[B-Greek] Luke 10.34 KATEDHSEN formation

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Tue Apr 8 19:36:20 EDT 2008


On Apr 8, 2008, at 7:23 PM, Mitch Larramore wrote:

>
>
> KAI PROSELQWN KATEDHSEN TA TRAUMATA AUTOU EPICEWN
> ELAION KAI OINON EPIBIBASAS DE AUTON EPI TO IDION
> KTHNOS HGAGEN AUTON EIS PANDOCEION KAI EPEMELHQH AUTOU
>
> How do you get from KATADEW to KATEDHSEN? I'm assuming
> this is an Aor Act Indic, E - SE(N) added to KATA +
> DEW. KATA becomes KATE, and somehow DE + SE(N) becomes
> DHSE(N). Why the lengthening of E? Do all E's lengthen
> is such cases as this?
>
> And, why the N added to the end when a consonant
> follows (TA)?

Taking it apart, we have KAT(A) - E - DH-S-E-N

1. Contract verbs lengthen the stem vowel in all tense-systems outside  
the present system:
DEW/DHSW/EDHSA/DEDHKA/DEDHMAI/EDHQHN -- That accounts for the DH
2. -S- is aorist infix: aorist stem DHS(A)-
3. A of KATA prefix is elided before augment E: KATA + E --> KAT-E-
4. The movable nu (Nu ephelkustikon) is added to the short-E ending of  
the verb. It does fit euphonically with the following T. There is no  
rule governing when the movable nu is or is not added, although it is  
more often added when it assists euphony.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)






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