GERMAN SOURCES OF “RUSSIAN GRAMMAR” BY M. V. LOMONOSOV: VERB TENSES SYSTEM

The aim of the article is to identify the sources of tense classification in “Russian Grammar” by M. V. Lo-monosov (1757). The relevance of the work is determined by the importance of “Russian Grammar” in further develop-ment of Russian grammar description. The novelty is the involvement of hitherto scarcely known sources. Lomono-sov in “Russian Grammar” identified several past tenses, including three plusquamperfecta. His classification partlywent back to “German Grammar” by M. Schwanwitz (1730), who was guided by “Die deutsche Grammatica... vonCharmyntes” (1713). Charmyntes developed a model for describing verb tenses, having suggested three plusquamper-fecta, the second and third ones expressed by the forms of the so-called “ perfect” (doppeltes Perfekt) and “doubleplusquamperfect” (doppeltes Plusquamperfekt). The article argues that the inclusion of double perfects in the paradigmwas an innovation of “Die deutsche Grammatica”. It is suggested that its author was influenced by the ideas of K. vonStieler and J. G. Schottel. It is pointed out that double perfect forms have been recorded in German since the secondhalf of the XIVth century, but grammarians of the XVIth and XVII th centuries advised to avoid them. The XVIIIth-century grammarians strongly condemned the use of double perfects. The traced chain of borrowings demonstrates the influence of German grammar on Russian one in the first half of the XVIIIth century. The conclusion is formulated about the significant role of “Die deutsche Grammatica” in the transfer of linguistic knowledge and its indirect influence on “Russian Grammar” by M. V. Lomonosov.