Derived imperfective verbs with the suffix -yva-/-iva in the Povest’ vremennykh let

The paper deals with imperfective verbs formed with the suffix -yva-/-iva- in the oldest Russian chronicle Povest’ vremennykh let (PVL), which contains different textual strata and therefore allows us to examine the question of whether these derivatives were present in the eleventh— early-twelfth centuries Kievan chronicles. Comparison of the oldest PVL copies shows that the imperfective verbs with the -yva-/-iva- suffix were already used in the initial part of the PVL (mid-11th century) and in the Nachalny svod (1090s), while early in the twelfth century when the PVL was compiled they became more frequent. In Vladimir Monomakh’s Homily, written in 1099–1101 but more colloquial than the PVL, they are as common as in the Kievian chronicle of the twelfth century, which proves that this pattern of imperfectivization was productive in Kiev already at the end of the eleventh century and its relative rarity in PVL should be attributed to the restraining influence of literary tradition.