Forgotten Accents

Richard Ghilardi qodeshlayhvh at juno.com
Fri Nov 15 10:13:16 EST 2002


<SLovullo at etcconnect.com> writes:
> 
> Richard:
> 
> I took a look at some different examples of OUK EIMI last night, but 
> it was
> getting pretty late, so I couldn't pursue it. What I did see, 
> however, is
> that OUK EIMI is accented both ways. I want to look at it a little 
> more
> closely when I get home today, but I do have an idea about the 
> difference in
> accenting. It seems to me that I remember reading that an enclitic 
> will hold
> its accent after a proclitic if the enclitic is emphasized. This 
> would make
> sense for examples of EIMI used in contrasts implied or explicit. 
> This is
> just a guess, though.
> 
> Steve Lo Vullo 
> 

Steven:

You are quite right. It was getting late for me too. I didn't read Smyth
closely enough. He writes in 187 << An enclitic retains its accent ( is
orthotone, [Enclitics, when they retain their accent, are called
orthotone. 181 N]): a. When it is emphatic, as in contrasts, and at the
beginning of a sentence or clause. >>

It is, of course, emphatically contrasted AND at the beginning of a
clause in Jn 3:28:
AUTOI hUMEIS MOI MARTUREITE hOTI EIPON [hOTI] **OUK EIMI\** EGW hO
CRISTOS, ALL' hOTI **APESTALME/NOS EIMI\** EMPROSQEN EKEINOU.

Notice that in the second instance of EIMI in this verse the accent is
orthotone NOT because EIMI is emphatic or at the beginning of its clause,
but simply because the regular rule for paroxytones followed by
dissyllabic enclitics is being followed. s s/ s e e/

I have looked at other examples of dissyllabic EINAI (ESTIN being
excepted, of course) only in Rm 8, which I am memorizing. Every instance
of orthotone EINAI there can be explained as either emphatic contrast or
following the rule of enclitics preceded by paroxytones.

Yours in His grace,

Richard Ghilardi -- qodeshlayhvh at juno.com
New Haven, CT USA




More information about the B-Greek mailing list