From: Paul_O'Rear@sil.org
Date: Fri May 31 1996 - 13:31:55 EDT
In addition to Carl Conrad's well informed diachronic perspective (I really 
appreciate that aspect of your background Carl!), Stephen Levinsohn of the 
Summer Institute of Linguistics has written some good material on TE from a 
discourse grammar perspective. The following is from "Discourse Features of New 
Testament Greek", 1992, Summer Institute of Linguistics, pp.54-5 (italics are 
surrounded by asterisks):
     TE Solitarium
     
     The form of TE that I am discussing in this section occurs by itself 
     without any subsequent corresponding KAI or TE, hence *solitarium*. It is 
     to be distinguished from the correlative TE (i.e., TE used in the 
     combinations TE...KAI and TE...TE and traditionally translated 
     'both...and', 'not only...but also').
     
     My purpose here is to briefly review the basic function of TE solitarium 
     and to comment on the pragmatic effects of using it in certain contexts. A 
     detailed analysis of TE solitarium is found in Levinsohn 1987:121-36. 
     ("Textual Connections in Acts", Society of Biblical Literature, Monograph 
     Series, Number 31)
     
     Almost all of the occurrences of TE solitarium in the New Testament are in 
     Acts and Hebrews. The other occurrences are in Matt. 28:12, Luke 14:26 and 
     24:20, John 4:42, John 6:18 and six in the Epistles (according to Moulton, 
     Geden, and Moulton 1978).
     
     The most natural translation of TE solitarium is 'also, in addition'. It is 
     an *additive* conjunction (Winer 1882:542). As such, "it indicates a 'close 
     affinity' between the sentences it links (because the events described are 
     similar ... or even the same)" (Levinsohn 1987:122). For example, in Acts 
     12:17, a second speech by the same speaker is added to the first one:
     
     (17a) beckoning DE to.them with.the hand to.be.quiet 3S.related to.them how 
     the Lord him 3S.led.out from the prison
     
     (17b) 3S.said TE, 'Tell this to James and to the brethren.'
     
     Other examples are in Acts 5:41-42 and Actos 20:7. In the former, a second 
     response is added by TE to the initial one, both being contrary to the 
     intentions of the authorities. In the latter, TE appends a second aspect of 
     the same event.
     
     The principles of Relevance Theory imply that, when a speaker chooses to 
     use a (marked) additive conjunction such as 'also', even though an 
     (unmarked) coordinative conjunction such as 'and' would apparently have 
     been appropriate, "he must have intended to convey special contextual 
     effects" (Gutt 1991:103 - "Translation and relevance: Cognition and 
     context." Oxford: Basil Blackwell). Such is true of TE.
     
     Frequently, in Acts, a clause introduced by TE follows one or more 
     introduced by KAI, as in 12:10-12 [omitted for brevity]. Typically, the TE 
     clause introduces the *specific lead-in* to the next development in the 
     storyline (see v.13). In other words, the presence of TE, following a 
     series of events introduced with KAI, seems to anticipate the next 
     development of the incident, which will build specifically on the event 
     introduced with TE.
     
     Because of such examples, the old Greek grammarians suggested that elements 
     linked by TE were not "homogenous" (Winer 1882:542), in the sense that they 
     were not of equal importance. However, such a feature is probably not part 
     of the *inherent* meaning of TE (nor of "also"). Rather, the *pragmatic 
     effect* of adding the last event of a series or of adding an event that is 
     dissimilar to the previous one, instead of merely conjoining it with KAI, 
     is to indicate that it is of greater significance for what follows.
     
     Among other examples of this use of TE is Acts 28:2a [omitted]. The 
     sentence introduced with KAI in the preceding verse gives background 
     information of a general nature, whereas v.2a presents the specific lead-in 
     to the development of v.3.
     
Hope this adds a little more "spice" to the discussion...
Paul O'Rear
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