ИСТИНА

This paper discusses the relevance of the topicality feature for the syntax of non-canonic subject-like arguments in Russian. Russian canonic arguments include some types of dative noun phrases, quantifier phrases, sentential arguments, the expletive element eto and zero subjects with the role-and-reference properties of non-referential Agents. Canonic subjects case-marked with the nominative case can be used both in Russian active and passive clauses and get the communicative status of both theme and rheme. Non-canonic Russian subjects, except for the quantifier phrases, are almost exclusively used in the active clauses, where they usually have a fixed communicative status. Most types of Russian non-canonic subjects are associated with the communicative status of theme in their prototypical uses, while Russian quantifier phrases typically get the status of rheme. I argue that non-canonic arguments take the subject position according to some hierarchy of non-canonic subjects