The Properties of Visual Perception Verbs in the Erzya Language in the Aspect of A. Viberg's Typological Model

Introduction. Verbs of visual perception occupy a special place in the lexical system of any language, as they reflect the way people conceptualize the surrounding world through the visual channel of perception. The study of such verbs makes it possible not only to identify the specific features of a language’s worldview but also to trace the patterns of development of lexical-semantic groups within a particular language. The aim of this study is to identify and systematize the semantic characteristics of verbs of visual perception in the Erzya language within the framework of А. Viberg’s model. The relevance of the research stems from the lack of a systematic semantic and typological analysis of this lexical group in Erzya. Such an analysis makes it possible not only to describe the lexical-semantic field of visual perception verbs but also to test the universality of the proposed model. Furthermore, these verbs play a crucial role in shaping a language’s worldview, as vision is the dominant channel through which humans acquire information about the world around them.

Materials and Methods. This study focuses on verbs of visual perception in the Erzya language, identified through exhaustive sampling from Erzya lexicographic sources and national corpora. The research combines general scientific methods with specialized linguistic approaches, including structural-semantic, componential, contextual, and comparative analyses, to analyze the semantic properties of perception verbs within the framework of A. Viberg’s typological model.

Results and Discussion. The article analyzes the semantic characteristics of Erzya verbs that constitute the lexico-semantic field of visual modality. A corpus of visual perception verbs in the Erzya language was compiled using data from dictionaries and national corpora. The verbs were classified according to the semantic types of the proposed model, and subject-oriented and object-oriented lexemes were identified. In addition, the focus type of each group of verbal units in the language under study was determined. To achieve these objectives, the study employed a three-part classification of visual perception verbs, identified their fundamental semantic roles, and examined the correlations between focus type and the lexical-semantic properties of these verbs in the Erzya language.

Conclusion. This study provides the first systematic verification of A. Viberg’s three-part typological model based on data from the Erzya language. The results confirm the cross-linguistic validity of the distinction between subject-oriented and object-oriented focus, as well as between controlled and uncontrolled perception at the lexico-semantic level. As in the majority of the world’s languages, visual perception verbs in Erzya are clearly divided into the two main focus types, with further semantic differentiation within each group. The findings contribute to the typology of perceptual lexicon and offer promising directions for future comparative studies of both Finno-Ugric and Indo-European languages.