Home Classical, Ancient Near Eastern & Egyptian Studies Negative Concord and Word Order in the Greek Bible and New Testament
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Negative Concord and Word Order in the Greek Bible and New Testament

  • Chiara Gianollo
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Explore this Subject How to publish with us
Postclassical Greek
This chapter is in the book Postclassical Greek

Abstract

This chapter compares the Classical Greek system of negation with the system of negation witnessed by the Septuagint and the New Testament. The distribution of forms of ‘objective’ negation (the system of οὐ(κ) and οὐδείς) is at the core of the empirical survey, with special attention to the observed patterns of negative concord. The main aim of the study is to assess if the changes in the basic word order at the clausal level in Postclassical Greek, with the decrease of verb-final orders, influenced the syntax of negative concord in ways that could favor further changes taking place at later (Medieval) stages. The investigation of negative concord in the Septuagint and the New Testament fills a gap in the diachronic trajectory and assesses whether the system of negation already shows early signs of development in (varieties of) Postclassical Greek.

Abstract

This chapter compares the Classical Greek system of negation with the system of negation witnessed by the Septuagint and the New Testament. The distribution of forms of ‘objective’ negation (the system of οὐ(κ) and οὐδείς) is at the core of the empirical survey, with special attention to the observed patterns of negative concord. The main aim of the study is to assess if the changes in the basic word order at the clausal level in Postclassical Greek, with the decrease of verb-final orders, influenced the syntax of negative concord in ways that could favor further changes taking place at later (Medieval) stages. The investigation of negative concord in the Septuagint and the New Testament fills a gap in the diachronic trajectory and assesses whether the system of negation already shows early signs of development in (varieties of) Postclassical Greek.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface V
  3. Contents VII
  4. List of Figures IX
  5. List of Tables XI
  6. Problems and Perspectives of Postclassical Greek 1
  7. Part I: Periodization and Greek Diachrony
  8. How ‘Post’ is Postclassical? Lessons from the Augment throughout the History of Greek 13
  9. Part II: Greek Dialects and Postclassical Greek
  10. Dialect Convergence and Linguistic Change: The Dodona Tablets Corpus and its Significance for the Study of the History of the Greek Language 29
  11. Part III: Homer and Hellenistic Greek
  12. ‘Late’ Linguistic Innovations and Elimination of Hiatus in the Homeric Text 65
  13. Notes on aemulatio in Hellenistic Epic: Apollonius of Rhodes and the Homeric Language 77
  14. Part IV: Language Standardization
  15. Atticist Views on Linguistic Variation: The Case of Phrynichus’ Eclogue and its Use of Ancient Sources 103
  16. In the Mood? – Some Thoughts on the Use of the Optative in Postclassical Literary Greek 135
  17. Part V: Historical Semantics
  18. Postclassical ‘shame’: ἐντρέπομαι and ἐντροπή 157
  19. Part VI: Morphosyntax and Biblical Greek
  20. Negative Concord and Word Order in the Greek Bible and New Testament 187
  21. Multiverb Constructions in Postclassical Greek: Pseudo-coordination and Participial Constructions in the Apophthegmata Patrum 225
  22. Part VII: The Syntax-Pragmatics Interface
  23. Double Conjunction Usages in Postclassical Greek 271
  24. Word Order in Byzantine Literary Greek 293
  25. List of Contributors 309
  26. Index Rerum 311
  27. Index Verborum 313
  28. Index Locorum 315
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111079172-009

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface V
  3. Contents VII
  4. List of Figures IX
  5. List of Tables XI
  6. Problems and Perspectives of Postclassical Greek 1
  7. Part I: Periodization and Greek Diachrony
  8. How ‘Post’ is Postclassical? Lessons from the Augment throughout the History of Greek 13
  9. Part II: Greek Dialects and Postclassical Greek
  10. Dialect Convergence and Linguistic Change: The Dodona Tablets Corpus and its Significance for the Study of the History of the Greek Language 29
  11. Part III: Homer and Hellenistic Greek
  12. ‘Late’ Linguistic Innovations and Elimination of Hiatus in the Homeric Text 65
  13. Notes on aemulatio in Hellenistic Epic: Apollonius of Rhodes and the Homeric Language 77
  14. Part IV: Language Standardization
  15. Atticist Views on Linguistic Variation: The Case of Phrynichus’ Eclogue and its Use of Ancient Sources 103
  16. In the Mood? – Some Thoughts on the Use of the Optative in Postclassical Literary Greek 135
  17. Part V: Historical Semantics
  18. Postclassical ‘shame’: ἐντρέπομαι and ἐντροπή 157
  19. Part VI: Morphosyntax and Biblical Greek
  20. Negative Concord and Word Order in the Greek Bible and New Testament 187
  21. Multiverb Constructions in Postclassical Greek: Pseudo-coordination and Participial Constructions in the Apophthegmata Patrum 225
  22. Part VII: The Syntax-Pragmatics Interface
  23. Double Conjunction Usages in Postclassical Greek 271
  24. Word Order in Byzantine Literary Greek 293
  25. List of Contributors 309
  26. Index Rerum 311
  27. Index Verborum 313
  28. Index Locorum 315
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2026 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 2.2.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111079172-009/html
Scroll to top button