[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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