[B-Greek] word order in Aesop

R Yochanan Bitan Buth ybitan at mscc.huji.ac.il
Wed Jun 22 04:22:15 EDT 2005


ANAGINWSKWN MUQON AISWPOU 

ENOMIZON AUTON PARADEIGMA KALON EINAI DIALOGWi . . .

While reading an Aesop fable I thought the following example might be of interest to those following the recent word discussions.

 

A dying farmer gives sly advice to his sons:

 

TEKNIA, EN MIA MOU TWN AMPELWN QHSAUROS APOKEITAI

Τεκνία, ἐν μιᾷ μου τῶν ἀμπέλων θησαυρὸς ἀπόκειται. 

CHILREN, IN ONE OF MY VINES A TREASURE LIES

 

The sentence is pretty much all ‘new’ information, since it begins the farmer’s discourse. Of course, the sons know that their father is a farmer with a vineyard and they might have hoped for an inheritance. In that sense there may be more than one possible way to read the line. 

 

However, a couple of items stand out:

1. the subject QHSAUROS may be considered the most salient part of the sentence. It is the lust for treasure and wealth that will drive the sons to plow the whole vineyard and thus learn the art of farming. The QHSAUROS must be considered new or surprising for the sons or else they would not have been tricked into digging up the field.

2. If point number one is true, then the fronting of ‘one of my vines’ is not Focus or the ‘most emphatic’ part of the sentence. It would serve as a marked Contextualization (a ‘Topic’ in common linguistic terms though not the topic/subject of the sentence).

3. As a corollary, a reader might highlight QHSAUROS with their voice.

 

Some have questioned a “nuanced reading of Greek word order with multiple functions” and they have preferred or quoted a simple ‘whatever is first [or last] is “emphasized”’ that is found in many printed sources. I would argue that continual reading in Greek leads to a different conclusion. I think the ‘whatever is first is emphasized’-comment that is often heard is misleading for beginning students. It is easy to quote but not a true reflection of reality. 

PS-I am not claiming that the above is the only possible order of pragmatic functions in Greek, just that it is a short example for discussion and one that has a Focus neither at the beginning nor the end.

 

You may read the Greek text at http://www.mythfolklore.net/aesopica/chambry/83.htm  I have quoted from version #2.

 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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