[B-Greek] accusative sing with plural adjective

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Wed Jul 16 19:52:09 EDT 2008


On Jul 16, 2008, at 7:44 PM, Elizabeth Kline wrote:

> Thank you Carl,
> On Jul 16, 2008, at 4:29 PM, Carl Conrad wrote:
>
>> Yes, Smyth does include these under an "accusative of
>> respect" (§§1600-1605) and in §1603 notes that "For the accusative
>> of respect the instrumental dative (§1516) is also implied, and also
>> the prepositions εἰς [EIS], κατά [KATA], πρός [PROS],
>> e.g. διαφέρειν ἀρετῇ [DIAFEREIN ARETHi] or εἰς
>> ἀρετήν [EIS ARETHN]." Smyth's next sections (§§1606-1611)
>> encompasses various types of "Adverbial Accusative," including
>> accusatives used as adverbs, accusative expressions of manner,
>> expressions of measure and degree, of motive, and of time and
>> succession.
>
> What exactly does he mean by the "instrumental dative (§1516) is also
> implied"? Is that Smyth's way of saying the accusative of respect can
> function like and the instrumental dative?

Let's make that "implied" into "employed." That should work a bit  
better.
>
>
>> I vividly recall Joshua Whatmough working through comparative
>> grammar ages ago and coming to the accusative, making the
>> pronouncement, something to the effect: "The accusative is the case
>> of the LIMIT, indicating just how far an action or assertion is
>> efficacious or meaningful" -- as if the "Inbegriff" of the sense of
>> the accusative case should find expression in the phrase "so far as
>> X."
>>
>> I don't see how the usage of THN TECNHN with SKHNOPOIOI should be
>> disturbing. Smyth (§1602) notes: "Very rarely after substantives:
>> χεῖρας αἰχμητής [CEIRAS AICMHTHS] a warrior valiant
>> with (thy) arm π 242, νεανίαι τὰς ὄψεις [NEANIAI
>> TAS OYEIS] youths by their appearance L. 10, 29."
>
>
> It isn't really disturbing, just a little blank space in my
> understanding of nouns and adjectives in the object slot with equative
> verbs.

"tentmakers so far as their trade."

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






More information about the B-Greek mailing list