The preposition вроде ( vrode ) as a functional speech unit

The paper deals with functioning of the preposition “вроде” (“vrode”) in Russian speech. A reasoning for distinction between two meanings of the preposition (similarity and giving examples) is provided. Constructions with the preposition, their structure, meaning and some pragmatic aspects are considered. As a rule, the constructions consist of three elements ( something/someone that is compared + the preposition + something/someone that is the element on the left is compared with ). The element on the right is constant, the element on the left varies from one type of the construction to another. The following types of the constructions are distinguished: 1) А вроде (vrode) В ( пройдохи вроде моей соседки ), 2) Х вроде (vrode) В ( что-то вроде куклы ), 3) А (это (eto)) V f (X) вроде (vrode) В («простой объект» - это нечто вроде элементарнойчастицы ), 4) Praed вроде (vrode) В ( звучит вроде набатногоколокола ). Some cases of specific speech usage of the constructions are analysed (namely as means of hesitation and search for the right words). Variants of units that can potentially fill A, B and X positions, as well as special conditions for filling the positions are presented. Finally, the construction что-то вроде того/этого (chto-to vrode togo/etogo) is discussed. It belongs to the “X вроде (vrode) B” type, however, having its own distinguishing features it may be considered as an independent structure.