Genesis and Evolution of Belorussian Jambic Verse

The paper describes the birth and the evolution of the Belorussian iambic tetrameter: a study of various views on its origin is being conducted; computer methods and probabilistic models are used for the first time, an extensive study of its rhythm in comparison with Russian verse is carried out. As a result, it is found that the early Belorussian iambic tetrameter experienced a noticeable influence of the Russian iambic tetrameter, obviously, having adopted the principle of alternation of weak and strong positions. However, by the middle of the century, the structure of the Belorussian iambic tetrameter changes greatly and the process of its evolution goes its own way: the rhythm of the verse develops according to the internal laws of the national poetic system, gradually approaching the indicators of the language model. Belorussian iambic forms its own principles of interaction between meter and language: stable patterns of re-accentuation appear, compared with Russian verse, the degree of variation in the implementation of meter increases significantly.