JESZCZE O CZASOWNIKU WIERZY, ŻE
More about the Verb wierzy, że (he believes that)

Summary/Abstract: The author resumes M. Danielewiczowa's and his own reflections on the verb whose Russian form (described in their 2004 article) is verit čto and whose Polish form (described in Danielewiczowa 2002) is wierzy, że. He proposes a partial revision of their earlier explanation of how it comes about that sentences which in a way contrast with the presupposition adopted by the authors for the verb in question to the effect that the object state of affairs in 'belief' is deemed 'good' by the believer can, after all, be embedded under the verb, cf. (1) Karol wierzy, że tego, komu przebiegnie drogę czarny kot, spotka co złego. 'K. holds the belief that whoever meets a black cat on his way will face a mishap', (2) Karol wierzy, że Szatan istnieje. 'K. holds the belief that the Satan exists', (3) Diabeł wierzy, że Bóg istnieje. 'The devil holds the belief that God exists'. A detailed analysis of a sample of non-deviant occurrences of the verb leads the author to uphold the explanation turning on the idea of the positive value of knowledge which is enhanced in such sentences and to reject the alleged basis of the admissibility of sentences like (1) in the form of the imaginable prevalence of "lucky" outcomes in the kind of situation as illustrated with (1).

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