[B-Greek] Verbal and nominal aspects of tense

Donald Dwight dddwight1234 at sbcglobal.net
Mon Apr 13 15:11:30 EDT 2009


I made these tables to help me to understand the verbal and nominal 
aspects of the
tense of an event. Perhaps they may be of some use to others.

Table 1. Verbal aspect of tense
=====================================================================================
Indicative mood of the Greek verb LUW in the third person singular 
active voice

           Verbal        Nominal     Causes     Effect     Tense of 
Event        
Event      Aspect        Aspect      of Event   of Event   Past     
Present  Future 
---------  ------------  ----------  ---------  ---------  -------- 
-------- --------
Event-1
Actual     Aoristive     Dative      At Rest    At Rest    ELUSE    
ELUSE    ELUSE

Event-2
Potential  Futuristive   Genitive    At Rest    At Rest    LUSEI    
LUSEI    LUSEI
Beginning  Imperfective  Genitive    From Rest  At Rest    ELUE     
ELUE     ELUE
Middle     Imperfective  Nominative  In Motion  From Rest  LUEI     
LUEI     LUEI
Middle     Perfective    Accusative  To Rest    In Motion  LELUKE   
LELUKE   LELUKE
Ending     Perfective    Dative      At Rest    To Rest    LELUKEI  
LELUKEI  LELUKEI
Actual     Aoristive     Dative      At Rest    At Rest    ELUSE    
ELUSE    ELUSE

Event-3
Potential  Futuristive   Genitive    At Rest    At Rest    LUSEI    
LUSEI    LUSEI
=====================================================================================

Table 2. Nominal aspect of tense
=====================================================================================
Participle of the Greek verb LUW in the masculine gender singular active 
voice

           Verbal        Nominal     Causes     Effect     Tense of Event
Event      Aspect        Aspect      of Event   of Event   Past     
Present  Future
---------  ------------  ----------  ---------  ---------  -------- 
-------- --------
Event-1
Actual     Aoristive     Dative      At Rest    At Rest    LUSANTI  
LUSANTI  LUSANTI
                                                         
Event-2                                                 
Potential  Futuristive   Genitive    At Rest    At Rest    LUSONTOS 
LUSONTOS LUSONTOS
Middle     Imperfective  Nominative  In Motion  From Rest  LUWN     
LUWN     LUWN
Middle     Perfective    Accusative  To Rest    In Motion  LELUKOTA 
LELUKOTA LELUKOTA
Actual     Aoristive     Dative      At Rest    At Rest    LUSANTI  
LUSANTI  LUSANTI

Event-3
Potential  Futuristive   Genitive    At Rest    At Rest    LUSONTOS 
LUSONTOS LUSONTOS
=====================================================================================

Each table shows three separate and distinct events.
An event is either potential, actual, or in transition from potential to 
actual.
Verbals characterize; nominals predicate or attribute.
The verbal aspect of an event focuses on transition, or on its absence.
The nominal aspect of an event focuses on rest, or on constant motion.
Rest is a constant state of being. 
Motion is a transition from potential rest to actual rest.
The causes of an event, or the effect of the event, can remain at rest, 
or can
remain in motion, or can transition from rest to motion or from motion 
to rest.
The tense of an event indicates the state of the causes of the event, 
and the
state of the effect of the event.  
The past, present, and future are the beginning, middle, and ending of a 
period of
time indicated by the context of an event.
The aoristive aspect describes an actual event not in transition.
The futuristive aspect describes a potential event not in transition.
The imperfective aspect describes an event in transition from rest to 
motion.
The perfective aspect describes an event in transition from motion to rest.
The genitive aspect focuses on the material cause of an event.
The nominative aspect focuses on the agent cause of an event.
The accusative aspect focuses on the formal cause of an event.
The dative aspect focuses on the final cause of an event.





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