Specific Telic Constructions with the Preposition do in Serbian

Tijana V. Ašić; Tatjana S. Grujić; Marina V. Kebara

doi:10.5937/zrffp54-47724

Tijana V. Ašić University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Philology and Arts, Department of Romanistics
Tatjana S. Grujić University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Philology and Arts, Department of Anglistics https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0559-8972
Marina V. Kebara University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Philology and Arts, Department of Serbian Language https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0055-3767

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5937/zrffp54-47724

Keywords: preposition do [to], telic construction, context, ground, pragmatics

Abstract

This paper examines the specifics of the Serbian preposition do [to] in so-called telic constructions, which express the involvement of the sentence subject in collective activities related to a location (ground). The authors demonstrate that, unlike the prototypical prepositions u [in], na [on], and kod [at], the Serbian preposition do indicates, due to its reinterpretation as expressing dynamic spatial relations, that the subject has reached a particular location (or area of the ground) with the intention of achieving a specific goal, but that their presence at this location will be relatively brief. This characteristic suggests that the subject’s intention can be connected to a telic interpretation. If the intention cannot be associated with this interpretation, the reasons for the subject’s behavior can be inferred from the context or explicitly stated.

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