Category of probability in the Russian language (on the basis of texts written in XVIII - early XIX century)

The article deals with the formation of the conceptual category of probability in texts of XVIII - early XIX centuries. The concept of presumption used to be expressed by the means of lexicalized combinations with autosemantic units веро ятный ‘probable’, вероятность ‘probability’. Starting with the middle of XVIII century, probability would be expressed via lexicalized autosemantic units. This can be observed in business text, in prosaic scientific texts, as well as comedies reflecting the oral speech of that time. In his epistolary writings and History, N. M. Karamzin uses a modus frame веро ятно, что ‘it is probable that’, later gradually switching to a modus word вероятно ‘probably’. His texts give examples of strong ( вероятно, что ; вероятно ‘probably’) and weak ( авось, может быть ‘perhaps’) markers of the concept of hypothesis. In early XIX century, high probability would often be expressed by the means of lexicalized units. In the modern Russian language, these units have been transformed into stable combinations marking utterances with the meaning of prediction, as well as reconstructions of past events.