[B-Greek] EGEIRW

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Wed Nov 19 21:46:23 EST 2003


At 7:25 PM -0600 11/19/03, Jeffrey B. Gibson wrote:
>"Carl W. Conrad" wrote:
>
>> It can, but unless there's a clear indication of an external factor
>> responsible, one ought to assume that HGERQH is intransitive. The simple
>> fact of the matter is that HGERQHN is middle-passive just exactly as
>> EGEIROMAI is. We've discussed the overlap between ANISTAMAI/EGEIROMAI and
>> the active counterparts ANISTHMI/EGEIRW several times on the list. This is
>> the verb that got me started originally on my explorations of
>> middle-passive and so-called "deponents."
>>
>
>So ... "he got himself up:?

No, but simply "he got up" or "he awoke." The sense need not be reflexive
and need not be transitive. It doesn't need to have a sense of conscious
and deliberate action. One "wakes up" or "gets up" in the morning
(EGEIRETAI) without conscious or deliberate intention, just as one breathes
in and out--although one CAN wake up because sunrays strike one's face or a
breeze blows across or because some person shouts that it's time to get up.
The _form_ HGERQH is simply the only aorist of EGEIROMAI as Middle-Passive.
One ought not to suppose (despite the fact that it is commonly taught) that
the -QH- infix is a bearer of essentially "passive" semantic force.
-- 

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/



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