[B-Greek] Predicate as topic, word order Jc 5:17

Iver Larsen iver at larsen.dk
Tue Jun 28 12:50:02 EDT 2005


>
> Iver XAIREIN,
> I agree that one should not have 'Focus' as a part of the grammar
> for the end of a sentence in Greek. However, we still need to
> account for post verb order with more than "prominence to the
> left".

So, you are also assuming SVO as the default word order. In my
understanding, a semantically and contextually prominent verb comes first,
but a semantically weak or contextually somewhat predictable verb comes
later. I therefore prefer not to operate with a default order based on
mechanical statistics.

> I like your first example, though I think it contradicts
> your principle and proves the opposite.

Well, I don't think so. See below.

> Iver EGRAPSE
> >James 5:17c KAI OUK EBREXEN EPI THS GHS ENIAUTOUS TREIS [KAI MHNAS hEX]
> He [Levinsohn-RB] suggests without giving reasons that the "three
> years" is
> more focal than "on the earth", and that is why it is placed last.
> But why more focal? The important point is not how long the
> draught lasted,
> but that it indeed did not rain on the earth after Elijah had
> prayed for it
> not to rain. The placement is explained without problem by the general
> relative prominence principle. (I.e. the relatively more prominent
> constituent is placed towards the left).>
>
> I would have to agree with Levinsohn that 'on the earth' is much
> less salient than 'three years'. (Yes, I use a different word,
> 'salient', because I am not invoking a special Focus structure to
> move anything to the end.) As "proof", please delete the phrase
> 'on the earth' and reread. It still makes excellent sense. "It
> didn't rain for three years". 'on the earth' is what we can call
> highly assumed, even 'insipid' information. It is not "more
> prominent". At this point I would say that 'left prominence'
> mis-predicts. The time period is most naturally read as more
> salient than place.

Yes, in English, because "rain" is a very specific word in English. BRECW is
nowhere that specific in Greek. It basically means "to wet" with some liquid
or other substance. In the LXX it rarely refers to rain, and when it does,
it is either further specified by an object as in Gen 2:5 OU GAR EBREXEN hO
QEOS EPI THN GHN  or hUETON (rain) as in Joel 2:23 or with hUETON and EPI
POLIN in Amos 4:7. In a number of cases, what is coming down from heaven to
earth is "sulphur and fire" (Gen 19:25, Ezk 38:22), "thunder and hail" (Ex
9:23), "coals and fire" (Psa 10:6/7), "manna" (Psa 77/8:24), "birds" (Psa
77/8:27). At times a mountain is being wetted with blood as in Isa 34:3 or a
bed is wetted with tears as in Psa 6:6/7. IN the NT, it is also used of
tears (Luke 7:38,44).
Therefore, "on the earth" it is not nearly as predictable and redundant in
Greek as it is in English. Maybe James wanted the reader to think of Gen 2:5
where God caused it to "rain upon the earth"? After all, it is God who
caused it NOT to "rain upon the earth" when Elijah prayed.

>
> We are looking at a common process in languages. In Hebrew there
> is a 'quiet spot' after the verb and after the subject. For
> example vayyomer elav ha-melex "and-said to-him the king". The
> 'to him' is insipid, highly-assumed. The process happens alot,
> and while often with pronouns, it occasionally drops noun phrases
> into the 'quiet spot'. This is a subspecies of
> topicalization-to-the-left. It is a 'de-marking', lowering from
> normal salience status.  Please note, it is not a marked Topic
> [=contextualization] serving as a point of reference to the
> larger context. As soon as these 'quiet spots' are recognized,
> then what is called 'final-position  Focus' is actually unmarked
> though naturally salient. This is like the joke where an army
> commander asks for a volunteer and everyone takes a step
> backwards leaving the 'volunteer' standing in his original place.
> [[As for English "final Focus", there are actually two
> structures: (a) salient information that comes at the end (this
> is not FOCUS, even though last and someone may analyze as most
> salient part of the sentence) (b) salient information that comes
> at the end PLUS special intonation marking. That is a FOCUS
> structure and needs incorporation in an English grammar. However,
> this last intonational Focus structure can be used anywhere in an
> English sentence.]]

What happens in Hebrew and English is quite different from what happens in
Greek, as far as I can see. I am not suggesting that the principle I am
using would work for either Hebrew or English. Actually, English is almost
opposite. Danish is different again from both English and Greek.

Best wishes,
Iver Larsen





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