A New Approach to Subordination in Ancient Greek. The case of πλήν PDF

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1. Introduction Kortmann (1997) has studied adverbial subordination in the languages of Europe from a typological perspective. He recognizes Exception/Restriction within the 3. Methodology and Theoretical Framework 1) CORPUS: authors between the VIII century BC and II AD (Texts of the TLG) semantics...

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A New Approach to Subordination in Ancient Greek. The case of πλήν Jesus F. Polo Arrondo

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1. Introduction

3. Methodology and Theoretical Framework 1) CORPUS: authors between the VIII century BC and II AD (Texts of the TLG)

Kortmann (1997) has studied adverbial subordination in the languages of Europe from a typological perspective. He recognizes Exception/Restriction within the semantics of the interclausal relations of adverbial clauses and proposes the following definition and examples:

2) THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: Functional Grammar (Dik 1997)

“p either stands in the way of q, or p and q serve as arguments supporting opposite conclusions” (Kortmann 1997: 87)

a) STRUCTURE OF THE CLAUSE according to Functional Grammar: Different layers of the clause are built around a Predicate with Arguments (required by the predicate) and satellites ( they give optional further information pertaining to additional features of the State of Affaires (Level 1), the location of the SoA (Level 2), the speaker s attitude towards or the evaluation of the propositional content (Level 3), or the character of the speech act (Level 4) Dik 1997a: 87). Satellites are represented with the greek letter σ. On the other hand, similar information provided by satellites may be provided grammatically by operators. Operators are represented with the greek letter π.

(1) You can have Dad’s car, except that it’s very low on petrol. (2) She’s a great help in the kitchen, only she can’t keep her mouth shut. On the other hand, in some modern languages, so-called “Clauses of exception” have been recognized among the subordinated adverbial clauses: (3) I would pay you now, except I don’t have any money on me (cf. Quirk et alii: 1985). (4) I would’ve asked you, only my mother told me not to (cf. Quirk et alii: 1985). (5) No memorial remains for the brave who fell on that battlefield, save that they will leave their image forever in the hearts and minds of their grateful countrymen (cf. Quirk et alii: 1985). (6) Cette histoire est rigoureusement vraie, sauf qu’ elle ne s’est point, bien entendu, passée à Madrid (cf. Tobegy et alii: 1985). (7) Außer dass er eingekauft hat, hat er nichts getan (cf. Klosa: 1998). (8) Non fa niente tutto il giorno, fuorché divertirsi (cf. Dardano - Trifone 1985).

b) According to Hengeveld (1998: 335) a CLAUSE is considered SUBORDINATED if it depends for its occurrence on another and to Moreno (20022: 647) there is a main predication and other or others subordinated to that, adjacent or governed by that. Therefore these embeded predications have analog functions of the functions that other constituents have that do not contain any predications . Thus, subordinated clauses will occupy some place in the structure of the clause as an Argument, Satellite or modifier of a Term.

Cf. 4.2

c) Structure of Subordinated adverbial clauses in modern languages: EXCEPTION MARKER + VERB

Structure searched in Ancient Greek: πλ ν + VERB

Cf. 4.1 Decl Ei: (Xi: (Neg ei: ( πραξα Verb [x1: ἐγώ]Actor [x2: ταῦτα]Goal) (ej)Final))

2. Aims

ο τε [ ] πραξα ταῦτα, να πλο σιος ἐκ π νητος γ νωμαι (Lys. 1.4.5) I have not acted [ ] so as to raise myself from poverty to wealth

This study has three aims: 1) The major aim is to try to elucidate if it is possible to recognize this type of subordination in Ancient Greek. 2) A secondary aim is to propose a diachronical evolution of the kind of linguistic units that πλ ν can link: from single word to informational units bigger than the clause. 3) Another secondary aim is to try to clarify what kind of word class is πλ ν.

Example of underlying clause structure Structure of the clause cf. Dik (1997a:67)

Layers and variables, cf. Dik (1997a: 55)

4.1 πλ ν + clause (infinitive/subordinator + finite verb

4. Two structures SYNTAX

REPRESENTATION

These structures are similar to TAILS:

Arguments (Nucleus of the predication) (9) μετ χει τ ν α τ ν τοῖς Σ ροις πλὴν τοῦ πατασκηνοῦν ἐν ο κ αις (D.S.19.94.10.6) (Other tribes of Arabs) have the same customs as the Syrians, except for dwelling in houses

The structure introduced by πλ ν yields the REFERENTIAL IDENTIFICATION of some element of the main predication through the CORRECTION of some information (orange) EXCLUDING some information (green).

Satellite 2 (Extended Predication) (10) Πολλ κις ο ν ἐθα μασα τ ς τ λμης τ ν λεγ ντων πὲρ α τοῦ, πλὴν ταν ἐνθυμηθ τι τ ν α τ ν ἐστιν α το ς τε π ντα τὰ κακὰ ἐργ ζεσθαι καὶ τοὺς τοιο τους ἐπαινεῖν (Lys.12.41.2) I have often wondered, therefore, at the audacity of those who speak in his defence, except when I reflect that the same men who commit every sort of crime are wont also to commend those who act in a similar way . Possible explanation: The syntax of constructions introduced by πλ ν is not independent of the syntax of the matrix clause in which it appears (Pullum-Hudleston 2002: 642, about except in English). Indeed, these sentences implicate others in which the clause occupy the slot of the syntactic element corrected with change of polarity of the clause (cf. for English, Pullum-Hudleston 2002: 641-643). Therefore (9) and (10) implicate (11) and (12) respectively:

1) loosely adjoined constituents which add bits of information which may be relevant to a correct understanding of the clause. [ ] Tail, defined in general as characterizing constituents that present information meant to clarify or modify (some constituent contained in) the unit to which they are adjoined (Dik 1997b: 401). In the following examples, the constituents modified are in orange and Tails in green. (15) Ο κουμ νη γὰρ ο ν στ γη πυρὸς μ τα / π ντ' ἐκπορ ζει πλὴν τὸ μὴ νοσεῖν ἐμ (S.Ph. 298-299) the dwelling I live in, together with fire, provide everything, except a cure for my disease .

Ei: [Xi [ei: [Predicate (Argument: (ej)Exception)X]]]

(16) α δὲ τ ν τιμωμ νων ζ ων καθιερε σεις π ρρητοι καὶ χρ νοις τ κτοις πρὸς τὰ συμπ πτοντα γιν μεναι τοὺς πολλοὺς λανθ νουσι, πλὴν ταν ταφὰς χωσι (Plu. 380.D.11) the consecrations of the animals held in honour, however, were secret, and took place at indeterminate times with reference to the circumstances; and thus they are unknown to the multitude, except when they hold the animals burials .

Ei: [Xi [ei: [Predicate Argument] (σ2: (ej)Exception)X]]

2) A typical position of Tail is after the clause. However [ ], Tails may occur as parenthetical insertions within the clause (Dik 1997b: 401-402) as in (17) ‒ (18)

(11) ο μετ χει τοῦ πατασκηνοῦν ἐν ο κ αις

(17) π ντες δὲ Θετταλοὶ πλὴν σοι α τ ν φυγ δες τ τε ντες ἐτ γχανον, ἐκακο ργουν α τὸν ἐφεπ μενοι (X.Ages.2.2.4) All the Thessalians, except those who happened to be in exile at the time, followed at his heels and kept molesting him

(12) ταν ἐνθυμηθ τι τ ν α τ ν ἐστιν α το ς τε π ντα τὰ κακὰ ἐργ ζεσθαι καὶ τοὺς τοιο τους ἐπαινεῖν ο κ ἐθα μασα τ ς τ λμης τ ν λεγ ντων πὲρ α τοῦ

(18) Τὰς δὲ μ ξας ἐν τ σ σφι διαιτᾶτο τὰ τ κνα τε καὶ α γυναῖκες π σας καὶ τὰ πρ βατα π ντα, πλὴν σα σφι ἐς φορβὴν κανὰ ν, τοσαῦτα πολιπ μενοι τὰ λλα μα τ σι μ ξ σι προ πεμψαν (Hdt.4.121.5) as for the wagons in which their children and wives lived, all these they sent forward, charged to drive ever northward; and with the waggons they sent all their flocks, keeping non back save such as were sufficient for their food .

2) When the syntactic element of the main predication is lacking, the structure introduced by πλ ν occupies the empty slot of the main predication. In these cases πλ ν links the structure that it introduces to a layer of the clause as in the following examples: Satellite 2 (Extended Predication) (13) Τ δ' ἐξυβρ ζει, πλὴν ταν κλ rumours run Orestes is at hand .

PRAGMATICS

SEMANTICS

1) πλ ν links two elements of the same syntactic level: one of the main predication (orange) and the structure introduced by πλ ν (green)

The structure introduced by πλ ν yields the IDENTIFICATION OF CIRCUMSTANCES under which the State of Affairs of the main predication does not take place: CORRECTION EXCLUDING some information (green).

τινὸς / ξοντ' Ὀρ στην (S.El.293-294) So rails she, save at times when

(14) τοῖς μὲν Ἀθηνα οις ε νοι σαν, πλὴν καθ' σον τὴν Σικελ αν ᾤοντο α τοὺς δουλ σεσθαι (Th.6.88.1.2) They were well disposed to the Athenians, except in so far as they thought that they would enslave Sicily . 3) In these cases, the structure introduced by πλ ν has its own subordination mark.

Ei: [Xi [ei: [Predicate Argument] ((ej)Exception)X]]

4) Conclusion: as πλ ν is not a subordinator (but links structures of the same level) and the structures it introduces have their own subordination mark, in these cases it is not possible to speak of subordinated clauses of exception.

1) In these cases, the structure of Kortmann and Quirk are recognisable in Ancient Greek: Exception marker + finite verb

4.2 πλ ν ( τι) + finite verb

Examples: (19) καὶ ο δὲν μ ντοι ο δὲ τοῦτον παθεῖν φασαν, ο δ' λλος δὲ τ ν Ἑλλ νων ἐν τα τ τ μ χ παθεν ο δεὶς ο δ ν, πλὴν ἐπὶ τ ε ων μ τοξευθ να τις ἐλ γετο (X.An.1.8.20) nor, for that matter, did any other single man among Greeks get hurt whatsoever in this battle, save that someone on the left wing was reported to have been hit by an arrow . (20) Παυσαν ας μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπορε ετο ε ς τὴν Βοιωτ αν τ τε ο κοθεν χων στρ τευμα καὶ τὸ ἐκ Πελοπονν σου, πλὴν Κορ νθιοι ο κ κολο θουν α τοῖς (X.HG.3.5.17.5) But Pausanias the king marched into Boeotia with the troops from home and those from the Peloponnesus except for the Corinthians, who refused to accompany them .

1) It is not possible to distinguish a clear pragmatic characterizarion.

p either stands in the way of q, or p and q serve as arguments supporting opposite conclusions (Kortmann 1997: 87) because the verbal structure introduced by πλ ν is a CORRECTION of some information of the main predication.

2) Characteristics: a) the implicature of the structures in 4.1 is not possible. Therefore, πλ ν does not link units of the same level (although the πλ ν clauses corrects some information, cf. Semantics); b) some times, τι (Eng. that ) appears with πλ ν (as in some modern languages) but it is not syntactically linked with an Argument of the main clause as it was in 4.1. The presence of τι could be understood as a subordination marker. (21) Ἔοικε δέ τις παραπλησία ἡ φύσις εἶναι καὶ τῆς ἐν Κρήτῃ καλουµένης Κυπρίας συκῆς· καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνη φέρει τὸν καρπὸν ἐκ τοῦ στελέχους καὶ ἐκ τῶν παχυτάτων ἀκρεµόνων, πλὴν ὅτι βλαστόν τινα ἀφίησι µικρὸν ἄφυλλον ὥσπερ ῥιζίον, πρὸς ᾧ γε ὁ καρπός (Thphr. HP. 4.2.3.4) “Somewhat similar appears to be the character of the tree which in Crete is called ‘Cyprian fig’. For this also bears its fruit on the stem and on the thisckest branches , only in this case there is a small leafless shoot, like a root, to which the fruit is attached”.

2) Nevertheless, in some cases, it seems to be possible to recognize its use as RESTRICTING FOCUS. In these cases, S presumes that A possesses a piece of information X, but also (incorrectly) believes that Y is the case. [ ] S corrects the presumed pragmatic information of A by restricting a set of presumed items to those items which he considers to be correct values for the position involved (Dik 1997: 334, cf. also Revuelta 2000: 1188).

Ei: [Xi: [ei: [Predicate Argument] (ej)Exception]] cf. Pérez 2002: 140, for a more sophisticated representation

(22) παρὰ μὲν Κ ρου δο λου ντος ο δεὶς π ει πρὸς βασιλ α, πλὴν Ὀρ ντας ἐπεχε ρησε (X.An. 1.9.29.2) Although Cyrus was a slave, no one deserted him to join the King, save that Orontas attempted to do so . (orange: corrected information / green: new information)

c) There is dependence on the illocutionary force of the main clause. d) The State of Affaires of the Exception clause and the one of the main clause are simultaneous. 3) Conclusion: these are the cases where it could be possible to postulate the existence of subordinated clauses of Exception in Ancient Greek

5. Appendix 1: πλ ν beyond the clause 1) In some examples πλ ν links elements bigger than predications. 2) In these cases it functions as a POP discourse marker, that is, it indicates the end of a subordinated informative unit (a digression) and the return to a main informative unit (cf. Polanyi - Scha 1983, Slings 1997). 3) Features that indicate that there are two informative levels: a) Main informative level: verbs in aorist (red); subordinated level: verbs in present (green) (23) b) Content of the informative units 4) Features that indicate the end of a digression a) Repetition of lexicon (blue) before the Push and after the Pop (23) b) Expressions such as as I was saying (ὡς ε πον in (24)) c) Temporal deictics that link to the time before the digresión (τ τε in (24)) 5) Therefore the position of πλ ν in these contexts and the loss of the meaning except make it possible to think about πλ ν as a Pop marker. 6) As πλ ν organize the discourse, it functions as a Satellite 4 (σ4)

(23) Ἤδη δὲ τ ς ὥρας συναγο σης, παναγκαζ μενος α τοῦ στρατοπεδε ειν, περὶ τὴν ἐκ τ ν στεν ν ξοδον ἐχρ σατο στρατοπεδε ᾳ, κατὰ σ μπτωμα τ ν γεμ νων περιβαλομ νων τοιοῦτον τ πον ο ον ο κ ν λλον τις ε ροι βουλ μενος ε ς τὴν χ ραν τ ς Λακωνικ ς παρ' α τὴν τὴν π λιν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν Ε σβολ ν. PUSH στι γὰρ ἐπὶ τ ς ρχ ς τ ν προειρημ νων στεν ν, ταν πὸ τ ς Τεγ ας καθ λου τ ς μεσογα ου παραγιν μενος ἐγγ ζ τις τ Λακεδα μονι, τ πος π χων μὲν τ ς π λεως δ ο μ λιστα σταδ ους, ἐπ' α τοῦ δὲ κε μενος τοῦ ποταμοῦ. το του δὲ συμβα νει τὴν μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν π λιν καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν βλ πουσαν πλευρὰν περι χεσθαι πᾶσαν πορρ γι μεγ λ καὶ παντελ ς προσ τ · τὸ δ ἐπὶ τοῖς κρημνοῖς το τοις χωρ ον ἐπ πεδ ν ἐστι καὶ γε δες καὶ κ θυγρον, μα δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὰς ε σαγωγὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξαγωγὰς τ ν δυν μεων ε φυ ς κε μενον, ὥστε τὸν στρατοπεδε σαντα ἐν α τ καὶ κατασχ ντα τὸν περκε μενον λ φον δοκεῖν μὲν ἐν σφαλεῖ στρατοπεδε ειν διὰ τὴν παρ θεσιν τ ς π λεως, στρατοπεδε ειν δ' ἐν καλλ στ , κρατοῦντα τ ς ε σ δου καὶ τ ς δι δου (τ ν) στεν ν. γε Φ λιππος, καταστρατοπεδε σας ἐν το τ μετ' POPπλὴν σφαλε ας, τ κατὰ π δας μ ρᾳ τὴν μὲν ποσκευὴν προαπ στειλε, τὴν δὲ δ ναμιν ἐξ ταξεν ἐν τοῖς ἐπιπ δοις ε σ νοπτον τοῖς ἐκ τ ς π λεως (Plb.5.24.1-6)

The day was now far advanced, and Philip being obliged to encamp on the spot availed himself of a site just at the end of the narrow passage, his officers having by chance chosen as a camping ground the most advantageous spot it would be possible to find for anyone wishing to invade Laconia by passing close to the city of Sparta. For there is at the entrance of the narrow passage I described above, as one approaches Lacedaemon coming from Tegea or from any part of the interior, a certain site distant at the most two stades from the town and lying close to the river. On the side which looks to the town and the river it is entirely surrounded by a lofty and quite inaccesible cliff, but the ground at the top of the precipice is flat, covered with soil, and well supplied with water, and also very favourably situated for the entry or the exit of an army, so that anyone encamping on it and holding the hill above it would seem to have chosen for his camp a somewhat insecure position owing to the vicinity of the city, but is really encamped in the best possible position, as he commands the entrance and passage of the narrows. Philip, then, having encamped here in safety, sent on his baggage on the following day and marshalled his troops on the level ground in full view of those in the city.

º 

(24) ρτι δ' α τοῦ θεωμ νου τὸν γ να τὸν γυμνικ ν, παρ ν ἐκ Μακεδον ας γραμματοφ ρος διασαφ ν τι λε πονται Ῥωμαῖοι μ χ μεγ λ καὶ κρατεῖ τ ν πα θρων Ἀνν βας. Παραυτ κα μὲν ο ν Δημητρ τ Φαρ μ ν τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐπ δειξε, σιωπᾶν παρακελευσ μενος· ς καὶ λαβ μενος τ ς φορμ ς τα της τὸν μὲν πρὸς τοὺς Α τωλοὺς ᾤετο δεῖν τὴν ταχ στην πορρῖψαι π λεμον, ντ χεσθαι δὲ τ ν κατὰ τὴν λλυρ δα πραγμ των ξ ου καὶ τ ς ε ς ταλ αν διαβ σεως. τὰ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλ δα π ντα καὶ νῦν δη ποιεῖν α τ τὸ προσταττ μενον φη καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ποι σειν, Ἀχαι ν μὲν ἐθελοντὴν ε νοο ντων, Α τωλ ν δὲ καταπεπληγμ νων ἐκ τ ν συμβεβηκ των α τοῖς κατὰ τὸν ἐνεστ τα π λεμον· τὴν δ' ταλ αν φη καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ δι βασιν ρχὴν ε ναι τ ς πὲρ τ ν λων ἐπιβολ ς, ν ο δενὶ καθ κειν μᾶλλον 'κε ν τὸν δὲ καιρὸν ε ναι νῦν, ἐπταικ των Ῥωμα ων. τοιο τοις δὲ χρησ μενος λ γοις ταχ ως παρ ρμησε τὸν Φ λιππον, PUSHὡς ν, ο μαι, καὶ ν ον βασιλ α καὶ κατὰ τὰς πρ ξεις ἐπιτυχ καὶ καθ λου τολμηρὸν ε ναι δοκοῦντα, πρὸς δὲ το τοις ἐξ ο κ ας ὁρμ μενον τοια της, μ λιστ πως εὶ τ ς τ ν λων ἐλπ δος ἐφ εται. γε Φ λιππος, ὡς ε πον, τ τε μὲν α τ POPΠλὴν τ Δημητρ τὰ προσπεπτωκ τα διὰ τ ς ἐπιστολ ς ἐδ λωσε, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα συν γε τοὺς φ λους καὶ διαβο λιον νεδ δου περὶ τ ς πρὸς Α τωλοὺς διαλ σεως (Plb.5.101.6-5.102.3)

A little after he had taken his place to witness the games a courier arrived from Macedonia bringing the intelligence that the Romans had been defeated in a great battle, and that Hannibal was master of the open country. The only man to whom he showed the letter at first, enjoinng him to keep it to himself, was Demetrius of Pharos. Demetrius seized on this opportunity to advise him to get the Aetolian war off his shoulders as soon as possible, and to devote himself to the reduction of Illlyria and a subsequent expedition to Italy. The whole of Greece, he said, was even now and would be in the future subservient to him, the Achaeans being his partisans by inclination and the spirit of the Aetolians being cowed by what had happened during the war. An expedition, however, to Italy was the first step towards the conquest of the world, an enterprise which belonged to none more properly than to himself. And now was the time, after this disaster to the Roman army. By such words as these he soon aroused Philip s ambition, as I think was to be expected in the case of a king so young, who had achieved so much success, who had such a reputation for daring, and above all who came from a house which we may say had always been inclined more than any other to covet universal dominion. Philip, then, as I said, communicated to Demetrius alone the news that reached him in the letter, and afterwards Philip summoned a council of his friends to discuss the question of peace with the Aetolians.

6. Appendix 2: πλ ν and its combinations Several authors have studied πλ ν and its different uses over time: Mayser 1926, Schwyzer- Debrunner 1950, Thrall (1962), Monteil (1963), Chantraine (1968), Blomqvist (1969), Foucault (1972), Adrados (1992), Redondo Moyano (2003). I schematize now the different stages of this word and its usages (I have indicated when a new usage appears). What is important in this schema is that as time goes by, πλ ν introduces bigger syntactic units, as expected (cf. the case of π λιν in Revuelta (2006)) Time Homer

5th century

Syntax

Semantics

Example

Word class

πλ ν + NP Genitive

Exception

(25) π ντων Φαι κων πλ ν γ' α τοῦ Λαοδ μαντος (Hom.Od.8.207) (let any one come) of all the Phaeacians, save Laodamas alone .

Preposition

πλ ν + NP Other case

Exception

(26) Ο κ ρ' Ἀχαιοῖς νδρες ε σὶ πλὴν δε; (S.Aj.1238) Have the Achaeans, then, no men except him? . (27) Ο κ ο δα πλὴν ν (S.OC.1161) I know one thing only . (28) Ἀλλ' στι, πλὴν σο (S.OT.370) it has except for you .

πλ ν + PP

Exception

(29) Νικᾶν γε μ ντοι πανταχοῦ χρ ζων φυν, / πλὴν ε ς σ (S.Ph.1052-1053) It is in may nature always to desire victory except over you! .

Coordinator: - because it links units of the same syntactic level, as seen in 4.1. - very similiar to the adverbs c...