Adjectival periphrasis in Ancient Greek: A cognitive analysis

Authors

  • Klaas Bentein Ghent University (Bélgica)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7764/onomazein.27.02

Keywords:

adjectival periphrasis, Ancient Greek, Cognitive Grammar, property predication, transitivity, conceptual integration

Abstract

In this article, I discuss Ancient Greek constructions consisting of a form of the verb eimi ‘I am’ and a present, perfect or aorist participle. In particular, I focus on those uses where the participle is said to have an “adjectival” function. My main goal is to provide a unified semantic description of this phenomenon, adopting a cognitive framework. I show that adjectival periphrasis typically involves the predication of properties, which can be characterized in terms of low transitivity (Hopper & Thompson, 1980). I furthermore argue that a so-called “property reading” involves a particular kind of conceptual integration, whereby only one component state of the verb eimi is elaborated by the participle. 

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Author Biography

Klaas Bentein, Ghent University (Bélgica)

Department of Linguistics (Greek section)

Published

2013-06-30 — Updated on 2013-06-30

Versions

How to Cite

Bentein, K. . (2013). Adjectival periphrasis in Ancient Greek: A cognitive analysis. Onomázein, (27), 15–34. https://doi.org/10.7764/onomazein.27.02

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Section

Articles