[B-Greek] Heb. 10:22 -- Perf. Pass. Ptcs & Accusatives

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Wed May 19 12:16:06 EDT 2004


At 7:01 AM -0700 5/19/04, Mitch Larramore wrote:
>I'll stay in over my head to ask another question. Can
>it be concluded that the MP form abstains from calling
>our attention to the subjects and agents but rather
>draws our attention to the actions/consequences of
>prior decisions? The focus is on the acts
>(consequences of decisions) not the actors (who makes
>the decisions). And then, if this is the case, asking
>the question "WHO DID what" is not a bonafide semantic
>question with the MP form. The question the MP form
>answers semantically is only "WHAT HAPPENED to whom."

I really need to do an update to my "New Observations," although I think
that my "Active, Middle, and Passive: Understanding Ancient Greek Voice"
is, I think, clear and accurate.

To answer your question as straightforwardly as possible, I think I'll say
this: The Middle-passive morphoparadigms (both MAI/SAI/TAI/MH/SO/TO and
-QH-) indicate that the subject of the verb is affected in one way or
another, whether as the direct recipient of action initiated by the subject
or as the experiencer or undergoer of a process self-initiated or
spontaneous or initated by an instrument or agent external to his/her/its
self. Any particular instance of the morphoparadigm may be interpreted as
intransitive or as passive, given the context, but I think it should be
realized that semantic passive meaning is not inherent in the form; rather
the form may convey a passive sense given the circumstances.
-- 

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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