Binominal Constructions of Small Quantity in Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian*

This study examines binominal constructions in Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian that follow the pattern [N1 + N2 gen], expressing small quantities. In these constructions, N1, originally a concrete noun, undergoes a metaphorical shift to function as a quantifier or measure noun (or pseudo-classifier). This article aims to explore how the semantic features of the source domain influence the metaphorical shift of N1 in the given construction and to identify, if any, distinct patterns of grammaticalization. Specifically, we focus on four Ruwssian nouns (kaplja ‘drop,’ kučka ‘small heap,’ krupica ‘grain,’ kroška ‘crumb’), and their equivalents in Belarusian and Ukrainian. The analysis of Russian constructions is based on data extracted from the Timestamped JSI Web Corpus 2014–2021 Russian available via SketchEngine. Similarly, the Belarusian and Ukrainian equivalents are examined using data drawn from the Belarusian and Ukrainian parallel corpora within the Russian National Corpus. The data analysis reveals distinct preferences for collocates for each of the four examined nouns, likely influenced by the semantic features of their respective source domains. These identified regularities indicate varying degrees of grammaticalization for each noun, suggesting the need for further interlinguistic research.