[B-Greek] Use of TE solitarium

Elizabeth Kline kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Sat Nov 1 20:59:35 EDT 2008



> From: Scott Kennedy <dustiescott222755 at hotmail.com>
> Date: October 29, 2008 9:23:32 PM EDT
> To: Greek B <b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: Use of TE
>
>
> Although this is perhaps off subject, following up on the last post, I
> wondered how a person should properly use TE in Ancient Greek
> composition besides the obvious TE KAI construction such as DIA TAUTA
> hO EN THi POLEI ARCHHGOS APEPEMPSE TAS GUNAIKAS TE KAI TOUS PAIDOUS
> where it functions linking the objects together as opposed to TAS
> GUNAIKAS KAI TOUS PAIDOUS KAI TOUS ANDRAS. It's also used in the
> classic construction OIOS TE EIMI +INFINITIVE, but how does it
> function in constructions beyond these? What's the difference between
> it and a KAI?

A search for TE solitarium unearths two items from the archives:

Carl Conrad

http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/archives/96-03/0456.html

Paul O'Rear

http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/archives/96-03/0471.html

One feature that seems to fall out of several discussions of TE vs.  
KAI is the idea of "addition." G.Cooper (1:69.59.0, 2:69:70.0),  
P.O'Rear and S.Levinsohn:2000 [1]  all mention it.

Somewhat more interesting, in narrative a TE constituent may function  
as a lead in to the next development in the story (see P.O'Rear and  
S.Levinsohn p.108). Most of the NT examples cited for this come from  
Acts, so to be different I will illustrate from John.

John 6:16 Ὡς δὲ ὀψία ἐγένετο κατέβησαν  
οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν   
17 καὶ ἐμβάντες εἰς πλοῖον ἤρχοντο  
πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης εἰς Καφαρναούμ.  
καὶ σκοτία ἤδη ἐγεγόνει καὶ οὔπω  
ἐληλύθει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς,  18 ἥ  
τε θάλασσα ἀνέμου μεγάλου πνέοντος  
διεγείρετο.  19 ἐληλακότες οὖν ὡς  
σταδίους εἴκοσι πέντε ἢ τριάκοντα  
θεωροῦσιν τὸν Ἰησοῦν περιπατοῦντα  
ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ ἐγγὺς τοῦ  
πλοίου γινόμενον, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν.  20  
ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐτοῖς· ἐγώ εἰμι· μὴ  
φοβεῖσθε.  21 ἤθελον οὖν λαβεῖν αὐτὸν  
εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, καὶ εὐθέως ἐγένετο  
τὸ πλοῖον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἰς ἣν  
ὑπῆγον.

JOHN 6:16 hWS DE OYIA EGENETO KATEBHSAN hOI MAQHTAI AUTOU EPI THN  
QALASSAN  17 KAI EMBANTES EIS PLOION HRCONTO PERAN THS QALASSHS EIS  
KAFARNAOUM. KAI SKOTIA HDH EGEGONEI KAI OUPW ELHLUQEI PROS AUTOUS hO  
IHSOUS,  18 hH TE QALASSA ANEMOU MEGALOU PNEONTOS DIEGEIRETO.  19  
ELHLAKOTES OUN hWS STADIOUS EIKOSI PENTE H TRIAKONTA QEWROUSIN TON  
IHSOUN PERIPATOUNTA EPI THS QALASSHS KAI EGGUS TOU PLOIOU GINOMENON,  
KAI EFOBHQHSAN.  20 hO DE LEGEI AUTOIS: EGW EIMI: MH FOBEISQE.  21  
HQELON OUN LABEIN AUTON EIS TO PLOION, KAI EUQEWS EGENETO TO PLOION  
EPI THS GHS EIS hHN hUPHGON.

Note TE in v.18 hH TE QALASSA ANEMOU MEGALOU PNEONTOS DIEGEIRETO. I  
think this illustrates several features of TE solitarium. TE attaches  
"an event which is dissimilar to the previous one" (P.O'Rear). It  
highlights a particularly salient aspect of the unfolding drama, while  
it also leads into the next stage in the story (Levinsohn p.108). The  
notion of increased salience involves the extra effort need to process  
a marked form (TE is marked in reference to KAI) In support for this  
Levinsohn cites Gutt:1991 [2] (pps.41,103).


Elizabeth Kline

[1] Levinsohn, Stephen Discourse Features of New Testament Greek,2nd Ed.
  SIL2000.

[2]Gutt, Ernst-August 1991 & 2000. Translation and Relevance:  
Cognition and Context , Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing (2nd edition).




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