Deviations from standard morphological variation (using the verb yezdit’ (English go, drive) as an example)

Abstract

The article examines the non-standard morphological variation of the verb yezdit’ which belongs to conjugation II of the productive (4a) class in the standard. The forms built from the present tense stem yezdi – (yezdiyu, yezdiyem, yezdiyut, and so on), which native speakers perceive as non-standard (as evidenced by the provided examples), as well as the form of the 3rd person plural with conjugation I ending yezdyut are used in the modern language. The correlation between the stems yezdit’ – yezdiyu adds the – class to the productive – and – classes. Thus, the system can potentially evolve into a more symmetrical one since , , and are the most frequent vocalic final sounds of the infinitive stem in Russian. The form yezdyut is consistent with the tendency to differentiate between the phonemes and in the singular and plural 3rd person as they are neutralised in the posttonic position after a palatalised consonant. Since such examples have the potential to considerably change the system (for example, formal classes of verbs), morphological variation (no matter whether in literary language or in vernacular dialect) becomes the subject of linguistic comprehension and study.