theos and ho theos'

GregStffrd at aol.com GregStffrd at aol.com
Fri Mar 2 09:43:20 EST 2001


In a message dated 03/01/2001 8:15:43 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
dixonps at juno.com writes:

<< In every case I was looking for the leading nuance of the noun and
 assumed it could be either definite, indefinite or qualitative, but only
 one of these.  I never considered that a predicate nominative would
 receive definite or indefiniteness emphasis simply by fronting it.  I
 would like to see that demonstrated. >>


Dear Paul:

I am aware of your statistics, having in hand a copy of your fine thesis. 
However, there is no evidence that I can see that supports your conclusions 
regarding qualitative nouns. There are opinions about what the context 
suggests or how a purely qualitative meaning for a particular term could fit 
into various contexts, but I see nothing that proves that a particular 
fronted PN does not retain its indefinite or definite semantic while the 
noun's qualities are highlighted.  

Also, I never said that the PN's indefiniteness or definiteness would be 
emphasized by fronting; I do not believe that, either. What I said was "the 
qualities of [indefinite or definite nouns] receive emphasis by means of 
fronting." I do not believe that any PNs somehow lose or do not convey an 
indefinite or definite semantic simply because they are fronted. 

I am more than willing, however, to consider with you and others who share an 
opinion different from my own, the grammatical evidence that leads you to 
your conclusion. 

Best regards,

Greg Stafford



More information about the B-Greek mailing list