All Questions
Tagged with syntax ancient-greek
22
questions
6
votes
1
answer
632
views
What is μέγεθος referring to in Jewish War 3.4
In the Jewish War chapter 3.4, it says:
μόνον [οὖν] εὑρίσκει Οὐεσπασιανὸν ταῖς χρείαις ἀναλογοῦντα καὶ τηλικούτου πολέμου μέγεθος ἀναδέξασθαι δυνάμενον
"He found only Vespasian a match for the ...
- 63
4
votes
1
answer
207
views
Greek "datives of agent" in Latin classical prose?
When including the following poetic examples from Horace and Ovid in what turned out to be a long answer to a previous post on datives of agent, I made this hesitant remark: Perhaps I'm wrong but I'd ...
- 9,036
3
votes
1
answer
141
views
Odyssey A.65: how is περὶ used in περὶ νόον ἐστὶ βροτῶν, περὶ δ᾿ ἱρὰ θεοῖσιν // ἀθανάτοισιν ἔδωκε?
The use of περὶ in verse 65 of Odyssey A is not entirely clear to me, neither in syntax nor in meaning:
πῶς ἂν ἔπειτ᾿ Ὀδυσῆος ἐγὼ θείοιο λαθοίμην,
ὃς περὶ μὲν νόον ἐστὶ βροτῶν, περὶ δ᾿ ἱρὰ θεοῖσιν
...
- 20.1k
6
votes
1
answer
194
views
Should apposition in ancient Greek be identified as juxtaposition or coordination?
I have noticed in Greek grammars that varying descriptions of the syntactic relationship of elements placed side-by-side (with no conjunction) have been alternately described as either A) (...
5
votes
1
answer
257
views
Plato's Phaedo - a syntax question
Plato, Phaedo, 105b-c:
εἰ γὰρ ἔροιό με ᾧ ἂν τί ἐν τῷ σώματι ἐγγένηται θερμὸν ἔσται, οὐ τὴν [105ξ] ἀσφαλῆ σοι ἐρῶ ἀπόκρισιν ἐκείνην τὴν ἀμαθῆ, ὅτι ᾧ ἂν θερμότης
I guess it can be rearranged so:
εἰ ...
- 1,567
6
votes
1
answer
188
views
Aristotle Metaphysics - questions on syntax
Metaphysics, 994b7-9:
ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἀδύνατον τὸ πρῶτον ἀΐδιον ὂν φθαρῆναι: ἐπεὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἄπειρος ἡ γένεσις ἐπὶ τὸ ἄνω, ἀνάγκη ἐξ οὗ φθαρέντος πρώτου τι ἐγένετο μὴ ἀΐδιον εἶναι.
Latin translation:
Simul ...
- 1,567
11
votes
1
answer
243
views
Scope of negation with absolute constructions
In Latin and Greek, when a negator appears in an absolute construction (ablative absolute, genitive absolute), it is generally taken to negate the predicate within that construction:
hostibus ...
- 31.5k
4
votes
0
answers
148
views
Greek: indirect discourse / sequence of moods after κελεύω etc.?
I'm wondering about the proper Greek translation of a sentence like:
He ordered me to do whatever I wanted.
This sentence has an indefinite relative clause (whatever I wanted) after a verb of ...
- 31.5k
10
votes
2
answers
279
views
Omission of a repeated verb in second part of a μέν ... δέ
This question is about the Greek equivalent of sentences like
I do not fear the Greeks, but I do fear the Romans.
Socrates didn't write dialogues, but Plato did.
These sentences use or imply the ...
- 31.5k
5
votes
2
answers
91
views
Why the placement of the verse break between John 7:21-22?
I've been slowly working my way through the Gospel of John translating from the Greek. Coming to John 7:21-22, I am a bit stumped as to why editors have placed sentence and verse breaks where they ...
- 223
4
votes
1
answer
115
views
Translating "the nature of man" in Ancient Greek
As far as I know, the nature of man could be translated in at least two ways in Attic Greek:
ἡ φῠ́σῐς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
ἡ τοῦ φῠ́σῐς ἀνθρώπου
The second version seems to have been more ...
- 982
7
votes
1
answer
275
views
Does Classical Latin have "lilies prolepsis"?
There's a particular type of prolepsis in Greek which is often called "lilies prolepsis" because of the most famous example:
καταμάθετε τὰ κρίνα τοῦ ἀγροῦ πῶς αὐξάνουσιν
Consider the lilies of ...
- 68.3k
7
votes
0
answers
223
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Greek: unattainable wishes about the present
This is a question about how a specific type of unattainable (counterfactual) wish about the present is expressed in Greek.
I'm looking for a good way of translating sentences like the following into ...
- 31.5k
4
votes
1
answer
141
views
Syntax of a Greek passage from Dionysius of Halicarnassus
I'm trying to puzzle out the syntax of a passage from Dionysius of Halicarnassus' Demosthenes (chapter 2). Dionysius is talking about styles of speech (λέξις), and has just finished discussing the ...
- 31.5k
13
votes
1
answer
440
views
Are there instances of free indirect discourse in Latin or Greek?
Free indirect discourse is a type of narrative device which has some similarities with direct discourse and some with ordinary indirect discourse, but is different from both. Here's an English example,...
- 31.5k