0. Sometimes sentences are found in Russian in which an object is not in its usual linear position but is placed further towards the end of the sentence. In the present paper this phenomenon will be called p o s t p o n e m e n t (PP for short). Both thematic and rhematic objects 1 may be postponed: (1) A~tmunbt~t, n p e O A a e a ~ xoOumb h a m eo~enbKuMu u p a 3 y mbtMU, mo~b~:o n e Ooeoaapuea~." (Hp. I, 39) /1/10/12 2 (2) otta n a y u u m mam/eaamb u e e o , xoTa... (Flo.~., 197) In (1) the object is thematic, and the utterance is said to have t h e m e p o s t p o n e m e n t (TPP). In (2), on the other hand, the object is the rheme of the utterance, and in this case we speak about r h e m e p o s t p o n e m e n t (RPP). In this paper sentences with TPP will be the main subject of study. Our aim is to find an explanation for what may cause this type of PP, to describe its communicative function, and to discuss it from a normative point of view. The source material mainly consists of literary texts, principally postwar fiction. In addition use has been made of recorded material of spoken language (below designated (Sp.)), consisting of stories retold by a number of Soviet Sixth Form students. In the great majority of sentences with TPP the postponed object is a personal pronoun. This calls for an introductory discussion of what may cause the positioning of these items in different types of sentences. 0.1. In Russian, as in many other languages, objective personal pronouns (O) mostly occur as clitics. In utterances with non-inverted word order consisting of S (one-word subject), P (predicate in the form of a finite verb) and O, there is a clear tendency to link O enclitically to a prosodically marked (stressed) S. Some examples: (3) 6yc)mo u n e Ba6e.ab e e o nucaJt, ... (Hall. II, 118) (4) Toct
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