[B-Greek] Passive Imperative

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at ioa.com
Mon Aug 15 12:12:18 EDT 2005


On Aug 15, 2005, at 9:59 AM, Mitch Larramore wrote:

>
> Dr. Conrad:
>
> You said...
>
>
>> The
>> truth is that the "passive" forms in -QHN were in
>> the process of
>> supplanting the older forms in -MHN and that the
>> same semantic
>> ambivalence attached to the -QHN forms as does to
>> the MAI KTL. forms.
>>
>
> I feel reasonably certain I am misunderstanding you.
>
> Are you saying that the older SAMHN, SW, SATO...
> Aorist Middle forms were being replaced by the more
> recent QHN, QHS, QH forms?

Yes, I am. That is precisely what the 213 forms of APEKRIQHN KTL in  
the GNT over the 7 forms of APEKRINAMHN KTL means/

> If so, I seem to recall
> your indicating that these SAMHN, SW, SATO forms were
> semantically Middle (not Passive). Hence my confusion.
> Why would an exclusively Middle conjugation give way
> to a Middle-Passive conjugation?

I would not and don't think that I ever did say that the -SAMHN KTL  
forms were exclusively middle. The forms with MAI/SAI/TAI;MHN/SO/TO  
are essentially ambivalent and capable of bearing either middle or  
passive semantic force. Whether a particular verb with a -SAMHN form  
happens to be middle depends very much on its Aktionsart. A  
transitive causative verb with a -MHN aorist form will be middle and  
take a direct object, e.g. EHGRAYATO TON SWKRATH ASEBEIAS, "he got an  
indictment drawn up against Socrates for impiety." Now that  
construction can be converted into a passive with a QH form: EGRAFQH  
hO SWKRATHS ASEBEIAS "Socrates was indicted on a charge of impiety."  
There is no exclusively mddle conjugation.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad2 at mac.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/




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