Adjectival doublets in Polish : resultative adjectives derived from -ną- verbs

Abstract

The present paper investigates the present-day variability in the form of Polish resultative adjectives, i.e. deverbal adjectives which denote a state resulting from a previous event. Two types of resultative adjectives are considered: a/ those terminating in the sequence –ły, e.g. zgniły ‘rotten’, spleśniały ‘mouldy’; b/ those terminating in the sequence –ny or –ty, e.g. zamarznięty ‘frozen’, zmęczony ‘tired’. It is shown that verbs containing the suffix –ną- frequently derive both types of resultative adjectives, giving rise to pairs of competing –ty and –ły formations.