Lexical splits in the encoding of motion events from Archaic to Classical Greek
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Tatiana Nikitina
Abstract
This chapter explores diachronic evidence from Ancient Greek as a source of data on the categorization of motion verbs. Over its recorded history, Ancient Greek undergoes a change in the dominant goal-encoding strategy: from Homer to Classical Greek, it gradually develops into a consistently satellite-framed language. The study investigates statistical differences in the way the change affected individual verbs, suggesting that three major verb classes should be distinguished: verbs of self-propelled motion, verbs of externally caused motion, and verbs encoding a change of configuration. Change-of-configuration verbs, in particular, are shown to follow a peculiar pattern of development that ultimately leads to the rise, in Classical Greek, of a “lexical split” similar to the one attested in modern Russian.
Abstract
This chapter explores diachronic evidence from Ancient Greek as a source of data on the categorization of motion verbs. Over its recorded history, Ancient Greek undergoes a change in the dominant goal-encoding strategy: from Homer to Classical Greek, it gradually develops into a consistently satellite-framed language. The study investigates statistical differences in the way the change affected individual verbs, suggesting that three major verb classes should be distinguished: verbs of self-propelled motion, verbs of externally caused motion, and verbs encoding a change of configuration. Change-of-configuration verbs, in particular, are shown to follow a peculiar pattern of development that ultimately leads to the rise, in Classical Greek, of a “lexical split” similar to the one attested in modern Russian.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Editors and contributors vii
- Preface ix
- Introduction: Beyond typology 1
-
Part I. Variation
- Typology as a continuum 17
- Same family, different paths 39
- Disentangling manner and path 55
- The encoding of motion events 77
- Motion events in Turkish-German contact varieties 115
- Variation in the categorization of motion events by Danish, German, Turkish, and L2 Danish speakers 133
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Part II. Change
- Describing motion events in Old and Modern French 163
- Lexical splits in the encoding of motion events from Archaic to Classical Greek 185
- Caused-motion verbs in the Middle English intransitive motion construction 203
- Variation and change in English path verbs and constructions: Usage patterns and conceptual structure 223
- Author index 245
- Language index 247
- Subject index 249
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Editors and contributors vii
- Preface ix
- Introduction: Beyond typology 1
-
Part I. Variation
- Typology as a continuum 17
- Same family, different paths 39
- Disentangling manner and path 55
- The encoding of motion events 77
- Motion events in Turkish-German contact varieties 115
- Variation in the categorization of motion events by Danish, German, Turkish, and L2 Danish speakers 133
-
Part II. Change
- Describing motion events in Old and Modern French 163
- Lexical splits in the encoding of motion events from Archaic to Classical Greek 185
- Caused-motion verbs in the Middle English intransitive motion construction 203
- Variation and change in English path verbs and constructions: Usage patterns and conceptual structure 223
- Author index 245
- Language index 247
- Subject index 249
