Question about prepositions and consonant clusters

[anima-maxima.livejournal.com]

Hello, everyone,

I was reading Tyutchev's poem "Dusk" today, and in one of the lines, I noticed that he used the phrase "во мне", or "in me". Now, I know that when you use the preposition в with another в or a ф, then you use "во" to avoid clusters of consonants. So do you use "во" with "мне" as well?

Thanks so much!

Comments

[oryx_and_crake]

Yes, that's pretty common: во мне, во время, во второй раз etc.

[anima-maxima.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

[krivoshey.livejournal.com]

Exactly so.

[anima-maxima.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[scolar.livejournal.com]

There are several more cases, such as "во тьме", "во льдах", "во рву". Also "во" can be used instead of "в" in same poetic/exaltic texts (e.g. "во дни сомнений"). Another possible use of "во" is to make a kind of folk stilization (e.g. "во широком поле").

[malim-praedari.livejournal.com]

However, there are words beginning with clusters of consonants that don't require "во": в степи, в пробке, в трактире.

[oryx_and_crake]

I wonder if there is a rule for that. Could it be that we use во if the next word starts with a voiced consonant (в, л, м) and we don't if it starts with an unvoiced one (с, п, т)? However I think it is possible to say "в дни".

[scolar.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's ruled by voiced/voiceless consonants: "в бревне", "в глазе", "в Днепропетровске", "в знании".

[malim-praedari.livejournal.com]

The closest I have so far found to the rule is the second half of this answer (http://www.gramota.ru/spravka/buro/29_210544) on Gramota.ru. The question was about the use of "c" vs. "co" but I think "в" and "во" in this case follow the same pattern.

Here's the rule in English: "в" becomes "во" before words that begin with [л, ль, р, м] + consonant. This does not cover "во тьме" but perhaps that's an exception? All the other examples given above seem to fit.

I should note that this applies to the preposition "во" in the meaning of "in". "Во" is also used in constructions like "во избежание" to mean "for the sake of" or "in order to" (e.g. "во избежание неприятностей" - "in order to avoid trouble"). That's a whole 'nother case.

[oryx_and_crake]

Found something at Rosenthal (p.9 here: http://www.evartist.narod.ru/text1/66.htm#%D0%B7_02)

[spiritrc.livejournal.com]

There is also a similar case with 'с/со'.

С другом; С молотком; С нашим Президентом
Со всеми своими друзьями; Со стамеской; Со льняным маслом

Additionally, there is 'под/подо' thing:

Под мостом. Под огнём. Под градом.
Подо всем этим хламом.