[B-Greek] -SK- verb suffix

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at ioa.com
Thu Sep 15 16:59:17 EDT 2005


On Sep 15, 2005, at 4:50 PM, Elizabeth Kline wrote:

>
> On Sep 15, 2005, at 11:50 AM, Carl W. Conrad wrote:
>
>
>> I would not assume that because Smyth cites it for Attic there was
>> any residual sense that such verbs are inchoative or inceptive. I'd
>> like to see some evidence that such a sense in Koine verbs was
>> recognized as such. On the other hand, it may be that the very fact
>> that the aorist stem of these verbs lacks the -SK- (as in Attic)
>> indicates that the clear differentiation of aspect between presents
>> and imperfects in GI(G)NWSK- and aorists in GNW- is something
>> speakers/writers were cognizant of.
>>
>
>
> An interesting point. The perfect also lacks -SK- ? On a time line
> from  Homer to Koine would we say that the semantic significance of -
> SK- is weakening or disappearing?

I would guess that's right. Yes, the perfect lacks the -SK-; in  
Homer, if I recall rightly,  we find the -SK- most commonly used with  
present stems, but it is occasionally used with aorist stems to give  
an iterative force to the verb -- rather like an imperfect.

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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