[B-Greek] What is it between you and I?

Elizabeth Kline kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Wed Jul 2 17:14:52 EDT 2008


On Jul 2, 2008, at 9:37 AM, Ben Crick wrote:

> GUNH is not a rude form of address;


Nor does it necessarily establish a social distance between the  
speaker and the person addressed. In Soph.OT Oedipus addresses Jocasta  
using W GUNAI (lines 642, 767, 964) and GUNAI alone (lines 700, 726,  
755, 800, 1054).

In Soph.EL line 769 we see the polite use of W GUNAI by Paedagogus in  
reference to a woman of high social position Klytemnestra, presumably  
a person with higher status the speaker. On the other hand Orestes  
addresses Electra with an imperative IQ' W GUNAI, (line 1106). Jebb's  
comment "As IQI was used in entreaty (OT 46) it is not, in itself,  
abrupt; but the tone of the direction implies ignorance of Electra's  
rank ...".

 From this and lots of other evidence, it appears that GUNAI doesn't  
imply anything about the relationship between or the relative social  
standing of the speaker and the person addressed.

JOHN 4:21 LEGEI AUTHi hO IHSOUS: PISTEUE MOI, GUNAI, hOTI ERCETAI hWRA  
hOTE OUTE EN TWi OREI TOUTWi OUTE EN hIEROSOLUMOIS PROSKUNHSETE TWi  
PATRI.


Elizabeth Kline







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