[B-Greek] Deictic Center
Delbert Flora
delbert.flora at hotmail.com
Wed Sep 12 16:08:30 EDT 2007
Ive tried to follow some threads in the archives on the deictic center (dc)
concept. I was wondering if the following is correct, and if so, is this
controversial or generally accepted even among traditional grammarians. By
'accepted' I don't mean that this is their preferred method of teaching it,
but that they would not disagree on linguistic grounds.
The dc is the state/event/action/person/place/etc. temporally positioned in
the passage and can be established in the past, present, or future, but is
generally the time of writing. The time (temporal) of writing would be the
default dc unless the writer positions the dc in the past or future.
Ive pick a passage in Mark 6.48 to ask my question.
KAI IDWN AUTOUS BASANIZOMENOUS EN TWi ELAUNEIN HN GAR hO ANEMOS ENANTIOS
AUTOIS PERI TETARTHN FULAKHN THS NUKTOS ERCETAI PROS AUTOUS PERIPATWN EPI
THS QALASSHS KAI HQELEN PARELQEIN AUTOUS
The dc is set up to be PERI TETARTHN FULAKHN THS NUKTOS. The present tense
ERCETAI is used since it would be present time or contemporaneous in
relation to this dc (fourth watch).
Im sure there are many other factors that can enter this discussion, but my
question is: do I understand the dc correctly in Mark 6.48?
And lastly, if we keep the dc as the time of writing, would this present
tense verb ERCETAI in Mark 6.46 then be called a historic present?
By all means please feel free to correct my understanding.
Kindly,
Delbert Flora
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