From: Al & Patty Jacobson (abj@the-bridge.net)
Date: Sat Jan 20 2001 - 15:22:52 EST
This is my first message on this list serve and it is with some trepidation
that i leap into the midst of an ongoing discussion. I may very well not
know what i'm talking about (not having followed the thread from the
beginning). So i beg pardon for any of these thoughts that may be from left
field, so to speak.
Regarding the character of PAS PASA PAN, it has always been my understanding
that the word is a collective pronoun. OUTOS, of course, (in its various
forms) is a demonstrative pronoun. Doesn't this help to explain the
distinctions in position when they are used adjectivally?
The term "appositive" is used primarily for nouns (and pronouns) [as opposed
to adjectives] used to describe another noun, is it not? For example, John,
the apostle, was a friend of Peter. the noun phrase, "the apostle" is in
the appositive position (placed next to) another noun (a proper noun) in
order to more clearly describe or delineate the John of whom we are
speaking. We don't usually speak of adjectives being in the appositive
position do we? ("Usually" i say because, of course, grammatical rules, like
so many others, seem destined to be broken.)
The predicate and attributive positions of adjectives usually distinguish
between whether there is a close, direct sort of relation between the
adjective or pronoun and its noun or antecedent or whether we must effect
the association by means of an express or implied verb of some sort. For
example. KALH H GUNH ("beautiful [is] the woman" or "the woman [is]
beautiful") as opposed to H KALH GUNH (the beautiful woman). This would
seem to explain the position of the demonstrative pronoun too: AUTH H GUNH
("This [is] the woman" i.e., "this woman").
In the case of PAS, etc. the distinction between attributive and predicate
position is not clearly explained by the preceding however, and probably is
derived from the nature of collective pronouns and the needs of usage.
PASAI AI GUNAIKES / AI GUNAIKES PASAI ("all the women" "every one of the
women" or "all women" (and each individually)) (predicate position); whereas
AI PASAI GUNAIKES / AI GUNAIKES AI PASAI ("the women as a whole" or "the sum
total of women" or "the women collecively").
Of course language develops not always according to logical rules, often not
even according to patently discernible processes. (witness Jesse Jackson's
ungrammatical, but [to some at least] effective, use of the following at the
Democratic National Convention: "Stay out the Bushes!") We may have to be
content to accept a usage as a given or idiomatic usage whether it makes any
kind of logical or discernible sense or not ... And therefore not read some
arcane or unintended theological or philosophical insight into it.
And with this lame contribution(sigh) I inaugurate my participation.
abj
Personal:
Allen B. Jacobson
2024 2nd Avenue East
Hibbing, MN 55746
218.262.1070
abj@the-bridge.net
Business:
Law Offices of Allen B. Jacobson
302 East Howard Street
Hibbing, Minnesota 55746
218.262.5545 (Phone)
218.262.5546 (Fax)
allenjacobson@hotmail.com
---
B-Greek home page: http://metalab.unc.edu/bgreek
You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [jwrobie@mindspring.com]
To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-327Q@franklin.oit.unc.edu
To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:36:48 EDT