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Chapter 13. The perfect system in Ancient Greek

  • Robert Crellin
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Perfects in Indo-European Languages and Beyond
This chapter is in the book Perfects in Indo-European Languages and Beyond

Abstract

The present paper surveys the diachronic development of the Ancient Greek perfect in four periods: Mycenaean, Archaic, Classical and post-Classical. At each stage the semantic evaluation of perfect is assessed in the context of the semantics of its predicate. While generally confirming the standard picture of increasing anteriority and past reference in the perfect correlating with greater numbers of verbs able to form perfects, the present study contributes empirical data to support this assertion. The article traces the growing paradigmatisation of the perfect form throughout its history. However, this development is not linear. Instead in the post-Classical language we witness a bifurcation along diglossic lines, with the literary language remaining much more conservative in terms of the perfect’s semantic range, while in lower-register material the perfect increasingly competes with the aorist to denote perfective semantics.

Abstract

The present paper surveys the diachronic development of the Ancient Greek perfect in four periods: Mycenaean, Archaic, Classical and post-Classical. At each stage the semantic evaluation of perfect is assessed in the context of the semantics of its predicate. While generally confirming the standard picture of increasing anteriority and past reference in the perfect correlating with greater numbers of verbs able to form perfects, the present study contributes empirical data to support this assertion. The article traces the growing paradigmatisation of the perfect form throughout its history. However, this development is not linear. Instead in the post-Classical language we witness a bifurcation along diglossic lines, with the literary language remaining much more conservative in terms of the perfect’s semantic range, while in lower-register material the perfect increasingly competes with the aorist to denote perfective semantics.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Editors’ foreword vii
  4. Abbreviations xi
  5. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
  6. Chapter 2. The development of the perfect within IE verbal systems 15
  7. Chapter 3. Celtic past tenses past and present 49
  8. Chapter 4. The development of the perfect in selected Middle and New Germanic languages 95
  9. Chapter 5. Perfects in Baltic and Slavic 123
  10. Chapter 6. Paradigmatisation of the perfect and resultative in Tocharian 215
  11. Chapter 7. The synthetic perfect from Indo-Iranian to Late Vedic 245
  12. Chapter 8. The perfect in Middle and New Iranian languages 279
  13. Chapter 9. The perfect in North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic 311
  14. Chapter 10. The perfect in Classical Armenian 351
  15. Chapter 11. The Hittite periphrastic perfect 377
  16. Chapter 12. The Gothic perfective constructions in contrast to West Germanic 411
  17. Chapter 13. The perfect system in Ancient Greek 435
  18. Chapter 14. The perfect in Medieval and Modern Greek 483
  19. Chapter 15. The perfect system of Old Albanian (Geg variety) 505
  20. Chapter 16. The perfect system in Latin 549
  21. Chapter 17. Calquing a quirk 591
  22. Chapter 18. The perfect in context in texts in English, Sistani Balochi and New Testament Greek 615
  23. Chapter 19. Indo-European perfects in typological perspective 635
  24. Language Index 669
  25. Subject Index 675
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.352.13cre

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Editors’ foreword vii
  4. Abbreviations xi
  5. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
  6. Chapter 2. The development of the perfect within IE verbal systems 15
  7. Chapter 3. Celtic past tenses past and present 49
  8. Chapter 4. The development of the perfect in selected Middle and New Germanic languages 95
  9. Chapter 5. Perfects in Baltic and Slavic 123
  10. Chapter 6. Paradigmatisation of the perfect and resultative in Tocharian 215
  11. Chapter 7. The synthetic perfect from Indo-Iranian to Late Vedic 245
  12. Chapter 8. The perfect in Middle and New Iranian languages 279
  13. Chapter 9. The perfect in North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic 311
  14. Chapter 10. The perfect in Classical Armenian 351
  15. Chapter 11. The Hittite periphrastic perfect 377
  16. Chapter 12. The Gothic perfective constructions in contrast to West Germanic 411
  17. Chapter 13. The perfect system in Ancient Greek 435
  18. Chapter 14. The perfect in Medieval and Modern Greek 483
  19. Chapter 15. The perfect system of Old Albanian (Geg variety) 505
  20. Chapter 16. The perfect system in Latin 549
  21. Chapter 17. Calquing a quirk 591
  22. Chapter 18. The perfect in context in texts in English, Sistani Balochi and New Testament Greek 615
  23. Chapter 19. Indo-European perfects in typological perspective 635
  24. Language Index 669
  25. Subject Index 675
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