[B-Greek] atelic histrocal present
Elizabeth Kline
kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Fri Apr 10 15:12:17 EDT 2009
On Apr 10, 2009, at 12:47 AM, Randall Buth wrote:
> But I am not claiming that it is iimpossible for a historic present to
> naturally encode to an imperfective, only that that is the norm. I do
> not know of my own knowledge that a story could not begin
> HN DE LEPROS 'there was a leper' . . .
> or that a historic present might be used
> ESTIN DE LEPROS.
> Rijksbaron does make that claim, which needs checking out and
> which would only strengthen my own claim. i.e., that the
> historic present is a rhetorical device of a semantic marker, that
> it uses its semantic marking against the grain for rhetorical
> effect and therefore is ABUSED by the aspect only people when
> they claim that they have no problem whatsoever with an
> no-time whatesoever aspect theory. If Rijksbaron is correct, then
> the historic present is used in cases where both the time and aspect
> are being used rhetorically/pragmatically. If not, then at least the
> majority of cases is a pragmatic play on the aspect and tense, with
> the remaining cases only a play on the tense. In either case, the
> aspect-only/no-tiime people are pulling the wool over
> students eyes', maybe their own, too. They make students
> feel guilty/unsupported by claiming that 30% of Mark's presents
> negate a tense theory but 100% fit an aspect theory. In Hebrew
> we say פויה, whichmight be etymological calque with
> Greek "φευ!", don't know.
>
> Randall Buth
I agree, you really don't need 100% compliance with a rule for it to
be valid. Using the pattern X does something and then does Y where X
is in the present tense I found one famous passage where the X verb
might be atelic. In Jn 1:29 BLEPEI could be analyzed as atelic. Verbs
of seeing are often atelic according to D. Crystal's definition, i.e.,
an action without a *clear* terminal point.
John 1:29 Τῇ ἐπαύριον βλέπει τὸν Ἰησοῦν
ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ λέγει·
ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν
ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου.
JOHN 1:29 THi EPAURION BLEPEI TON IHSOUN ERCOMENON PROS AUTON KAI
LEGEI: IDE hO AMNOS TOU QEOU hO AIRWN THN hAMARTIAN TOU KOSMOU.
I might argue that MARTUREI in Jn 1:15 is atelic, representing a
general activity not a discrete event, but I could also argue the
other way.
John 1:15 Ἰωάννης μαρτυρεῖ περὶ αὐτοῦ
καὶ κέκραγεν λέγων· οὗτος ἦν ὃν
εἶπον· ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος
ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν, ὅτι πρῶτός
μου ἦν.
JOHN 1:15 IWANNHS MARTUREI PERI AUTOU KAI KEKRAGEN LEGWN: hOUTOS HN
hON EIPON: hO OPISW MOU ERCOMENOS EMPROSQEN MOU GEGONEN, hOTI PRWTOS
MOU HN.
The semantics of AFIHMI is complex (see Louw&Nida). In Matt. 4:11 it
could be understood as movement within space which would be telic. It
could also be understood as "leave him alone" which could be analyzed
as a state of affairs (atelic).
Matt. 4:11 Τότε ἀφίησιν αὐτὸν ὁ
διάβολος, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγελοι
προσῆλθον καὶ διηκόνουν αὐτῷ.
MATT. 4:11 TOTE AFIHSIN AUTON hO DIABOLOS, KAI IDOU AGGELOI PROSHLQON
KAI DIHKONOUN AUTWi.
Elizabeth Kline
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list