[B-Greek] Middle and Passive Voice

George F Somsel gfsomsel at yahoo.com
Sat Aug 26 15:51:18 EDT 2006


I would not say "sometimes" the agent and "sometimes" the patient; nor would I say "sometimes" the active or "sometimes" the passive -- possibly "the agent as well as the patient" due to the MEN . . . MEN (on the one hand . . . on the other hand).  Was the comment on the last line meant to be humorous? [hOION PEPHGA ** DIEFQORA ** ].
   
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James Tauber <jtauber at jtauber.com> wrote:
  Dionysios Thrax on Voice:


διαθέσεις εἰσὶ τρεῖς, ἐνέργεια, 
πάθος, μεσότης· ἐνέργεια μὲν οἷον 
τύπτω, πάθος δὲ οἷον τύπτομαι, 
μεσότης δὲ ἡ ποτὲ μὲν ἐνέργειαν 
ποτὲ δὲ πάθος παριστᾶσα, οἷον 
πέπηγα διέφθορα ἐποιησάμην 
ἐγραψάμην.

DIAQESEIS EISI TREIS, ENERGEIA, PAQOS, MESOTHS:
ENERGEIA MEN OI(ON TUPTW,
PAQOS DE OI(ON TUPTOMAI,
MESOTHS DE H( POTE MEN ENERGEIAN POTE DE PAQOS PARISTASA,
OI(ON PEPHGA DIEFQORA EPOIHSAMHN EGRAFAMHN.

It's easy to see how the Greek terms relate to our own words. Even 
the semantic role PATIENT is cognate with PAQOS.

Not surprisingly, Dionysios is concerned mostly (entirely?) with form 
and gives -W and -OMAI as the forms of the ACTIVE and PASSIVE.

Would it be correct to translate the penultimate line something like 
"The middle sometimes represents the active and sometimes the 
passive"? Or perhaps more insightfully "The middle sometimes 
represents the AGENT and sometimes the PATIENT".

Not quite sure what he means by the corrupted writing in the last line.

James Tauber
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george
gfsomsel
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