Pir goroj i piva rekoj : Binominal Constructions with N2 in the Instrumental Case in Russian

This paper examines Russian [N₁ N₂.ins] constructions such as dožd’ stenoj, lit. ‘rain [falling] like a wall’ (i.e. ‘torrential rain’), where the instrumental noun maps metaphorical manner meanings onto N₁. Unlike genitive binominals such as stena doždja ‘a wall of rain’, where N₁ acts as a classifier, the instrumental pattern encodes manner-based similitude via implicit predicates. The study identifies a lexicalization gradient from productive uses to fixed idioms and compares these constructions with Italian counterparts to highlight cross-linguistic syntactic differences and similarities. Ultimately, the research shows how meaning is constructionally mediated through specific syntactic configurations.