The glass is standing, the plate is lying. This difficult Russian language

Many people believe that the Russian language is logical. But try to explain, for example, to a Frenchman why the glass is on the table, the fork is lying, and the bird is sitting on the tree...

For example, there is a table in front of us. There is a glass and a fork on the table. What are they doing? The glass is standing, but the fork is lying down. If we stick a fork into the tabletop, the fork will stand. That is, vertical objects stand and horizontal objects lie? Add a plate and a frying pan to the table. They seem to be horizontal, but they stand on the table.

Now put the plate in the frying pan. There it lies, but it was on the table. Maybe there are items ready for use? No, the fork was ready when it was lying there.

Now the cat climbs onto the table. She can stand, sit and lie down. If in terms of standing and lying down it somehow fits into the “vertical-horizontal” logic, then sitting is a new property.

She sits on her butt. Now a bird has landed on the table. She sits on the table, but sits on her legs, not on her butt. Although it seems like it should be standing. But she cannot stand at all. But if we kill the poor bird and make a stuffed animal, it will stand on the table...

It may seem that sitting is an attribute of a living thing, but the boot also sits on the foot, although it is not alive and does not have a butt. So, go and understand what is standing, what is lying down, and what is sitting.

And we are also surprised that foreigners consider our language difficult and compare it with Chinese.

One can derive a theory: that which is more vertical than horizontal - it stands; that which is more horizontal than vertical—it lies. But this theory immediately breaks down on the plate - it is more horizontal than vertical, but it stands. Although, if you turn it over, it will lie down.

Although if you put it in the sink, it will lie there, taking on a more vertical position than on the table. This suggests the conclusion that everything that is ready for use is worthwhile (at this point I would like to say vulgarity).

But let’s take another object - an ordinary children’s ball. It is neither horizontal nor vertical, but is completely ready for use. Who will say that there is a ball there in the corner?

If the ball does not act as a doll and is not punished, then it still lies there. And even if you move it to the table, then it will lie on the table (lo and behold!). Let's complicate the task - put the ball in the plate, and the plate in the frying pan. Now we still have the ball (in the plate), the frying pan is still standing (on the table), the question is, what does the plate do?

If the Frenchman listened to the explanation to the end, then that’s it - his world will never be the same. It now has plates and pans that can stand and lie down - the world has come to life!

The following observation about the Russian language is circulating on the Internet:

There is a table in front of us.

There is a glass and a fork on the table.
What are they doing? The glass is standing, but the fork is lying down.
If we stick a fork into the tabletop, the fork will stand. Those. Are vertical objects standing and horizontal objects lying?

Add a plate and a frying pan to the table.

They seem to be horizontal, but they stand on the table.
Now put the plate in the frying pan. There it lies, but it was on the table. Maybe there are items ready for use? No, the fork was ready when it was lying there.

Now the cat climbs onto the table.

She can stand, sit and lie down.
If in terms of standing and lying down it somehow fits into the “vertical-horizontal” logic, then sitting is a new property. She sits on her butt.

Now a bird has landed on the table.

She sits on the table, but sits on her legs, not on her butt. Although it seems like it should be standing. But she cannot stand at all. But if we kill the poor bird and make a stuffed animal, it will stand on the table.

It may seem that sitting is an attribute of a living thing, but the boot also sits on the foot, although it is not alive and does not have a butt. So, go and understand what is standing, what is lying down, and what is sitting.

And we are also surprised that foreigners consider our language difficult and compare it with Chinese.

I read it once or twice and finally decided to find the logic. Language can't be that messy. As they say, on these same Internets, the challenge has been accepted.

All the confusion can be explained using just a couple of assumptions:

1. Word usage depends on the class of the subject
2. The verbs “stand”, “sit” and “lie” have two different aspects, and now one or the other comes to the fore.

More specifically.

The first aspect is the position of the object in relation to the Earth's gravitational field - or more simply, to the surface on which it rests. That whose longest dimension is perpendicular to the surface of the planet stands, and that whose longest dimension lies is parallel.

The analogy is taken, of course, from the body of man, who is an upright primate.

The second aspect is also copied from a person, but in a different way. A person cannot stand for a long time, but if he stands, it is necessary because he is working. Standing is a working position. A person can lie down for a long time - and this is a state of rest. Or sitting for a long time is simply a fixed, stable state that is not associated with either work or rest.

And these verbs also have something in common - they are always verbs of a static state and never dynamic.

The rules, of course, are not very clear; they are more directions than roads. In doubtful cases, when several rules apply, one of them is chosen either arbitrarily or using the second aspect.

The classes of objects are: natural objects, artificial objects, humans, animals, plants, insects, fish, birds.

Now let's go through these classes and show how state verbs are applied to them.

1. Man
Well, everything is clear here, because it is the human condition that serves as a model for all other word usage

2. Natural objects
Natural objects always just lie there. Obviously, this reflects the fact that, under the influence of gravity, everything in nature falls equally to the ground and lies there without any meaning. Even tall stones lie there because they do nothing (a lying stone is the standard of laziness). There is snow, there are minerals. There is only one exception - water, but more on that at the very end.

3. Plants
Plants, if they are alive, just grow, that’s all. Sometimes in books they write something like “There was an oak tree at the edge of the road” - but this is an obvious metaphor, where the oak tree is simply compared to a person. In live speech this does not sound very natural.
Dead trees, of course, lie or, in rare cases, stand (charred trunks stood all around).

4. Animals
Animals either stand on their feet or lie down - completely by analogy with humans. Sometimes they can sit - but only if their posture resembles that of a human. For example, a horse stands or lies, but a dog or cat can sit - on the loin.
The only exception here is a cat, which can still sit with its front legs bent. If a horse does the same, then it definitely lies down, and if a cat does it, then it sits. Perhaps because for a cat this is a comfortable fixed position, but not lying down (a cat usually lies on its side, and a horse - on its belly).

5. Artificial objects
Artificial objects can stand, sit and lie down. They stand if they rise noticeably above the level of their surface OR if this is their working state (and not a ready state, as written in the text above). Therefore, there is a radio on the table, a floor lamp on the floor, and a plate on the table. If you put a plate (or even two) in a frying pan, then it can either stand there or lie there - both are equally applicable. If there is a stack of plates, then they just stand, even in a frying pan, because they rise above it.

But the fork lies on the table, because its presence on the table is not its working state, and at the same time it occupies a horizontal position.

The mattress lies on the bed - although this is its working state, it is characterized by extreme horizontality and general relaxation, since the mattress takes the shape of the surface. But the sofa, even the lowest one, is already standing.

The computer mouse is not tall. Is she standing or lying down? The tongue thinks that it is lying - because it is also passive, they drag it around the table as they want. But if we buy a mouse-shaped router of the same size and place it on the table, then it will stand there - because it works.

If we have a rectangular router that can have two positions, then they will be called “standing” and “lying”, because distinguishing them from each other is more important than emphasizing the working state (which is working in both cases).

And vice versa, if we have some object that is important for its work, then it will stand regardless of its physical position (“there is a gasket in the tap,” although in reality it lies there). The exception is wires that can only lie, they fall too passively.

If we place a round glass ball on the table, the ball is not in equilibrium, and we cannot even tell whether it is standing there or lying there. It's just "on the table." But if we attach a stand to it so that it does not roll away, and give it a purpose, then it will stand. "There was a globe on the teacher's desk." “There was a crystal ball-inkwell on the table.”

If the ball is on the floor or in a bag, then, of course, it lies there, since it will not go anywhere - it will remain on the floor or in the bag. The crystal ball also lies on the fortune teller’s table, because it is passive and does not work on its own.

If we lift a lying stone and set it up, then the stone, of course, will become an artificial object from a natural one and will receive a purpose. "There was a stone at the fork in the road."

And finally, about sitting. Since a person's sitting is a stable, comfortable state that can last a long time, then, by analogy, the sitting of objects is their fixed position, which they cannot leave. Therefore, the boot sits on the foot, the bolt sits on the nut, the bread sits in the oven and the serf sits on the ground (since this is no longer a person, but a talking tool).

6. Birds
In the same way, birds sit on a tree - because this is their stable, comfortable state. But since the bird is alive, the impossibility of leaving this state is not implied here. It is not as fixed as that of objects. Similarly, a bird sits in a nest and a cat sits on a tree.

If we take a tall, long-legged bird like a stork or an ostrich and put it on the table, then it will stand there - it stands up very much and its legs are clearly visible.

But little birds, whose legs are smaller than themselves, are sitting on the table (and in English, by the way, “rest”, that is, resting).

A stuffed bird is, of course, no longer a bird, but an object, so it stands or lies.

7. Insects
Insects do not stand or lie, but can sit, that is, occupy a comfortable position. The fly sits on the wall and even on the ceiling. A beetle sits on a flower. Only dead insects can lie, which after death turn into natural objects.

8. Pisces
In general, fish swim, but in some specific cases they can stand, sit and lie. The pike stands when it turns perpendicular to the bottom; the flounder lies on the bottom, passively hiding there; The moray eel sits in ambush, that is, it is there in a comfortable fixed position.

All three verbs, as I mentioned, imply a static state, so one of them - “stand” is used in another sense: as a rare static state of a usually moving object. In this case, the position of the object and even its class do not matter. "The train stops for three minutes." “The water is standing in the swamp,” “The air is standing in the room,” “Things are standing.”

This is approximately how things are in the Russian language. If someone knows a foreign language perfectly, then it would be interesting to compare word usage with other languages.

This difficult Russian language

There is a table in front of us. There is a glass and a fork on the table. What are they doing? The glass is standing, but the fork is lying down. If we stick a fork into the tabletop, the fork will stand. That is, vertical objects stand and horizontal objects lie?

Add a plate and a frying pan to the table. They seem to be horizontal, but they stand on the table. Now put the plate in the frying pan. There it lies, but it was on the table. Maybe there are items ready for use? No, the fork was ready when it was lying there.

Now the cat climbs onto the table. She can stand, sit and lie down. If in terms of standing and lying down it somehow fits into the “vertical-horizontal” logic, then sitting is a new property. She sits on her butt.

Now a bird has landed on the table. She sits on the table, but sits on her legs, not on her butt. Although it seems like it should be standing. But she cannot stand at all. But if we kill the poor bird and make a stuffed animal, it will stand on the table.

It may seem that sitting is an attribute of a living thing, but the boot also sits on the foot, although it is not alive and does not have a butt. So go and understand what is standing, what is lying down, and what is sitting.

And we are also surprised that foreigners consider our language difficult and compare it with Chinese.

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This difficult Russian language

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About Russian logic.

They say that the Russian language is extremely logical. For example, try to explain to a Frenchman why the glass is on the table, the fork is lying, and the bird is sitting on the tree.

With a glass and a fork, I immediately came up with a theory: that which is more vertical than horizontal – it stands; that which is more horizontal than vertical - it lies. My theory immediately crashed on the plate - it is more horizontal than vertical, but it stands. Although, if you turn it over, it will lie down. Another theory is immediately deduced on the fly: the plate stands because it has a base, it stands on a base. The theory immediately breaks into rubbish on a frying pan - it has no basis, but it still stands. Miracles. Although if you put it in the sink, it will lie there, taking on a more vertical position than on the table. This suggests the conclusion that everything that is ready for use is worthwhile (let’s just avoid vulgarities).

But let’s take another object - an ordinary children’s ball. It is neither horizontal nor vertical, but is completely ready for use. Who will say that there is a ball there in the corner? If the ball does not act as a doll and is not punished, then it still lies there. And even if you move it to the table, then it will lie on the table (lo and behold!). Let's complicate the task - put the ball in the plate, and the plate in the frying pan. Now we still have the ball (in the plate), the frying pan is still standing (on the table), the question is, what does the plate do?

If the Frenchman listened to the explanation to the end, then that’s it, his world will never be the same. It now contains plates and pans that can stand and lie down – the world has come to life. It remains to add that the birds are sitting with us. On a branch, on a windowsill and even on the sidewalk. The Frenchman will picture in his imagination a tit sitting on a branch at the fifth point and dangling its paws in the air, or a homeless crow sitting, with its paws outstretched and its wings outstretched, near a metro station.

“Russians – you are crazy!” - the Frenchman will say and throw a textbook at you.

If you think that the Universe sits and invents problems and illnesses for you, then you have delusions of grandeur... It simply realizes your thoughts.

In Brazil, they invented the “offline glass” - it cannot stand flat on the table unless you place a mobile phone under it.

This design was created so that people would devote more time to live communication with each other, rather than checking new messages or correspondence on social networks.

This difficult Russian language

There is a table in front of us. There is a glass and a fork on the table. What are they doing? The glass is standing, but the fork is lying down. If we stick a fork into the tabletop, the fork will stand. That is, vertical objects stand and horizontal objects lie? Add a plate and a frying pan to the table. They seem to be horizontal, but they stand on the table. Now put the plate in the frying pan. There it lies, but it was on the table. Maybe there are items ready for use? No, the fork was ready when it was lying there. Now the cat climbs onto the table. She can stand, sit and lie down. If in terms of standing and lying down it somehow fits into the “vertical-horizontal” logic, then sitting is a new property. She sits on her butt. Now a bird has landed on the table. She sits on the table, but sits on her legs, not on her butt. Although it seems like it should be standing. But she cannot stand at all. But if we kill the poor bird and make a stuffed animal, it will stand on the table. It may seem that sitting is an attribute of a living thing, but the boot also sits on the foot, although it is not alive and does not have a butt. So, go and understand what is standing, what is lying down, and what is sitting. And we are also surprised that foreigners consider our language difficult and compare it with Chinese.

This difficult Russian language

There is a table in front of us. There is a glass and a fork on the table. What are they doing? The glass is standing, but the fork is lying down. If we stick a fork into the tabletop, the fork will stand. That is, vertical objects stand and horizontal objects lie? Add a plate and a frying pan to the table. They seem to be horizontal, but they stand on the table. Now put the plate in the frying pan. There it lies, but it was on the table. Maybe there are items ready for use? No, the fork was ready when it was lying there. Now the cat climbs onto the table. She can stand, sit and lie down. If in terms of standing and lying down it somehow fits into the “vertical-horizontal” logic, then sitting is a new property. She sits on her butt. Now a bird has landed on the table. She sits on the table, but sits on her legs, not on her butt. Although it seems like it should be standing. But she cannot stand at all. But if we kill the poor bird and make a stuffed animal, it will stand on the table. It may seem that sitting is an attribute of a living thing, but the boot also sits on the foot, although it is not alive and does not have a butt. So, go and understand what is standing, what is lying down, and what is sitting. And we are also surprised that foreigners consider our language difficult and compare it with Chinese.