How to correctly: "hear the smell" or "feel"? On some subtleties of the Russian language

The Russian language has more than a thousand-year history. Some expressions that we, without hesitation, use in everyday life, at the initial examination may seem illogical or even strange. It is difficult for an alien studying Russian to explain why a fly sits on a wall, and a vase on a table stands. It's also difficult to remember how to properly say: put on a coat or dress, hear a smell or feel. Well, the phrase "yes no, wrong" and did become a classic example of Russian logic. In this article we are talking about how to say correctly: "the smell is heard or felt."

Not only the East, but also the language is a delicate matter

The task is rather complicated. It is clearly explained how to correctly say: "the smell is heard or felt," not every linguist can. Often, for the interpretation of the difficulties of the Russian, one must turn to dictionaries, reference books and even the material of other languages. In particular, many people ask themselves how, according to the rules of Russian - "smells hear or feel"?

Each nation has a definite picture of the world, which in one way or another is reflected in the system of symbols. But the system itself has internal laws and its own logic. Not only do we make language, but it also us.

To understand what is the difference between the expressions "hearing the smell or feeling," it is not necessary to immediately turn to dictionaries. It is easy to see that the verb "to hear" means more physical ability to perceive sounds, and the verb "to feel" reflects the state of mind.

We perceive the external world in a complex way, because our senses interact with each other. So, in painting there are cold and warm shades, in music - heavy melodies, etc. Because sometimes we figuratively say that we hear the smell, meaning by this the process of perception of this or that flavor.

Words, like people, may not fit together

The term "valence" is familiar to many people even from the school bench. So in chemistry, the ability of a molecule to bind to another molecule is called. But the language, despite the abundance of phrases and words that seemingly have no logic, is in fact a wisely organized system of signs.

In linguistics, the valency is called the possibility of a single token to be combined with other words. For example, we say "thin road", "thin path", but "thin person". Semantically, the word "subtle" is better combined with inanimate objects or parts of the body, but people do not speak about people in general. In the famous story of A. Chekhov, one of the friends is called thin, and not thin, because this character, unlike his "fat" friend, lost his individuality and honor, turned into a servile flatterer.

Chekhov used the epithet "subtle" on purpose, to make the narrative more emotional. But sometimes we make occasional mistakes, because in addition to the norms of the literary language, there is also spoken language, which often goes beyond the norm. Therefore, in order to understand how to correctly say, "I hear the smell or feel," you need to turn to the explanatory dictionary and the dictionary of the compatibility of the words of the Russian language. Well, the logic of constructing these phrases was mentioned above.

What dictionaries say

In the first half of the twentieth century. Both forms were absolutely equal - "to hear the smell" and "to smell". This can be verified by the DS dictionary. Ushakov.

However, from the mid-twentieth century. The system of language has changed somewhat and now the only correct general literary norm is the combination of "smell". It is in this form that this expression is represented in the dictionary of word compatibility, published in 1983 by the Russian Language Institute. A.S. Pushkin. At the moment this is one of the most authoritative publications of this kind.

Meanwhile, in a "lively" speech ...

Linguists are engaged in fixing, describing and justifying the literary norm. However, since 1983, almost 30 years have passed, and the language has changed somewhat, because it constantly and relentlessly develops. With the improvement of people's living standards, the perfumery industry is being perfected, new types of spirits are appearing, specialized shops are opening, etc.

As a result, we now see that the expression "hearing the smell" has not completely disappeared, but has migrated to the field of professional vocabulary. Perfumers do not think about whether you need to hear the smell or feel. After all, for them, spirits are a kind of music of the body, a special language of moods and desires.

Thus, if you do not know, hear or smell the perfume, then you can safely use both of these phrases in colloquial speech. In everyday communication, this will not be a mistake. True, in official documents, if they have to be compiled, a normalized combination should still be used. If it is an unpleasant smell, then in any case you need to use the verb "feel".

With what other verbs do the words "smell"

In addition to the word "feel" with lexemes "aroma", "smell", the following verbs are combined:

• absorb;
• be in love;
• have;
• Publish;
• Not tolerate;
• Do not transfer.

The smell itself can somewhere / from somewhere to reach or penetrate, and also to remind of something, to like or not like.

How to translate the expression "smell" in other languages

Interestingly, in European languages with the word "smell", too, the verb "feel" is used most often: fr. "Sentir", engl. "Feel". True, it should be noted here that if the English do not think about how to hear the smell or feel, there are other subtleties in their language. Remember even the famous song of Nirvana "Smells like teen spirit". After all, "smell" means literally "sniffing", perceiving it for smell. How would you translate this name into Russian ? A literal translation is impossible, is it not?

In Ukrainian there are the same variants of combinations as in Russian. Against the background of the normalized expression "vidchuvati smell" in colloquial speech and journalism, you can find the phrase "smell the smell" (literally "hear the smell").

Perhaps the tendency to perceive the fragrances of perfume as music is characteristic of many Slavic peoples.

Thus, an unequivocal answer to the question of how correctly: smell is heard or felt, does not exist. The official norm is the second option, but the first is acceptable in conversational and professional speech.