Second argument realization with verbal nouns in Macedonian: an example of grammatical variability

Abstract: This paper discusses the variability of realization of the direct argument of nominalized predications in Macedonian constructions. As it is common in other languages, the possessive na-construction is utilized for accommodation of both subjective and objective case in the noun phrase built by the verbal noun in -nje. There is a possibility, however, to add the objective NP directly to the verbal noun if it is not marked for definiteness. The constructions with and without the preposition are seemingly freely interchangeable and there is no consensus among native speakers regarding the choice between the two patterns. This non-categorical or probabilistic variation is the focus of the present paper. On the basis of attested examples from written sources and a questionnaire survey we examine the factors of referentiality and structural complexity of the objective NP, which may be responsible for the preference of one or the other pattern. The usage reveals that the choice is not optional, but may be governed by some probabilistic rules that need to be further examined by application of more rigorous statistical methods.