[B-Greek] Thrax: XRONOI KAI OPSEIS
R Yochanan Bitan Buth
ybitan at mscc.huji.ac.il
Sun Aug 7 06:25:15 EDT 2005
PRWTON, EUXARISTW TW KARLW UPER TOU TOPOY
http://www.fh-augsburg.de/~harsch/graeca/Chronologia/S_ante02/DionysiosThrax/dio_tech.html
On Anglicizing this quote I would offer some differences. It is important to interpret within potential Greek structures. Note how Dionysios himself puts PARAKEIMENON in the past and groups PARAKEIMENON with UPERSUNTELIKON. The resulting correspondences with English, approximate as always when comparing vocabulary in two languages:
> CRONOI TREIS ENESTWS, PARELHLUQWS, MELLWN. TOUTWN hO
> PARELHLUQWS ECEI DIAFORAS TESSARAS, PARATATIKON,
> PARAKEIMENON, hUPERSUNTELIKON, AORISTON, hWN SUGGENEIA
> TREIS, ENESTWTOS PROS PARATATIKON, PARAKEIMENOU PROS
> hUPERSUNTELIKON, AORISTOU PROS MELLONTA
XRONOI TREIS three tenses
ENESTWS present
PARELHLUQWS past
MELLWN future
Of these the past O PARELHUQWS has four distinctions
PARATATIKON imperfect (extending),
PARAKEIMENON perfect (remaining present, that is, a 'present past')
UPERSUNTELIKON pluperfect (hypercomplete)
AORISTON past (none of the above,
not defined [by the others], that is, a simple past)
Of which 'family' has three (systemic congruencies):
ENESTWTOS PROS PARATATIKON present with imperfective
PARAKEIMENOU PROS hUPERSUNTELIKON perfect with pluperfect
AORISTOU PROS MELLONTA past with future
It was unfortunate for the future of western linguistics that a category of OPSIS 'viewpoint, aspect' was not defined (it was listed, though under an undefined category 'family').
Allow me to add or METAGRAPSAI TA TOU DIONISIOU RHMATA:
WN DE KAI OPSIS TREIS, PARATATIKHN, PARAKEIMENHN, AORISTHN
Of which aspect also has three distinctions
PARATATIKHN imperfective (extending)
PARAKEIMENHN perfect (remaining present)
AORISTHN simple/default (none of the above, modern 'perfective')
It should be noted that this aspect category corresponds exactly with what Dionysios' calls "family".
The PARATATIKH OPSIS would correspond to Dionysios' Present and imperfect indicative tenses,
the PARAKEIMENH would correspond to Dionysios' Perfect and Pluperfect, and the AORISTH would correspond to Dionysios' simple past and future.
Note how this proposed name 'H OPSIS' Η ΟΨΙΣ is feminine and provides a distinction between past-imperfective indicative time PARATATIKOS and the imperfective aspect system PARATATIKH. Similarly for simple past (aorist) time AORISTOS and simple aspect AORISTH. We have adopted this vocabulary for simplicity and clarity when speaking about Greek grammar in our little 'Greek' club discussions. Incidently, Dionysios' 'family' was also feminine.
On the question of 'voice' DIAQESIS, I agree with Carl that the use of non-middle morphology to explain a middle is remarkable, grouping PEPHGA DIEFQORA EPOIHSAMHN EGRAYAMHN:
> DIAQESEIS EISI TREIS, ENERGEIA, PAQOS, MESOTHS..
> ENERGEIA MEN hOION TUPTW, PAQOS DE hOION TUPTOMAI,
> MESOTHS DE hH POTE MEN ENERGEIAN POTE DE PAQOS
> PARISTASA, hOION PEPHGA DIEFQORA EPOIHSAMHN EGRAYAMHN
However, it does point in the direction of internal Greek feel for the 'middle' distinction.
Unicode of the above: χρόνοι τρεῖς, ἐνεστώς, παρεληλυθώς, μέλλων. τούτων ὁ παρεληλυθὼς ἔχει διαφορὰς τέσσαρας, παρατατικόν, παρακείμενον, ὑπερσυντέλικον, ἀόριστον· ὧν συγγένεια τρεῖς, ἐνεστῶτος πρὸς παρατατικόν, παρακειμένου πρὸς ὑπερσυντέλικον, ἀορίστου πρὸς μέλλοντα
And
διαθέσεις εἰσὶ τρεῖς, ἐνέργεια, πάθος, μεσότης· ἐνέργεια μὲν οἷον τύπτω, πάθος δὲ οἷον τύπτομαι, μεσότης δὲ ἡ ποτὲ μὲν ἐνέργειαν ποτὲ δὲ πάθος παριστᾶσα, οἷον πέπηγα διέφθορα ἐποιησάμην ἐγραψάμην
and unicode of my parphrase/addition to Dionysios:
ὧν ὄψις τρεῖς, παρατατικήν, παρακειμένην, καὶ ἀορίστην.
ERRWSQE
Randall Buth, PhD
Director, Biblical Language Center
www.biblicalulpan.org
and Director, Biblical Studies in Israel
Hebrew University, Rothberg International School
ybitan at mscc.huji.ac.il
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