is polyfunctional (БУТИ)

Close to the auxiliary by their function (and often by their lexical meaning, too) are English and Ukrainian modal verbs. Their number is larger in English than in Ukrainian. Cf.

Linking verbs in both languages form a verbal or mixed-type compound predicate. They fall into three groups:

1. Linking verbs of being, which do not always have direct equivalents in English and Ukrainian. Cf. to be. to feel, to look, to seem, to taste, to smell — бути, виявлятися, зватися, вважатися, доводитися (hе looks young/tired. Це зветься роботою).

2. Linking verbs of becoming: to become, to get, to grow, to turn — ставати, робитися (They grew stronger/Вони стали сильнішими). He became a teacher — Він став учителем.

3. Linking verbs of remaining: He remained silent – він зостався задоволений.

2

Meaning. This part of speech in English and Ukrainian has the greatest number of features in common. They include the lexico-grammatical nature of the verb which serves to convey verbiality, i. e., different kinds of activity (go, read, skate), various processes (boil, grow, obtain), the inner state of a person (feet, bother, worry), possession (have, possess), etc.

         Reflexive verbs in Ukrainian have some peculiar features. Regular equivalents can be observed only in the group of reflexive verbs proper (to wash oneself, to dress oneself, to shave oneself, to powder oneself, etc.) having corresponding forms in Ukrainian (вмиватися, голитися, одягатися, пудритися, купатися, etc.).

Other groups of Ukrainian reflexive verbs are unknown in English. They are:

1. Reciprocally reflexive/взаємно-зворотні: зустрічатися, змагатися, вітатися, листуватись, цілуватись.

2.  Indirectly reflexive/непрямо-зворотні: радитися, збиратися в похід, лаштуватися в дорогу.

3. Generally reflexive/ загально-зворотні: милуватися, дивуватися, злитися, журитися, мучитися та ін.

4.  Actively-objectless/активно-безоб'єктні: кусатися (собака кусається), хвицатися (корова хвицається), дряпатися (кішка дряпається), жалитися (кропива жалиться), колотися (стерня колеться).

5. Passively-qualilative/пасивно-якісні: гнутися, битися, ламатися, м'ятися, колотися, кривитися (залізо гнеться, скло б'ється). 6. Impersonal-reflexive/безособово-зворотні: не спиться, не їсться, погано/гарно живеться, не лежиться.

English notional verbs split into regular and irregular, based upon the correlation between the stem of the Infinitive and its past forms. Thirteen classes of Ukrainian verbs are singled out on the correlation between the infinitival stem of the verb, on the one hand, and its present stem, on the other (будувати – будуєш – будують; бувати – буваєш – бувають; казати – кажеш, кажуть; горіти – гориш, горять тощо).

Auxiliary verbs in Ukrainian are restricted to one бути which is polyfunctional and is used to form: a) the passive voice (текст був перекладений); b) the analytical future tense (текст буде перекладений); c) some subjunctive mood forms (якби я був знав, я був би прийшов); d) the plusperfect tense form, which fully corresponds to the English past perfect. (Cf. Ніби й задрімав був зразу, але щось приверзлося, то й проснувся. (Головко)).