SUBJECTIVE SEMANTICS OF VERB FORMS IN PRESENT TENSE IN M. LERMONTOV’S STORY «MAXIM MAKSIMYCH»

The article deals with semantics and purpose of verb forms in present tense on the material of the story by M. Lermontov «Maxim Maksimych». Present forms used for nomination of actions and activities, events and processes, are described as izosemantic means of expressing syntactic ca­tegory of time in a Russian sentence. Syntactic category of time is considered as objective-subjective category that defines and shapes a sentence as a unit of syntax. Being an indispensable element of grammatical semantics a sentence, syntactic category of time contains meanings that are different from the meanings of its components, and has a specific means of presentation. The article focuses on grammatical, in particular predicative, role of the verb in a sentence. Verb forms, realizing its categorical semantics, characterize the procedural sign on its relation to objective reality, the moment of speech and participants of communication. In the tense determination, imperfective and perfective semantics of verb forms in present tense are revealed. There are cases of nonlocali­zability of temporary signs of procedural signs transmitted by verbal forms in present tense. The conclusion is that, depending on the degree of generality of a fact, an imperfect meaning of the present syntactic tense is reinterpreted and semantics of temporal generality and even timelessness is emphasized. The story «Maxim Maksimych» presents real and objective comprehension of eternal, timeless deep foundations of human life. His generation M. Lermontov assessed as timeless generation. And the fact that the poet tends to timelessness is confirmed at the level of grammatical semantics of his story.