Russian discourse word <i>net</i> ‘no’ in a contrastive perspective

Abstract

The article examines the functioning of the Russian words net ‘no’ and partly da ‘yes’ in comparison to other languages. The study identifies important features of the semantics and pragmatics of these words. Special attention is paid to the discursive uses of Russian net and their correspondences in English and German. A classification of discursive uses of net is proposed, some of which have counterparts in English and German, while others are simply omitted in translation. The specific features of discursive uses are largely determined by the subtle semantics of the central readings of Russian da and net. The same holds for English yes and no, as well as for German ja and nein. Even in the most direct uses of da and net, a distinctive characteristic of Russian dialogue is revealed: it is more important for the speaker to align their position with the interlocutor’s position than with the actual state of affairs. This characteristic underlies the richness of discursive uses, primarily represented by the word net.