Functions of rheme in sentences with attributive characterization with the subject double ‘person’ in the Russian language

In the article, sentences with attributive characterization with the subject double person in the compound nominal predicate, are being observed. In such sentences, the noun person goes with an adjective in the predicative and doubles the subject. Attributive characterization is a type of proposition where a subject receives a permanent attribute. The purpose of the article is to describe special aspects of semantics and pragmatics of sentences with the predicate scheme (cop) ADJ person. Other nouns can also play roles of a semantic double; the choice of a noun depends on sex and age of a subject, e.g. girl, woman, boy, old man etc. Usually linguists don’t lay emphasis on a semantic double and consider it meaningless. However, in many cases that is proved wrong. We have educed three roles that the noun person can have in the compound nominal predicate with a scheme (cop) ADJ person: 1) formal (structural), where the subject double provides word compatibility; 2) semantic (pointing out either a certain lexical-semantic variation or absoluteness and constancy of an attribute); 3) communicative (logical pointing out of an attribute). It has been educed that in a direct word order, the subject double occurs to have a communicative role much more seldom than in an inverted word order, where an attribute is already pointed out by being located in the rheme. Studying of the communicative purposes that cause an inverted word order in attributive characterization sentences can be useful in socio-linguistic studies. In the article, roles of rheme in sentences with an inverted word order where the double person has a communicative role are being educed. We found 5 roles of rheme in this type of sentences: 1) introducing a new attribute; 2) emphasizing an attribute that doesn’t answer expectations; 3) explanation of an attribute; 4) introducing a resumptive attribute; 5) juxtaposition of attributes. Having analyzed our sample sentences, we have discovered that the most frequent role is introducing a new attribute. With that, it is a bit less frequent among evocative sentences (where the rheme precedes the topic) than among neutral sentences (where the rheme follows the topic). The least frequent role of rheme is juxtaposition of attributes. Also, relatively rare are explanation of an attribute and introducing a resumptive attribute. Explanation of an attribute is mostly met in predicates with the noun person in the first position and a verb to be in the second. However, we haven’t met it in predicates with an adjective in the first position and the noun person - in the second. Introducing a resumptive attribute isn’t found in predicates with a verb to be in the first position and the noun person in the second. Emphasizing an attribute that doesn’t answer expectations is often met in 1) predicates with an adjective in the first position and a verb to be in the second 2) predicates with the verb to be in the first position and the noun person in the second.