Raising constructions in Russian [Конструкции подъема в русском языке]

All Russian constructions with infinitival complements can be explained in terms of two reordering mechanisms ― syntactic control versus raising. Canonic raising predicates license narrow scope readings and lack matrix clause restrictions displayed by control predicates, notably, the animacy condition. Most raising operators are realized in Russian as complex non-verbal predicates: their heads exhibit several non-trivial morphosyntactic and semantic features. In Russian small clauses, raising is attested in its most regular form. With verbs taking sentential complements, the assignment of the predicative instrumental to the small clause nominal / adjectival / participial predicate is conditioned by raising of its subject into the matrix clause. A parallel is furnished by a sub-normative construction rooted in a dialect of XIX-XXI century Russian grammar: the speakers of this dialect license the predicative instrumental case assigned by raised sentential arguments.