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Dear Linguist,
The answer is "no" and "yes."
Your example sentences are interesting and I'll get to them shortly, but let's begin by briefly discussing the semantics of the always stressed, alternative prepositional case -у(ю) ending used with a limited number of masculine nouns. This suffix is called the
Locative II by some grammarians.
The
Locative II is employed in several set common expressions:
-
в (каком) году ~ "in (what) year"
- в (котором) часу ~ "at (what) hour"
- в виду ~ "in light (of)"
- (иметь) в виду ~ "to have in mind"
- (быть) на ладу ~ "(to be) in harmony/cahoots (with)"
- на (его) счету ~ "to (his) credit"
- в цвету ~ "in bloom"
- на ходу ~ "in motion"
- в большом ходу ~ "(item) in great demand," "sells quickly"
- на каждом шагу ~ "everywhere one turns"
Set expressions aside, the Locative II suffix is added to certain masculine nouns and proper names (Крым, Дон) in the prepositional case only when they appear in a context of location, that is, when they answer the Russian question где? ~ "where?" Thus, the term "locative."
When the questions о чем? ~ "about what" and, occasionally, в чем? ~ "for what?" are posed, the regular masculine prepositional suffix -e is used with the same nouns.Compare the following sentences:
- Он находился в чеченском плену и только недавно был освобожден.
He was in a Chechen prison and was only recently released.
- Сегодня вечером показывают репортаж об албанском плене на втором канале.
Tonight there's a report about an Albanian prison on channel 2.
- Политические страсти в Крыму накаляются с каждым днем.
Political passions in the Crimea intensify with each passing day.
- Как частное лицо, как писатель, он имеет право сказать свое слово о Крыме.
As a private citizen, as a writer, he has the right to give his opinion about the Crimea.
You'll notice that the notion of location (corresponding to the question где? ~ "where?") exists in sentences a. and c. where the Locative II -y(ю) suffix is employed. However, the regular -e prepositional suffix is used in sentences b. and d. when the same nouns are subjected to a different notion: о чем? ~ "about what?"
By the way, also note that unlike the Genitive II suffix which cannot be used with nouns modified by adjectives, Locative II phrases accept modifying adjectives: - в чеченском плену
- на каждом шагу
- в 1999ом году
* * *
This brings us to your question and your first example sentence:
- По оценкам самих японцев, потребность в российском лесе будет несколько меньше, чем североамериканского.
First of all, the noun лес in your sentence does not mean "woods/forest." Instead, it means "lumber/wood." Moreover, the phrase в российском лесе does not denote location, that is, it does not answer the question где? ~ "where?" Rather, the question it answers is потребность в чем? ~ "need/requirement for what?"
Thus the sentence translates:
- According to assessments made by the Japanese themselves, requirements for Russian lumber will be significantly less than for North American.
* * *
Turning to your second sentence:
-
В аэропорте "Пулково" (Санкт-Петербург) гостиницы нет.
- There is no hotel at the "Pulkovo" Airport (St. Petersburg).
Here one would indeed expect a Locative II suffix: the noun аэропорт, like its root noun порт, does take an -y ending when it is employed in a locational sense. However, while Russians are always consistent in using the Locative II -y suffix with the noun порт, they are not as consistent when it comes to аэропорт. Perhaps, because it is a relatively "new" word. Perhaps, because аэропорт is not monosyllabic - the nominative singular of most masculine nouns that take the Locative II suffix consists of only one syllable.
Be that as it may, the RLM actually did a search of Izvestiya using a lexical search engine and found 263 examples of the phrase в аэропорту and 6 examples of the phrase в аэропорте used in a locative context. In both instances, he found examples of sentences similar to yours:
- 11 июня в аэропорту "Чкаловский" был задержан транспортный Ил-76.
On June 11 a Il-76 transport plane was detained at the Chkalovsky Airport.
- В аэропорту Шереметьего-2 белорусских пилотов встретил официальный представитель.
An official representative met the Byelorussian pilots at the Sheremetevo-2 Airport.
- Авиационное топливо в аэропорте "Внуково" обходится в 200 долларов за тонну.
Aviation fuel at the Vnukovo Airport costs $200 a ton.
- Лернер был арестован в аэропорте имени Бен Гуриона на трапе самолета.
Lerner was arrested on a airplane boarding ramp at the Ben Gurion Airport.
* * *
Let's conclude our discussion by listing the most common masculine nouns that take a Locative II suffix. The nouns always occur in set phrases with the prepositions в or на. And remember: the -у(ю) suffix is always stressed! (Sorry, but the RLM doesn't have the fonts to mark stress.) Note that almost all of the listed nouns are monosyllabic:
лес ~ в лесу ~ "in the woods"
порт ~ в порту ~ "in the port"
аэропорт ~ в аэропорту ~ "at/in the airport"
сад ~ в саду ~ "in the yard"
детсад ~ в детсаду ~ "at/in the kindergarten"*
бой ~ в бою ~ "in battle"
тыл ~ в тылу ~ "in/at the rear"
полк ~ в полку ~ "in the regiment"
рот ~ во рту ~ "in (one's) mouth"
нос ~ в носу ~ "in (one's) nose"
бок ~ на боку ~ "on (one's) side"
лоб ~ на лбу ~ "on (one's) forehead"
лед ~ на льду ~ "on the ice"
берег ~ на берегу ~ "on the shore"
край ~ на краю ~ "on the edge"
мост ~ на мосту ~ "on the bridge"
пол ~ на полу ~ "on the floor"
пост ~ на посту ~ "on duty"
Also, how could we ever forget these place names?
Дон ~ на Дону ~ "in the Don (River region)"
Клин ~ в Клину ~ "in Klin" (Tchaikovsky once lived there!)
Крым ~ в Крыму ~ "in the Crimea" (now a part of Ukraine, so forget it!)
I hope I've answered your question and thanks for your letter.
Virtually yours, The RLM
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