Two Studies in the Semantics of the Verb in Classical Greek

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The first part of this volume offers an analysis of the use and distribution of the perfect in the classical period of ancient Greek, based on the "complete" relevant material in Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides (tragic poetry), Aristophanes (comic poetry), Thucydides, Xenophon's "Anabasis" (historical prose), Lysias (rhetorical prose) and Xenophon's "Opuscula" (various prose types). The material is made accessible by several indices. In the second part insights gained in the field of discourse analysis are applied to the description of the contrast between aorist and present verb forms. The author has endeavoured to provide an explicit account of the actual functioning of these verb forms "in their contexts," Special care has been given to reducing technical jargon in the interest of those who feel themselves classicists rather than professional linguists. TWO STUDIES IN THE SEMANTICS OF THE VERB IN CLASSICAL GREEK CONTENTS PART I ASPECT CHOICE TIME REFERENCE OR DISCOURSE FUNCTION? Preface Purpose and Plan 1. HETTRICH's 'RULE' l.l. Subclauses with aorist forms 1.2. Subclauses with imperfect forms 1.3. Aorist participles 1.4. Present participles 1.5. Ambiguous instances? 1.6. Problematic Instances? 1.6.1. Instances with a negated verb 1.6.1.1. Negated present stem verb forms 1.6.1.2. Negated aorist verb forms 1.6.1.3. 'Assimilation'? 1.6.2. 'Ambiguous' verbs? 1.6.2.1. Verba dicendi 1.6.2.2. Special cases? 1.7. Summary 1.7.1. Hettrich's 'rule' reconsidered 1.7.2. Subclauses 1. 7 .2.1. Some observations on the semantics of ὡςἐπεί(τε) and ἐπειδή 1.7.2.2. Refuting states of affairs and connecting information units 1.7.3. Participial clauses 2. POSTPOSED SUBCLAUSES AND PARTICIPLES 2.1. Postposed aorist subclauses 2.2. Postposed imperfect subclauses 2.3. Summary 2.3.1. Postposed aorist subclauses 2.3.2. Postposed imperfect subclauses 2.4. Postposed aorist participles 2.5. Postposed present participles 2.6. The case of ἐλπίςων/ ἐλπίσας 2.6.1. ἐλπίςων/ ἐλπίσας: the case of Croesus 2.6.2. ἐλπίςων/ ἐλπίσας: remaining instances 2.6.2.1. ἐλπίςων: preposed 2.6.2.2. ἐλπίςων: postposed 2.6.2.3. ἐλπίσας: preposed 2.6.2.4. ἐλπίσας: postposed 2.6.3. Summary 3. PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION 3.1. The discourse function of the contrast AS versus PS 3.2. Time relationship? 3.3. PS and 'point of view 3.3.1. Subclauses 3.3.2. Participles 4. A BASIC VALUE FOR AS VERSUS PS 4.1. Focusfunction 4.2. Focus function and syntactic 'level' 4.2.1. Focus function of clause constituents and AS vs. PS 4.2.2. Aspect choice and reference 4.2.2.1. The 'Imperfect of endeavor' 4.2.2.2. 'Ingressive' Aorist? 5. URGER STRETCHES OF NARRATIVE 5.1. Periander and Lycophron 5.1.2. 'Historical Present 5.1.2. Aorist main verbs 5.1.3. Imperfect main verbs 5.1.4. Preposed Aorist subordinate clauses 5.1.5. The complete story 5.2. Gyges and the wife of Candaules 5.2.1. 'Historical Present' 5.2.2. Aorist main verbs 5.2.3. Preposed Aorist subordinate clauses 5.2.4. Imperfect main verbs 5.2.5. Summary 5.3. Thucydides: Harmodius and Aristogeiton 5.3.1. Summary 6. FINAL CONCLUSION 6.1. Final conclusion illustrated 7. OBSERVATIONS ON OTHER CONSTRUCTION TYPES 7.1. 'Dynamic' Infinitive 7.1.1. 'Geography' etc 7.1.2. 'Ability' 7 .1.3. 'Effect'/ 'Hinder' PART II THE SYNTHETIC PERFECT IN CLASSICAL GREEK Preface Note on terminology 1. THE PROBLEM 1.1. The so-called perfectum intensivum 1.2. Perfect and tense 1.3. 'Parfait resultatif' 2. PERFECT AND MIDDLE VOICE 2.1. Semantic value of the Middle Voice 2.2. Basic semantic value of the Perfect 3. TYPES OF SrruATION 3.1. State 3.2. Position 3.3. Process 3.4. Action 3.4.1. 'Resultative' Perfect? 4. DIFFERENf TYPES OF PERFECT? 4.1. Perfect of current relevance 4.2. Perfect of persistent situation 4.3. 'Emploi totalisant-iteratif' 4.4. Verbs referring to different types of Situation 4.4.1. ἀϰούω 4.4.2. φϱοτίζω 4.5. Past Situations? 4.5. Past Situations? 4.6. Summary 5. PRooucTIVITY, UsE AND DISTRIBUTION OF DIFFERENr CATEGORIES OF PERFECT 5.1. The morphological diversity of the Perfect 5.1.1 . Morphologically active Perfect with middle Present 5.2. Productivity of different types of Perfect 5.2.1. State 5.2.2. Position 5.2.3. Process 5.2.4. Action 5.3. Postscript 6. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE PERFECT FORMS Aeschylus Sophocles Euripides Aristophanes Thucydides Lysias Xenophon (Opuscula) 7.INDEX OF PERFECT FORMS Aeschylus Sophocles Euripides Aristophanes Thucydides Lysias Xenophon (Opuscula) Selected Bibliography Index loco rum