Aspectual choice with υerba dicendi in Herodotus’ Histories
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/emerita.2015.10.1310Keywords:
griego antiguo, elección aspectual, υerba dicendi, dimensión textualAbstract
I discuss the factors that motivate the choice for the aorist versus imperfect tense with υerba dicendi in Ancient Greek. I argue that the textual dimension plays a particularly important role, and that two subdimensions must be taken into account: (a) whether the author wishes to draw explicit attention to what is said; (b) whether a reaction can be expected by the speaker (and by extension the reader). I frame my observations within a larger theory of aspect in Ancient Greek, which takes into account —next to the textual dimension— two other major dimensions, called the «ideational» and the «interpersonal» dimension. The analysis concentrates on the eighth book of Herodotus’ Histories.
Downloads
References
Bakker, E. J. 1997: «Verbal aspect and mimetic description in Thucydides», in: Bakker, E. J. (ed.), Grammar as interpretation: Greek literature in its linguistic contexts, Leiden, pp. 7-54.
Bakker, W. F. 1968: «A remark on the use of the imperfect and the aorist in Herodotus», Mnemosyne 21, pp. 22-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156852568X00031
Basset, L. 2009: «The use of the imperfect to express completed states of affairs», in: Bakker, S. J. and Wakker, G. C. (eds.), Discourse cohesion in Ancient Greek, Leiden, pp. 205-219. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004174726.i-284.61
Basset, L. 2011: «Imparfait, aoriste et présent historique dans les récits des quatre batailles navales de Syracuse (Guerre du Péloponnèse, livre 7)», in: Lallot, J., Rijksbaron, A., Jacquinod, B. and Buijs, M. (eds.), The historical present in Thucydides, Brill, pp. 159-75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004201187.i-329.35
Basset, L., Culioli, A. and Lallot, J. 2000: «Présentation», in: Jacquinod, B. (ed.), Études sur l'aspect verbal chez Platon, Saint-Etienne, pp. 7-26.
Bowie, B.A. 2007: Herodotus. Histories: Book VII , Cambridge.
Colvin, S. 1998: «Review: Egbert J. Bakker (ed.), Grammar as interpretation», BMCR <http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/1998/1998-10-03.html>.
Dik, H. 1995: Word order in ancient Greek, Amsterdam.
Fleischman, S. 1989: «Temporal distance: A basic linguistic metaphor», SiL 13, pp. 1-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/sl.13.1.02fle
Fournier, H. 1946: Les verbes «dire» en grec ancien, Paris. PMid:20995849
Friedrich, P. 1974: «On aspect theory and Homeric aspect», IJAL 28, pp. 1-44.
Gerö, E.-C. and von Stechow, A. 2003: «Tense in time: The Greek perfect», in: Eckardt, R., von Heusinger, K. and Schwarze, C. (eds.), Words in time, Berlin, pp. 251-94. Godley, A. D. 1920: Herodotus, with an English translation, London. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9783110899979.251
Goodwin, W. W. 1966[1889]: Syntax of the moods and tenses of the Greek verb, London.
Halliday, M. A. K. 1978: Language as social semiotic, London.
Hettrich, H. 1976: Kontext und Aspekt in der altgriechischen Prosa Herodots, Göttingen.
Janda, L. A. 2004: «A metaphor in search of a source domain: The categories of Slavic aspect», CL 15, pp. 471-527.
Levinsohn, S. H. 20002: Discourse features of New Testament Greek, Dallas.
Macaulay, G. C. 1890: The History of Herodotus, London.
Rijksbaron, A. 1986: «Taalkunde en de structuur van Herodotus' Historien», Lampas 19, pp. 220-30.
Rijksbaron, A. 1988: «The discourse function of the imperfect», in: Rijksbaron, A. (ed.), In the footsteps of Raphaël Kühner, Amsterdam, pp. 237-54.
Rijksbaron, A. 20023: The syntax and semantics of the verb in classical Greek, Amsterdam.
Ruijgh, C. J. 1991: «Les valeurs temporelles des formes verbales en Grec Ancien», in: Gvozdanovic, J. and Janssen, T. A. J. M. (eds.), The function of tense in texts, Amsterdam, pp. 197-217.
Runge, S. E. 2010: Discourse Grammar of the Greek New Testament, Peabody (Mass).
Salmon, A. 1950: «Une particularité de l'aoriste et de l'imparfait chez Hérodote», LEC 18, pp. 165-170.
Schwyzer, E. 19504: Griechische Grammatik. Zweiter Band, Mu.nchen.
Sedgwick, W. B. 1940: «Some Uses of the Imperfect in Greek», CQ 34, pp. 118-122. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S000983880000923X
Sedgwick, W. B. 1957: «The Use of the Imperfect in Herodotus», CQ 51, pp. 113-117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0009838800015093
Smyth, H. W. 1984[1920]: Greek grammar, Harvard.
Svensson, A. 1930: Zum Gebrauch der erzählenden Tempora im Griechischen, Lund.
Vassilaki, S. 2000: «À propos des valeurs des impératifs σκ.πει (PR) – σκ.ψαι (AO) chez Platon», in: Jacquinod, B. (ed.), Études sur l'aspect verbal chez Platon, Saint-Etienne, pp. 171-201.
Wackernagel, J. 1926: Vorlesungen über Syntax, Basel.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2015 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
© CSIC. Manuscripts published in both the printed and online versions of this Journal are the property of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and quoting this source is a requirement for any partial or full reproduction.All contents of this electronic edition, except where otherwise noted, are distributed under a “Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International” (CC BY 4.0) License. You may read here the basic information and the legal text of the license. The indication of the CC BY 4.0 License must be expressly stated in this way when necessary.
Self-archiving in repositories, personal webpages or similar, of any version other than the published by the Editor, is not allowed.
