Greek Prepositions: From Antiquity to the Present

362 Pages·2010·3.53 MB·English

by  Pietro Bortone

Greek Prepositions
for Sandra
Greek Prepositions
from Antiquity to
the Present
PIETRO BORTONE
1
3
GreatClarendonStreet,OxfordOX26DP
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Contents
Acknowledgements vi
Foreword vii
Part I. Background to Greek prepositions 1
1 Onthefunctionofprepositions 3
1.1 Prepositionsandrelateditems 3
1.2 Prepositionsandpostpositions 4
1.3 Adpositionsandcases 6
1.4 Adpositionswithcases 16
1.5 Prepositionsandcasesassynsemanticexpressions 20
1.6 Compoundprepositions 25
1.7 Thestructureofprepositionalphrases 27
2 Onthemeaningofprepositions 33
2.1 Themeaning(lessness)ofcases 33
2.2 Themeaning(lessness)ofprepositions 35
2.3 Thepolysemyofcasesandprepositions 41
2.4 Contiguityofmeanings 43
2.5 Theroleofspatialmeanings 47
2.6 Languageacquisitionanddevelopment 53
2.7 Temporalandothermeanings 57
2.8 Examplesofspatialmetaphors 62
2.9 Explaining polysemy 71
2.10 Parallelanddifferentmetaphorizations 75
2.11 Additionalfactorsaffecting prepositionalmeaning 78
2.12 Theexsilentioargumentforspatialprimacy 81
2.13 Thedirectionofsemanticchange 82
2.14 Doesdiachronycorroboratethelocalistichypothesis? 84
3 Onthedevelopmentofprepositions 86
3.1 Casesandadpositions 86
3.2 Sourcesforprepositions 89
3.3 Nounsasasourceforadpositions 93
3.4 Typesofnounsthatbecomeadpositions 101
vi Contents
3.4.1 Partsofthebody 101
3.4.2 Environmentalterms 102
3.4.3 Objectparts 104
Part II. The history of Greek prepositions 107
4 PrepositionsandcasesinAncientGreek 109
4.1 Greekinthisstudy 109
4.2 TheClassicalGreekcasesystem 110
4.3 TheprepositionalsyntagmsofClassicalGreek 115
4.4 Thedifferencesfromprefixes 119
4.5 TheextentofprepositionaluseinClassicalGreek 121
4.6 Pre-Classicalinsights:theGreekofHomer 123
4.7 CaseusageinHomer 124
4.7.1 Accusative 124
4.7.2 Genitive 125
4.7.3 Dative 128
4.7.4 Adverbialcases 128
4.7.5 The-çØcase 130
4.8 TheClassicalGreekprepositionsinHomer 131
4.8.1 Inventory 131
4.8.2 Government 131
4.8.3 Compounding 131
4.8.4 Meaning 132
4.9 ThesyntaxofGreekadpositionsinHomer 133
4.10 BeforeHomer 140
4.11 MainsynchroniccharacteristicsoftheAncientGreeksystem 143
4.11.1 ThechoiceofcaseinPPsdependedonthesemantics
ofthecase 143
4.11.2 Many prepositionsshowsynonymy-especially in
non-spatialsenses 147
4.11.3 Someprepositionscanbefollowedby[P+case]instead
ofjustcase 149
4.11.4 Prepositionswithsimilarspatialsenseareoftenalike
inothermeanings 150
4.12 MaindiachronictrendsoftheAncientGreeksystem 153
4.12.1 Fromprehistorictimes,casesshowatendency tomerge 153
4.12.2 Furthermore,thedativeappearstobeonthewane 154
Contents vii
4.12.3 Theuseofotherplainobliquecasesforspatialrelation
decreases 155
4.12.4 Theuseofallplainobliquecasesalsodecreases
inverbphrases 155
4.12.5 Thesemanticdifferencesbetweencasesusedaftera
prepositionarelost 156
4.12.6 Moreadverbsdevelopprepositionaluse 160
4.12.7 Finesemanticdifferencesbetweenmany pairs
ofspatialprepositionsfade 160
4.12.8 Ablativemeaningsshowparticular weakness 165
4.13 Contrastingthesemanticsofsynonymous“proper”prepositions 166
4.14 Contrastingthesemanticsof“proper”and“improper”synonyms 169
5 PrepositionsandcasesinHellenisticGreek 171
5.1 LateAncientGreek:theKoine´ anditsproblems 171
5.2 TheplausibilityofBiblicalGreek 173
5.3 TheinfluenceofBiblicalGreek 175
5.4 PrepositionalandcaseusageinBiblicalGreek 177
5.4.1 Thereisavisibleincreaseinprepositionaluse 179
5.4.2 Thereisamarkedincreaseintheuseofthe“improper”
prepositions 180
5.4.3 Thereisareductionintheuseofthedative 181
5.4.4 Thenumberofcasesgovernedby prepositionstends
tobereduced 183
5.4.5 Themeaningofthecasegovernedbyaprepositionfades 183
5.4.6 Itbecomesclear thatsomeprepositionsarefallingout
ofuse 184
5.4.7 Thereareafew new(“improper”)prepositions 187
5.4.8 Manysuch“newer”prepositionsseemtobeusedonly
inalocalsense 188
5.4.9 Thereareimproperprepositionsthatarecombinedwith
asimplexpreposition,andthenfollowedby plaincase 191
5.4.10 DevelopmentsseenintheKoine´ arenotalwaysinline
withlaterGreek 192
5.5 SynopsisoftrendsintheKoine´ 194
6 PrepositionsandcasesinMedievalGreek 195
6.1 ProblemswithMedievalGreek 195
viii Contents
6.2 ThechoiceofMedievalGreektexts 197
6.3 Thecasesandtheirrecession 202
6.4 Therevolutionincasegovernment 203
6.5 Medievalprepositionalusage 205
6.6 Oneadditiontotheinventory—ornot 206
6.7 Generalobservations 208
6.8 Semanticmergers 208
6.8.1 K! "æ#$ accusative K"% &N$ 209
¼ þ ¼ ¼
6.8.2 KΠgenitive "r#B genitive I"# genitive
þ ¼ þ ¼ þ
( "Ær’ genitive) 210
¼ þ
6.9 Phoneticmergers 212
6.10 Lossesandbirthsamongstthenew 214
6.11 Soundchanges 215
6.12 Parallelsinneighbouring languagesandtheirpossibleinfluence 215
6.13 Thecompoundingofprepositions 218
6.14 Whichcombinationsarecompounds? 221
6.15 The“improper”prepositionsinMedievalGreek 222
6.16 Theexceptions 225
6.17 TheolderprepositionsinMedievalGreek 227
6.17.1 GroupÆ 231
6.17.2 Group( 232
6.17.3 Groupª 233
6.17.4 Summary 234
6.18 Somethingnew intheold 235
7 PrepositionsandcasesinModernGreek 238
7.1 ProblemswithModernGreek 238
7.2 Troublewiththeneighbours 240
7.3 CasesinModernGreek 245
7.4 TheModernGreekprepositionalinventory 254
7.5 Thecompoundprepositionstoday 264
7.6 Compoundprepositionsallowingasinglecombination 267
7.7 Compoundprepositionswithcontrastivecombinations 272
7.8 Semanticinnovationsinthecompoundprepositions 278
7.8.1 I")!Æ!*Ø 278
7.8.2 I!’+&,Æ 279
7.8.3 ª-æfiø 279
7.8.4 K!’!*ØÆ 279
Contents ix
7.8.5 ./ø 279
7.8.6 KŒ*#$ 280
7.8.7 Œ’*ø 280
7.8.8 Œ0!*’ 280
7.8.9 +ÆÇ% 281
7.8.10 +ÆŒæØ’ 281
7.8.11 +),Æ 281
7.8.12 +"æ0,*’ 282
7.8.13 "’!ø 282
7.8.14 Discussion 282
7.9 Today’susageofthesimplexprepositions 283
7.9.1 I"# 284
7.9.2 ,) 285
7.9.3 ªØ’ 285
7.9.4 +) 286
7.9.5 "æ%! 287
7.9.6 ,’! 287
7.9.7 åøæ%$ 288
7.9.8 ‰$ 288
7.9.9 ŒÆ*’ 288
7.10 Simplexprepositionsrevivedproductivelybypurism 289
7.10.1 I!*% 290
7.10.2 +&*’ 290
7.10.3 +)åæØ 291
7.10.4 "Ææ’ 291
7.10.5 "æ#$ 292
7.11 Simplexprepositionsrevivedlessproductivelyby purism 292
7.11.1 K"% genitive‘duringthegovernment/ruleof’ 292
þ
7.11.2 ŒÆ*’ accusative 293
þ
7.11.3 ŒÆ*a *c1Ø’æŒ&ØÆ( genitive) 293
þ
7.11.4 I!’ 294
7.11.5 &N$(inthisform,notas,)) 294
7.11.6 KΠ295
7.11.7 K! 295
7.11.8 K!Æ!*%0! 296
7.11.9 K"% 296
7.11.10 ŒÆ*’ genitive 297
þ
7.11.11 "&æ% 297