PROMENLjIVOST BROJEVA DVA, TRI I ČETIRI U SRPSKOM JEZIKU

Abstract

In this paper, through an analysis of a corpus consisting of examples excerpted from the language of Serbian daily newspapers, an attempt is made to determine the degree of declinability of the numbers two, three, and four. This is a morphological category that has undergone significant restructuring throughout the historical development of the Serbian language. Its evolution has led to the simplification of paradigms and their reduction to individual declined forms, which are represented to varying degrees both across different functional styles of the Serbian language and in its regional varieties, i.e., dialects and vernaculars. This paper offers insight into the linguistic situation characteristic of the journalistic functional style, with the understanding that the conclusions reached through the analysis can generally be considered valid for the Serbian standard language and its diasystem as a whole. The general conclusion is that in the category of the number four, simplification is most pronounced - the paradigm has been reduced to only two declined forms, which are rarely used; the situation is similar with the number three, although its declined forms appear somewhat more frequently; whereas the number two has a more stable paradigm, and this morphological category displays a higher degree of vitality in actual usage.