[B-Greek] demonstrative pronouns

Elizabeth Kline kline-dekooning at earthlink.net
Mon Dec 12 14:53:47 EST 2005


On Dec 12, 2005, at 11:30 AM, Iver Larsen wrote:

> When demonstratives are used in their primary deictic sense of  
> pointing to an object, then the near and distant sense  applies.  
> However, more often than not they are used referentially rather  
> than for deixis, i.e. they refer back to the  previous context.  
> hOUTOS implies an emphasis and often a contrast, and it may refer  
> forward rather than backwards  (technically, it can be both  
> anaphoric and kataphoric). It is *this* as opposed to someone else  
> or something else.  EKEINOS is used for back reference to something  
> already known and referred to. If you want a rule of thumb, you may  
> say  that hOUTOS often refers to an emphatic *he*, whereas EKEINOS  
> often refers to an ordinary "he". Another aspect to remember is  
> that the pronoun AUTOS by default refers to the main or prominent  
> character in the  episode. In this verse the servants are the  
> prominent characters (unlike in 7:32 where the chief priests and  
> the  Pharisees are more prominent than the servants). The servants  
> occur in the prominent subject position in the beginning  of the  
> verse (some would call them topical), and the word AUTOIS also  
> precedes EKEINOI making AUTOIS relatively more  prominent. It is  
> then expected that AUTOIS refers to the prominent (topical)  
> servants. Therefore the EKEINOI needs to  refer to the other less  
> prominent participants mentioned.

A truly illuminating analysis. I have a question however. It sounds  
like the deictic and referential functions are mutually exclusive. It  
also sounds like the near and distant sense never applies when the  
demonstrative is referential. If this is the case the BDF (291.3) and  
Turner (Syntax p.46) have gone astray. They both talk about the near  
and distant sense in John 7:45 and it is clear that the pronouns are  
both referential.



Elizabeth Kline







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