Beyond affectedness – partitive objects and degrees of agenthood in Ancient Greek
In several ancient and modern Indo-European languages, the partitive-genitive may be used in place of the accusative to encode the second argument of two-place verbs. In Ancient Greek the two types of object encoding can alternate with change-of-state verbs, alternation being viewed as connected with degrees of patient affectedness: the partitive-genitive encodes partially affected objects. Alternation also extends to experiential verbs, which are typically characterized by a low degree of transitivity and do not imply any change of state of the object-stimulus. Rather than concentrating on the implications of case alternation on the construal of the object, I consider the effects of variation on the whole construction, and argue that genitive vs. accusative marking of the object (NomGen vs. NomAcc constructions) reflects the construal of the subject-experiencer. While the different construal of the experiencer in terms of degrees of control cross-linguistically often results in non-nominative encoding of the experiencer, in Ancient Greek it is object encoding that affects the construal of the experiencer and reflects a scale based on possible control. The distribution of constructions with experiential verbs shows that NomAcc is typical of verbs of sight, thought, intellectual knowledge and emotions connected to sight and awareness, such as wonder and fear. NomGen is connected with touch, smell, taste, memory, forgetfulness, care and desire. In the in-between area, verbs of hearing, learning and verbs of affection may feature both accusative and genitive encoding, thus constituting a fuzzy transition area. The connection between sight and other experiential verbs that feature accusative encoding reflects an embodied conceptualization of experiential situations.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.NomACC/NomGen alternation along the sub-hierarchy of patient affectedness
- 3.NomACC/NomGen alternation along the sub-hierarchy of agentivity
- 3.1Perception, sensation and volition
- 3.2Cognition
- 3.3Emotion
- 4.Connections between the two sub-hierachies
- 5.Conclusion
- Notes
- List of Abbreviations
-
References
References (43)
Aldai, Gontzal and Søren Wichmann
2018 Statistical observations on hierarchies of transitivity.
Folia Lingüistica 52(2): 249–281.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bertolín Cebrián, Reyes
1996 Die Verben des Denkens Bei Homer. Innsbruck: Verlag des Institutes der Sprachwissenschaft der Universität Innsbruck.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Chantraine, Pierre
1953 Grammaire Homérique II1:
Syntaxe. Paris: Klincksieck.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Chantraine, Pierre
1977 Dictionnaire Étymologique de la Langue Grecque. Paris: Klincksieck.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Chappell, Hilary & Jean-Christophe Verstraete
2019 Optional and alternating case marking: Typology and diachrony.
Language and Linguistics Compass 13(3). e12311.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Conti, Luz
2010a Synchronie und Diachronie des Altgriechischen Genitivs als Semisubjekt.
Historische Sprachforschungen 1211 2008(2010): 94–113.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Conti, Luz
2010b Análisis del Dativo en Construcciones Impersonales: los Conceptos de Sujeto y de Semisujeto en Griego Antiguo.
Emerita – Revista de Linguistica y Filología Clasica 78(2): 249–273.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Conti, Luz and Silvia Luraghi
2014 The Ancient Greek Partitive Genitive in Typological Perspective. In:
Silvia Luraghi and
Tuomas Huumo (eds.).
Partitive Case and Related Categories, pp. 443–476. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Dahl, Eystein
2014 Partitive Subjects and Objects in Indo-Iranian and beyond. In:
Silvia Luraghi and
Tuomas Huumo (eds.).
Partitive Case and Related Categories, pp. 417–441. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Daniel, Michael
2014 The second genitive in Russian. In:
Silvia Luraghi and
Tuomas Huumo (eds).
Partitive cases and related categories. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 347–377.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Darwin, Charles R.
1872 Expression of the emotions in man and animals. London: Albemarle.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ekman, Paul and Wallace Friesen
2003 Unmasking the face. Cambridge (Mass.): Malor Books.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Fridlund, Alan
1994 Human facial expression. An evolutionary view. New York: Academic Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Giusti, Giuliana and Petra Sleeman
2021 Partitive elements in the languages of Europe. An advancement in the understanding of a multifaceted phenomenon. In:
Petra Sleeman &
Giuliana Giusti (eds.),
Partitive determiners, partitive pronouns and partitive case. Berlin: Mouton DeGruyter, 2–29.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hartmann, Iren, Martin Haspelmath and Bradley Taylor
(eds.) 2013 Valency Patterns Leipzig. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. (Available online at
[URL], Accessed on 2021-01-12)
Haspelmath, Martin
2015 Transitivity prominence. In:
Andrej L. Malchukov and
Bernard Comrie (eds.),
Valency classes in the world’s languages: A comparative handbook, vol. 11, 131–147. Berlin: Mouton De Gruyter.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Havers, Wilhelm
1924 Eine syntaktische Sonderstellung griechischer und lateinischer Neutra.
Glotta 13(3): 171–189.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hettrich, Heinrich
2014 Some remarks on the adverbal genitive in Rigvedic Sanskrit. In:
Jared Klein and
Elizabeth Tucker (eds.).
Vedic and Sanskrit Historical Linguistics, pp. 129–152. New Delhi: Motilal Banarshidas.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hoop, Helen de & Andrej Malchukov
2008 Case-marking strategies.
Linguistic Inquiry 391. 565–587.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Humbert, Jean
1960 Syntaxe Grecque. Paris: Klincksieck.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Iemmolo, Giorgio
2013 Symmetric and asymmetric alternations in direct object encoding.
STUF: Language Typology and Universals 66(3). 378–403.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Iemmolo, Giorgio and Gerson Klumpp
2014 Introduction.
Linguistics 52(2): 271–279.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Luraghi, Silvia
2011 Two theoretical approaches to cases in comparison. In:
Thomas Krisch and
Thomas Lindner (eds.).
Akten der 13.Fachtagung der Indogermanischen Gesellschaft, Wiesbaden: Reichert, 331–341.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Luraghi, Silvia
2020 Experiential verbs in Homeric Greek: A constructional approach. Leiden: Brill.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Luraghi, Silvia and Seppo Kittilä
2014 The typology and diachrony of partitives. In:
Silvia Luraghi and
Tuomas Huumo (eds.).
Partitive Case and Related Categories, 17–62. Berlin: Mouton DeGruyter.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Luraghi, Silvia and Chiara Zanchi
2018 Double accusative constructions and ditransitives in Ancient Greek. In:
Agnes Korn and
Andrej Malchukov (eds)
Ditransitive constructions in a cross-linguistic perspective, pp. 13–35. Wiesbaden: Reichert.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Malchukov, Andreej L.
2005 Case Pattern Splits, Verb Types and Construction Competition. In:
Mengistu Amberber and
Helen de Hoop (eds.).
Competition and Variation in Natural Languages: The Case for Case, pp. 73–117. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Malchukov, Andreej L. and Bernard Comrie
(eds) 2015 Valency Classes in the World’s Languages. Vols 1, 21 Berlin: De Gruyter.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Mette, Hans Joachim
1961 ‘Schauen’ und ‘Staunen’.
Glotta 391: 49–71.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Napoli, Maria
2010 The case for the partitive case: the contribution of Ancient Greek.
Transactions of the Philological Society 108(1): 15–40.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Reh, Mechthild and Christiane Simon
1998 Experiens-Konstruktionen in Mande Sprachen, in:
Mechthild Reh,
Christiane Simon and
Katrin Koops (eds.)
Experiens Kodierung in afrikanischen Sprachen typologisch gesehen: Formen und ihre Motivierungen, pp. 41–88. Hamburg: Institut für Afrikanistik und Äthiopistik.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Sausa, Eleonora
2015 Argument Structure Construction in Homeric Greek. A Study on Bivalent verbs. PhD thesis. University of Pavia.
Schwyzer, Eduard
1950 Griechische Grammatik. Band 2. Syntax und Syntaktische Stilistik.
Albert Debrunner (ed.). München: Beck.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tamm, Anne
2014 The Partitive Concept versus Linguistic Partitives: From Abstract Concepts to Evidentiality in the Uralic Languages In:
Silvia Luraghi and
Tuomas Huumo (eds.).
Partitive Case and Related Categories, 90–151. Berlin: Mouton De Gruyter.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ter-Avanesova, Aleksandra and Michael Daniel
this vol.).
The Second Genitive in the history of Russian and across its dialects.
Tsunoda, Tasaku
1985 Remarks on Transitivity. Journal of Linguistics 211: 385–396.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tsunoda, Tasaku
2015 The hierarchy of two-place predicates: Its limitations. In
Andrej Malchukov and
Bernard Comrie (eds.).
Valency classes in the world’s languages, 1575–1603. Berlin: Mouton De Gruyter.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Viberg, Åke
1984 The Verbs of Perception: a Typological Study.
Linguistics 211: 123–162.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Wierzbicka, Anna
1999 Emotions Across Languages and Cultures: Diversity and Universals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cited by (1)
Cited by 1 other publications
Sleeman, Petra
2024.
Introduction
Partitive Constructions and Partitive Elements
. In
Partitive Constructions and Partitive Elements Within and Across Language Borders in Europe
,
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 5 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.