CONCEPTUALIZATION OF A ONE-TIME ACTION: SEMANTICS OF THE TO HAVE A DRINK SYNTACTIC FRAME

The paper discusses the conceptualization of a one-time action in the natural language through the example of the to have a drink constructions. It is claimed that these constructions correlate with the Russian verbs of the type popit and can be attributed to a class of the so-called predicates denoting prospectless activity. The study shows that the semantic structure of the analyzed predicates comprises three main semantic features that define the functioning of the studied units. The following semantic features are regarded as integral for the predicates denoting prospectless activity: «+/- control», «prospectless activity» and «portion of an action». «+/- control» is understood as a combination of three semantic features: 1. exerting efforts or exerting no efforts to realize an event; 2. consciousness or unconsciousness of the efforts applied; 3. control over all or certain stages of the realized event. «Prospectless activity» implies that an action does not need to seek its internal limit to be considered accomplished. The goal of such an action is not to reach its natural limit, but to "master" the type of the action performed. Thus, the resulting state of the event becomes irrelevant for its realization. The «portion of an action» is interpreted as a part of the action sufficient for the subject to consider the event as having taken place and in this sense accomplished, “effective”. The three features described are interpreted in relation to each type of predicates. It appears that the distinguished features fully manifest themselves in the semantics of the to have a drink constructions in English, as well as verbs of the popit type in Russian. As a result, these language units are proposed to be considered as the most typical examples of predicates denoting prospectless activity in both languages. Other constructions generated after the to have a drink model in English (to give a drink, to take a drink and to get a drink) allow for a prospectless interpretation in a limited number of contexts, taking into account the factors specified in the present work. Predicates denoting prospectless activity appear highly productive both in Russian and in English. It seems that one-time actions might be conceptualized in a similar way in other languages. This hypothesis requires special verification. The present analysis can be used as its basis.