Old Church Slavonic is an inflectional language with moderately complex verbal and nominal systems.
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For Old Church Slavonic the following segments are reconstructible:[1]
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Several notable constraints on the distribution of the phonemes can be identified, mostly resulting from the tendencies occurring within the Common Slavic period, such as intrasyllabic synharmony and the law of open syllables. For consonant and vowel clusters and for sequences of a consonant and a vowel, the following constraints can be ascertained:[2]
As a result of the first and the second Slavic palatalizations, velars alternate with dentals and palatals:
Velar | /k/ | /g/ | /x/ | /sk/ | /zg/ | /sx/ |
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Dental | /c/ | /dz/ | /s/ | /sc/, /st/ | /zd/ | /sc/ |
Palatal | /č/ | /ž/ | /š/ | /št/ | /žd/ | /š/ |
In some forms the alternations of /c/ with /č/ and of /dz/ with /ž/ occur, in which the corresponding velar is missing. The dental alternants of velars occur regularly before /ě/ and /i/ in the declension and in the imperative, and somewhat less regularly in various forms after /i/, /ę/, /ь/ and /rь/.[3] The palatal alternants of velars occur before front vowels in all other environments, where dental alternants do not occur, as well as in various places in inflection and word formation described below.[4]
Dental | /d/ | /zd/ | /t/ | /st/ | /z/ | /s/ | /r/ | /tr/ | /dr/ | /n/ | /sn/ | /zn/ | /l/ | /sl/ |
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Palatal | /žd/ | /žd/ | /št/ | /št/ | /ž/ | /š/ | /r'/ | /štr'/ | /ždr'/ | /n'/ | /šn'/ | /žn'/ | /l'/ | /šl'/ |
As a result of a process usually termed Common Slavic iotation (or iodization), dentals alternate with palatals in various inflected forms and in word formation.
As a result of earlier alternations between short and long vowels in roots in Proto-Indo-European, Proto-Balto-Slavic and Proto-Slavic times, and of the fronting of vowels after palatalized consonants, the following vowel alternations are attested in OCS: /ь/ : /i/; /ъ/ : /y/ : /u/; /e/ : /ě/ : /i/; /o/ : /a/; /o/ : /e/; /ě/ : /a/; /ъ/ : /ь/; /y/ : /i/; /ě/ : /i/; /y/ : /ę/.[4]
Vowel:∅ alternations sometimes occurred as a result of sporadic loss of weak yer, which later occurred in almost all Slavic dialects. The phonetic value of the corresponding vocalized strong jer is dialect-specific.
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Nouns belonging to this declension class are generally masculines ending in -ъ in the nominative singular (bogъ, gradъ, rodъ). The only exception are the nouns in -ъ that inflect as u-stem masculines. Sometimes in the accusative singular the difference between animate and inanimate subgender can be seen, the accusative exhibiting the ending of the genitive for animate objects (raba). Nouns with the suffix -(j)an-in-ъ (graždaninъ) also belong to this declension class in the singular, but in the plural they lose the -in- interfix and conform to the consonantal paradigm (graždane, graždanъ, graždanem, graždany, graždane, graždanexъ, graždany). |
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Nouns belonging to this declension class are neuters ending in -o in the nominative singular (selo, lěto, město). The only exception are the few neuters that are inflected as s-stems. |
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Nouns belonging to this declension class are masculines ending in -ь preceded by a palatal in the nominative singular (vračь, kralь, košь). This paradigm encompasses nouns such as krai that don't appear to be ending in a palatal, but are in fact underlyingly combinations like krajь and so undergo this declension (kraj -ь, kraj -a). Nouns ending in agentive suffixes -tel-ь and -ar-ь also belong to this class (učitelь, učitelja, učitelju..., mytarь, mytarja, mytarju...). |
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The jo-stem declension class encompasses neuters ending in -e (lože, polje, molenьe). |
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Nouns belonging to this declension class are feminines ending in -a preceded by a hard, non-palatal consonant (žena). Also belonging to this paradigm are the rare masculines ending in -a (sluga, vojevoda). |
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Noun belonging to this declension class are feminines ending in -a preceded by a soft, palatal consonant (straža, svešta, mrěža). This paradigm also encompasses feminines ending in -i (rabyni, bogyni), -ica (děvica) and -ьni- (rizьnica), and also masculines ending in -a preceded by a palatal (junoša). |
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Nouns belonging to this declension class are masculines ending in -ь preceded by a hard, non-palatal consonant (črьvь, gospodь, pǫtь). The only exception are a limited number of such nouns belonging to the n-stem paradigm. |
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Nouns belonging to the i-stem feminine declension are feminines ending in -ь in the nominative singular (rěčь, noštь, tvarь). The only exception is the noun krъvь which undergoes ъv-stem (ū-stem) declension. |
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Nouns belonging to this declension are a rather small group of masculines: činъ, domъ, ledъ, medъ, mirъ, polъ, sanъ, synъ, volъ, vrъxъ. |
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Nouns belonging to the ū-stem declension (also known as -ъv- declension, or v-stem declension) are: buky, brady, cěly, crьky, horǫgy, loky, ljuby, neplody, prěljuby, smoky, svekry, žrьny, kry (this last form is attested in Psalterium Sinaiticum; older sources list the accusative form krъvь as a lemma). |
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Nouns belonging to this declension class are the following masculines: dьnь, jelenь, jęčьmenь, kamy, korenь, plamy, remenь, sęženь, stepenь. |
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Nouns belonging to this declension class are the following neuters: brěmę, čismę, imę, pismę, plemę, sěmę, slěmę, těmę, vrěmę. |
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Nouns belonging to this declension class are the following neuters: čudo, divo, drěvo, kolo, nebo, tělo, slovo and also uxo and oko which have dual forms like i-stems. |
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The t-stem (also known as nt-stem) paradigm encompasses neuters denoting a young of an animal or human: otročę, agnę, kozьlę, kljusę, osьlę, ovьčę, telę, žrěbę etc. |
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r-stem feminines are the nouns mati and dъšti. |
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The nominative forms of the first and second person pronouns are only used for emphasis, and are otherwise unnecessary because the subject is implicit in the verb's inflection. The oblique forms, however, are quite commonly used. The parenthesized forms are enclitic alternatives, usually standing after the first accented word of a clause. |
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Just as the first and second person pronouns, the third person pronoun is commonly used only in oblique cases. Nominative singular forms are not attested in the OCS corpus, and are reconstructed. In the East South Slavic dialectal area where OCS originated, a suppletive nominative singular stem of the demonstrative tъ ('that') is used, elsewhere onъ ('that one there, yon'), or very rarely sь ('this'). By attaching the enclitic particle že to the forms of *i one obtains the relative pronoun: iže ('he who'), ježe ('the (female) one to whom'), jejuže ('the two of whom'), etc. When following prepositions, these pronouns take a prothetic n-, hence kъ n'imъ ('to them') instead of *imъ, na n'emь ('on him'), etc. This is a remnant of final -m/n in the PIE prepositions *kom (cf. Latin cum, Sanskrit kám), *sm̥ (cf. Sanskrit sám) and *h₁n̥ that yielded the OCS prepositions kъ, sъ, and vъ and then spread analogically to all the other prepositions. |
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The reflexive pronoun has only singular oblique forms, which is the state of affairs inherited from PIE *swé. The reflexive pronoun refers to the subject as a whole, and can be translated as English -self (myself, yourself, himself etc.) |
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As mentioned, the third person pronoun *i participates in the formation of the relative pronoun by appending the indeclinable enclitic že. Unlike the third person pronoun, however, the nominative case forms do occur. Similarly, a prothetic n- occurs when following prepositions, e.g. vъ n'ьže ('in which'). |
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The interrogative pronoun ('who?, what?') has singular-only forms, with the masculine and feminine forms syncretized. Variant forms of čьto occurring in some of the oblique cases have been listed in parentheses. |
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The interrogative adjective, sometimes also labelled as the interrogative pronoun ('which?, what sort of?'), also has some variant forms listed in parentheses. |
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The possessive interrogative adjective, sometimes also labelled as the possessive interrogative pronoun ('whose?'), follows the same declension. |
The interrogative pronouns kъto, čьto can also have the indefinite meanings of 'anybody', 'anything' respectively.
The prefix ně- imparts an indefinite meaning to the word to which it is attached: thus kъto ('who?') becomes někъto ('someone'), and čьto ('what?') becomes něčьto ('something'). Similarly, the prefix ni- imparts a negative meaning: nikъto ('no one'), ničьto ('nothing'). A prepositions may come between prefix and base word:
OCS adjectives can be in two forms: short and long, corresponding to indefinite and definite meaning respectively. The long form is generally used only attributively, whereas the short form is predicative in nature. So e.g. člověkъ dobrъ "a good man, man is good" whilst člověkъ dobryi "the good man, the man who is good".
Indefinite adjectives are inflected as the corresponding nouns of the primary declension, e.g. novъ as rabъ, nova as žena, novo as selo, ništь as vračь, ništa as duša, nište as polje.
Definite adjectives (also known as compound, long, or pronominal forms of adjective) are formed by suffixing to the indefinite form the anaphoric third-person pronoun jь (spelled as i in OCS orthography), ja, je as shown in the table.
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There are three levels of adjective gradation in OCS:
N | dražii | draže | dražьši | juněi | juněje | juněiši | |||||||||||||||||||||
G | dražьša | dražьša | dražьšę | juněiša | juněiša | juněišę | |||||||||||||||||||||
D | dražьšu | dražьšu | dražьši | juněišu | juněišu | juněiši | |||||||||||||||||||||
A | dražьšii | draže | dražьšǫ | juněi | juněje | juněišǫ | |||||||||||||||||||||
L | dražьši | dražьši | dražьši | juněiši | junějiši | juněiši | |||||||||||||||||||||
I | dražьšemь | dražьšemь | dražьšejǫ | juněišemь | juněišemь | juněišejǫ |
N, A | dražьša | dražьši | dražьši | juněiša | juněiši | juněiši | |||||||||||||||||||||
G, L | dražьšu | dražьšu | dražьšu | juněišu | juněišu | juněišu | |||||||||||||||||||||
D, I | dražьšema | dražьšema | dražьšama | juněišema | juněišema | juněišama |
N | dražьše | dražьša | dražьšę | juněiše | juněiša | juněišę | |||||||||||||||||||||
G | dražьšь | dražьšь | dražьšь | juněišь | juněišь | juněišь | |||||||||||||||||||||
D | dražьšemъ | dražьšemъ | dražьšamъ | juněišemъ | juněišemъ | juněišamъ | |||||||||||||||||||||
A | dražьšę | dražьša | dražьšę | juněišę | juněiša | juněišę | |||||||||||||||||||||
L | dražьšixь | dražьšixь | dražьšaxь | juněišixь | juněišixь | juněišaxь | |||||||||||||||||||||
I | dražьši | dražьši | dražьšami | juněiši | juněiši | juněišami |
The superlative is formed:
The absolute superlative is formed:
1 | jedinъ (m), jedina (f), jedino (n) | |
2 | dъva (m), dъvě (f and n) | |
3 | tri (m), trьje (f and n) | |
4 | četyri (m), četyre (f and n) | |
5 | pętь | |
6 | šestь | |
7 | sedmь | |
8 | osmь | |
9 | devętь | |
10 | desętь | |
11 | jedin-ъ/a/o na desęte | |
12 | dъv-a/ě na desęte | |
20 | dъva desęti | |
21 | dъva desęti i jedin-ъ/a/o | |
22 | dъva desęti i dъv-a/ě | |
30 | trije desęte | |
40 | četyre desęte | |
50 | pętь desętь | |
60 | šestь desętь | |
70 | sedmь desętь | |
80 | osmь desętь | |
90 | devętь desętь | |
100 | sъto | |
200 | dъvě sъtě | |
300 | tri sъta | |
400 | četyre sъta | |
500 | pętь sъtъ | |
1 000 | tysęšti, tysǫšti | |
2 000 | dъvě tysǫšti | |
5 000 | pętь tysǫštь | |
10 000 | desętь tysǫštь or tьma | |
20 000 | dъvadesęti tysǫštь or dъvě tьmě | |
100 000 | sъto tysǫštь or leĝeonъ |
1 | pronominal declension jedinъ − jedinogo, jedina − jedinoję | |
2 | pronominal declension, only in dual | |
3 | undergoes i-stem declension, plural forms only | |
4 | exactly like trьje, tri, except for the nominative and genitive which undergo consonant-stem declension | |
5−10 | undergoes i-stem declension, only in singular, except for desętь which also has dual and plural forms | |
11−19 | only the first component is inflected, e.g. jedinomu na desęte | |
20, 30, 40 | both components are inflected, e.g. dъvěma desętьma, trьmь desętьmь | |
50−90 | only the first component is inflected, e.g. pętijǫ desętь |
1 | prъvyi, prъvaja, prъvoje | |
2 | vъtoryi, vъtoraja, vъtoroje | |
3 | tretii, tretijaja, tretijeje | |
4 | četvrъyi, četvrъaja, četvrъoje | |
5 | pętyi, pętaja, pętoje | |
11 | prъvyi / prъvaja / prъvoje na desęte | |
20 | dъvadesętьn-yi/aja/oje | |
21 | dъvadesętьn-yi/aja/oje prъv-yi/aja/oje | |
60 | šestьdesętьn-yi/aja/oje | |
100 | sъtъn-yi/aja/oje | |
1 000 | tysǫĉьn-yi/aja/oje |
All ordinals are inflected like the corresponding adjectives.
The present tense is formed by adding present-tense endings onto the present tense stem, which itself is sometimes hidden due to sound changes that have occurred in the past (more common verbs are listed):
There are several classes of verbs:
1. e-type verbs add the interfix -e- to the present stem (except in front of -ǫ) and the endings:
Verb | Singular | Plural | Dual |
bosti (bod-) |
1. bod -ǫ |
1. bod -e + -mъ |
1. bod -e + -vě |
rešti (rek-) |
1. rek -ǫ |
1. reč -e + -mъ |
1. reč -e + -vě |
2. i-type verbs exhibit the same set of endings, but this time the interfix is -i- (except in front of -ǫ and -ę). In the first person singular one finds the processes of iotation (k/c + j > č, g/z + j > ž, x/s + j > š, l + j > lj, n + j > nj, t + j > št, d + j > žd) and epenthesis (bj > blj, pj > plj, mj > mlj, vj > vlj):
Verb | Singular | Plural | Dual |
xvaliti (xval-) |
1. xval + -j + -ǫ |
1. xval -i + -mъ |
1. xval -i + -vě |
ljubiti (ljub-) |
1. ljub + -lj + -ǫ |
1. ljub -i + -mъ |
1. ljub -i + -vě |
3. The athematic verbs byti, dati, věděti, iměti and jasti form the present tense irregularly:
Verb | Singular | Plural | Dual |
byti |
1. jesmь |
1. jesmъ |
1. jesvě |
věděti |
1. věmь |
1. věmъ |
1. věvě |
iměti |
1. imamь |
1. imamъ |
1. imavě |
jasti |
1. jamь |
1. jamъ |
1. javě |
One should distinguish the verbs iměti (imamь, imaši, imatъ), imati (jemljǫ, jemleši, jemletъ) and jęti (imǫ, imeši, imetъ). Exceptional is also the verb xotěti which exhibits iotation even though it's not an i-type verb (xoštǫ, xošteši, xoštetъ).
The asigmatic aorist (also called root or simple aorist) was named after the loss of the phoneme /s/ in the inflection (AGr. sigma), i.e. there is no VsV > VxV change (intervocalic /s/ yielding /x/). Over time, the asigmatic aorist became increasingly marked as an archaic language feature and was eventually replaced by the other two aorist formations.
The asigmatic aorist was formed by adding to the infinitive stem of e-type verbs with stem ending in a consonant (i.e. verbs with the infix -nǫ-, which is dropped before the aorist endings, and verbs with the null infix) the following endings: -ъ, -e, -e; -omъ, -ete, -ǫ; -ově, -eta, -ete.
Verb | Singular | Plural | Dual |
pasti (pad-) |
1. pad -ъ |
1. pad -omъ |
1. pad -ově |
tešti (tek-) |
1. tek -ъ |
1. tek -omъ |
1. tek -ově |
mošti (mog-) |
1. mog -ъ |
1. mog -omъ |
1. mog -ově |
dvignǫti (dvig-) |
1. dvig -ъ |
1. dvig -omъ |
1. dvig -ově |
The sigmatic or s-aorist was formed in the following ways:
Verb | Singular | Plural | Dual |
xvaliti (xvali-) |
1. xvali -x -ъ |
1. xvali -x -omъ |
1. xvali -x -ově |
tešti (tek-) |
1. těxъ (tek -s -ъ) |
1. těxomъ (tek -s -omъ) |
1. těxově (tek -s -ově) |
greti (greb-) |
1. grěsъ |
1. grěsomъ |
1. grěsově |
bosti (bod-) |
1. basъ |
1. basomъ |
1. basově |
The new aorist (also known as ox-aorist) is formed by suffixing to the infinitive stem of e-type verbs ending in a consonant (verbs with the interfix -nǫ- and verbs with the null interfix) the interfix -os- (-ox) and onto it the endings -ъ, -, -; -omъ, -te, -ę; -ově, -ta, -te. Intervocalic sigma s changes into x.
The 2nd and the 3rd person singular forms are not attested and thus the asigmatic aorist forms are taken as a replacement.
Verb | Singular | Plural | Dual |
krasti (krad-) |
1. krad -ox -ъ |
1. krad -ox -omъ |
1. krad -ox -ově |
rešti (rek-) |
1. rek -ox -ъ |
1. rek -ox -omъ |
1. rek -ox -ově |
iti (id-) |
1. id -ox -ъ |
1. id -ox -omъ |
1. id -ox -ově |
There are two ways of forming the imperfect:
1. If the infinitive stems ends in -a or -ě, the interfix -ax- is appended (which changes to -aš- according to the first palatalization in front of e) and onto it, the endings of the asigmatic aorist: -ъ, -e, -e; -omъ, -ete, -ǫ; -ově, -eta, -ete.
Verb | Singular | Plural | Dual |
glagolati (glagola-) |
1. glagola -ax -ъ |
1. glagola -ax -omъ |
1. glagola -ax -ově |
viděti (vidě-) |
1. vidě -ax -ъ |
1. vidě -ax -omъ |
1. vidě -ax -ově |
2. The other way of forming the imperfect, applying to all other verbal stems, is by adding onto the present stem the interfix -ax- (which, in accordance with the first palatalization, is changed to -aš- in front of e) and onto it the endings of asigmatic aorist: -ъ, -e, -e; -omъ, -ete, -ǫ; -ově, -eta, -ete.
Verb | Singular | Plural | Dual |
zъvati (zov-) |
1. zov -ě -ax -ъ |
1. zov -ě -ax -omъ |
1. zov -ě -ax -ově |
bosti (bod-) |
1. bod -ě -ax -ъ |
1. bod -ě -ax -omъ |
1. bod -ě -ax -ově |
Both of these imperfect formations often occur side by side in verbs with stem alternation:
In the texts of the OCS canon the forms are often contracted, so that ěax becomes ěx and aax becomes ax. An illustrating example is in Chernorizets Hrabar's famous work O pismenex "An Account of Letters":
Some forms exhibit sound changes, namely palatalization or iotation in front of ě, yat thus turning into a. The same applies if the stem ends in j which is then reduced in front of yat and yat again changes into a:
That the second form and not the first is the original one (the first being formed by the change of yat to a) is confirmed by the imperfect paradigm of the verb byti:
Verb | Singular | Plural | Dual |
byti |
1. běaxъ |
1. běaxomъ |
1. běaxově |
The present active participle is formed by adding the following endings to the present stem:
1. e-type verbs and athematic verbs:
2. e-type verbs whose present stem ends in a palatal:
3. i-type verbs:
The present passive participle is formed by suffixing to the present stem the endings -o/e/i + m + ъ/a/o (masculine, feminine, neuter):
1. e-type verbs and athematic verbs:
2. e-type verbs whose stem ends in a palatal:
3. i-type verbs:
The past active participle is formed by suffixing to the infinitive stem the following endings:
1. e-type verbs and athematic verbs:
2. i-type verbs exhibit epenthetic v, which eliminates hiatus:
The latter i-type verbs have twofold forms of this participle - the mentioned one of older origin, and a newer one which arose due to analogical leveling:
3. Verbs with liquid metathesis form this participle from its older stem form:
4. Irregular participles:
The l-participle (also known as the resultative participle or second past active participle) is formed by adding to the infinitive stem the interfix -l- and the endings ъ/a/o. If the stem ends in -t or -d, this consonant is dropped.
The past passive participle is formed by suffixing to the infinitive stem the following endings:
1. Verbs with stem ending in a consonant, -y or -i:
2. Verbs with stem ending in -a or -ě:
3. Verbs with stem ending in -ę, -u, -i and -ě (obtained by liquid metathesis):
Of the latter verbs, those with stem ending in -i (viti, biti etc.) can also form the past passive participle like the verbs in the first group: bitъ or bijenъ, vitъ or vijenъ etc.).
The perfect is formed by combining the l-participle with the imperfective present forms of the auxiliary verb byti.
The pluperfect can be formed in multiple ways, by combining the l-participle with the perfect, imperfect or aorist formation of the auxiliary verb byti.
The future tense is usually expressed using the present tense form of the perfective verb. Imperfective verbs form the future tense by combining the auxiliary verb (byti, xotěti, načęti, iměti) and the infinitive.
The future perfect is formed by combining the l-participle with the with the perfective present of the auxiliary verb byti.
The conditional (or conditional-optative) modal formation is formed by combining the l-participle with special modal forms of the auxiliary verb byti (with unattested dual forms).
The alternate forms in the plural are formed by analogy with the aorist.
These are original adverbs with difficult to guess etymology and origin.
Pronominal adverbs are derived by suffixing pronouns (e.g. ov + amo = ovamo, kъ + de = kъde):
Nominal adverbs are derived from nominals or turn by conversion to adverbs which are in fact inflective lexemes with adverbial semantics.
Modal adverbs are created with the suffixes -o or -ě (the endings of accusative and locative singular neuter gender respectively), with no difference in meanings between suffixes, although some adverbs have only the forms in -o (veselo), and some in -ě (javě).
Modal adverbs could also be formed deadjectivally by means of the interfix -ьsk- and the ending -y (by origin, the instrumental plural ending; e.g. slověnьsky).
Adverbs could also be formed with the suffix -ь (pravь, različь) and are by origin probably inherited Proto-Slavic accusative forms.
Frequently occurring are the adverbialized a-stem instrumentals such as jednьnojǫ and also adverbially used oblique cases.
Locative adverbs are by origin mostly petrified locative case forms of nouns: gorě, dolě, nizu, and the same can be said for temporal adverbs: zimě, polu dьne.
The primary and non-derived prepositions are of PIE and PSl. heritage:
The secondary prepositions are derived from adverbial expressions: vьslědъ from vь slědъ, prěžde is a comparative form of prědъ etc.
Conjunctions and particles are not easily separable because they sometimes function as an intensifier, and sometimes as a conjunction.
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