1887
Volume 14, Issue 2
  • ISSN 2210-2116
  • E-ISSN: 2210-2124
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

Polarity reversal has recently been argued to be the defining characteristic of counterfactuality. Ancient Greek had a diverse set of constructions which bring about polarity reversal that is not the direct result of a negation marker nor do they all express a counterfactual meaning. It is the aim of this paper to detail the major differences between these constructions synchronically and especially diachronically, focusing on counterfactual mood forms, counterfactual modal verbs, avertives (almost+past (im)perfective), non-counterfactual rhetorical questions and non-standard wishes. As a historically varied constructional group, these constructions bring about polarity reversal in different ways with different implicatures (e.g., counterfactual, contradictory, undesirable), but they most importantly differ in their diachronic conventionalization of polarity reversal. Whereas counterfactuals conventionalize their polarity reversal in various ways (e.g., changing temporal reference, counterfactual implicature transfer), non-counterfactual polarity reversal constructions create polarity reversal as a synchronic implicature through pragmatic means (e.g., a rhetorical question identifying a contradictory presupposition in the common ground or a non-standard wish evaluating an undesirable outcome to the speaker).

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/jhl.22048.lar
2023-03-30
2024-12-13
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Maria Pantelia
    ed. (n.d.). Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. A Digital Library of Greek Literature. url: stephanus.tlg.uci.edu
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Allan, Rutger J.
    2013 Exploring Modality’s Semantic Space: Grammaticalization, Subjectification and the Case of ὀφείλω. Glotta891.1–46. 10.13109/glot.2013.89.14.1
    https://doi.org/10.13109/glot.2013.89.14.1 [Google Scholar]
  3. Bartolotta, Annemaria & Daniel Kölligan
    2020 Modality and Injunctive in Homeric Greek: The Role of Epistemic Particles and Adverbs in Counterfactual Constructions. Papers on Ancient Greek Linguistics: Proceedings of the Ninth International Colloquium on Ancient Greek Linguistics (ICAGL9) 30 August – 1September 2018, Helsinkied. byMarja Vierros, Martti Leiwo & Sonja Dahlgren, 417–445. Helsinki: Societas Scientiarum Fennice.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Basset, Louis
    1979Les Emplois Périphrastiques Du Verbe Grec Mellein : Étude de Linguistique Grecque et Essai de Linguistique Générale. Lyon: Maison de l’Orient.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. 1989La syntaxe de l’imaginaire : étude des modes et des négations dans l’Iliade et l’Odyssée. Lyon : Maison de l’Orient.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Bentein, Klaas
    2012 The Periphrastic Perfect in Ancient Greek: A Diachronic Mental Space Analysis. Transactions of the Philological Society110:2.171–211. 10.1111/j.1467‑968X.2012.01289.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-968X.2012.01289.x [Google Scholar]
  7. 2016Verbal Periphrasis in Ancient Greek: Have- and Be- Constructions. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198747093.001.0001
    https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198747093.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  8. Brugmann, Karl & Albert Thumb
    1913Griechische Grammatik. München: C. H. Beck.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Brugmann, Karl
    1930Kurze vergleichende Grammatik der indogermanischen Sprachen : auf Grund des fünfbändigen Grundriss der vergleichenden Grammatik der indogermanischen Sprachen von K. Brugmann und B. Delbrück verfasst. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Bybee, Joan
    1995 The Semantic Development of Past Tense Modals in English. Modality in Grammar and Discourseed. byJoan L. Bybee & Suzanne Fleischman, 503–517. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/tsl.32.22byb
    https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.32.22byb [Google Scholar]
  11. Bybee, Joan L.
    2015Language Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9781139096768
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139096768 [Google Scholar]
  12. Campbell, Lyle
    2013Historical Linguistics : An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Dahl, Östen
    1997 The Relation between Past Time Reference and Counterfactuality: A New Look. On Conditionals Agained. byAngeliki Athenasiadou & René Dirven, 97–114. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1075/cilt.143.06dah
    https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.143.06dah [Google Scholar]
  14. Dancygier, Barbara
    2006Conditionals and Prediction: Time, Knowledge, and Causation in Conditional Constructions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Dayal, Veneeta
    2016Questions. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199281268.001.0001
    https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199281268.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  16. Declerck, Renaat & Susan Reed
    2001Conditionals: A Comprehensive Empirical Analysis. Berlin: De Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110851748
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110851748 [Google Scholar]
  17. Denizot, Camille
    2009 Un phénomène de double négation: οὐ μή suivis du futur ou du subjonctif. Syntaktika381.1–40.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. 2012 Impolite Orders in Ancient Greek?: The οὐκ ἐρεῖς; type. Journal of Historical Pragmatics13:1.110–128. 10.1075/jhp.13.1.05den
    https://doi.org/10.1075/jhp.13.1.05den [Google Scholar]
  19. Déprez, Viviane & Maria Teresa Espinal
    2020 Expletive Negation. The Oxford Handbook of Negationed. byDelfitto Denis, 254–268. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198830528.001.0001
    https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198830528.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  20. van Emde Boas, E.
    2005 Ποῖον τὸν μῦθον ἔειπες; Rhetorical Questions in Ancient Greek. Unpublished MA Thesis, University of Amsterdam.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. van Emde Boas, Evert, Albert Rijksbaron, Luuk Huitink & Mathieu De Bakker
    2019Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/9781139027052
    https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139027052 [Google Scholar]
  22. Goodwin, William W.
    1889Syntax of the Moods and Tenses of the Greek verb. New York: Macmillan & Co.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Fabricius-Hansen, Cathrine
    2021 Reflections on Counterfactuals. Theoretical Linguistics47:3–4.227–232. 10.1515/tl‑2021‑2020
    https://doi.org/10.1515/tl-2021-2020 [Google Scholar]
  24. Han, Chung H.
    2002 Interpreting Interrogatives as Rhetorical Questions. Lingua112:3.201–229. 10.1016/S0024‑3841(01)00044‑4
    https://doi.org/10.1016/S0024-3841(01)00044-4 [Google Scholar]
  25. Haspelmath, Martin
    1997Indefinite Pronouns. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Jin, Yanwei & Jean Pierre Koenig
    2021 A Cross-Linguistic Study of Expletive Negation. Linguistic Typology25:1.39–78. 10.1515/lingty‑2020‑2053
    https://doi.org/10.1515/lingty-2020-2053 [Google Scholar]
  27. Karttunen, Lauri
    1971 Subjunctive Conditionals and Polarity Reversals. Paper in Linguistics4:2.279–298. 10.1080/08351817109370260
    https://doi.org/10.1080/08351817109370260 [Google Scholar]
  28. Kissine, Mikhail
    2013From Utterances to Speech Acts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511842191
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511842191 [Google Scholar]
  29. Klein, Wolfgang
    2021a Another Way to Look at Counterfactuals. Theoretical Linguistics47:3–4.189–226. 10.1515/tl‑2021‑2019
    https://doi.org/10.1515/tl-2021-2019 [Google Scholar]
  30. 2021b Another Analysis of Counterfactuality: Replies. Theoretical Linguistics47:3–4.313–349. 10.1515/tl‑2021‑2028
    https://doi.org/10.1515/tl-2021-2028 [Google Scholar]
  31. Krug, Manfred G.
    2000Emerging English Modals: A Corpus-Based Study of Grammaticalization. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110820980
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110820980 [Google Scholar]
  32. Kühner, Raphael & Bernard Gerth
    1898Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache. Zweiter Teil: Satzlehre. Erster Band. Hannover : Hahnsche Buchhandlung.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Kuteva, Tania
    1998 On Identifying an Evasive Gram: Action Narrowly Averted. Studies in Language22:1.113–160. 10.1075/sl.22.1.05kut
    https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.22.1.05kut [Google Scholar]
  34. Kuteva, Tania, Bas Aarts, Gergana Popova & Anvita Abbi
    2019 The Grammar of ‘Non-Realization’. Studies in Language43:4.850–895. 10.1075/sl.18044.kut
    https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.18044.kut [Google Scholar]
  35. Mastronarde, Donald J.
    1979Contact and Discontinuity: Some Conventions of Speech and Action on the Greek Tragic Stage. Berkley: University of California Publications.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Mosegaard Hansen, Maj Britt
    2018 Cyclic Phenomena in the Evolution of Pragmatic Markers. Examples from Romance. Beyond Grammaticalization and Discourse Markers: New Issues in the Study of Language Changeed. byPons Bordería Salvador & Óscar Loureda Lamas, 51–77. Leiden: Brill.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Muchnová, Dagmar
    2016 Negation in Ancient Greek: A Typological Approach. Graeco-Latina Brunensia21.183–200. 10.5817/GLB2016‑2‑14
    https://doi.org/10.5817/GLB2016-2-14 [Google Scholar]
  38. Napoli, Maria
    2006Aspect and Actionality in Homeric Greek: A Contrastive Analysis. Milan: Franco Angeli.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. 2014 Attraction (Mood, Case, etc.). Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguisticsed. byG. Giannakis, V. Bubenik, E. Crespo, C. Golston, A. Lianeri, S. Luraghi & S. Matthaios, 208–215. Leiden: Brill.
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Narrog, Heiko
    2012Modality, Subjectivity, and Semantic Change: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199694372.001.0001
    https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199694372.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  41. Narrog, Heiko & Bernd Heine
    2021Grammaticalization. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Patard, Adeline
    2019 To the Roots of Fake Tense and ‘Counterfactuality’. Cross-Linguistic Perspectives on the Semantics of Grammatical Aspected. byRea Peltola & Emmanuelle Roussel, 176–212. Leiden: Brill. 10.1163/9789004401006_008
    https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004401006_008 [Google Scholar]
  43. Penka, Doris
    2015 Negation and Polarity. The Routledge Handbook of Semanticsed. byNick Riemer, 303–319. Abingdon: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  44. 2020 Negative and Positive Polarity Items. The Cambridge Handbook of Germanic Linguisticsed. byRichard B. Page & Michael T. Putnam, 639–660. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/9781108378291.028
    https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108378291.028 [Google Scholar]
  45. Revuelta Puigdollers, Antonio R.
    Forthcoming. Mood, Modality and Speech Act in Clause Combination: Formal and Pragmatic Features. Building Modality with Syntax: Focus on Ancient Greek ed. by Camille Denizot & Liana Tronci. Berlin: De Gruyter.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. 2021 La Negacíon. Sintaxis del Griego Antiguoed. byJiménez López, 723–764. Madrid: CSIC.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Rijksbaron, Albert
    2006The Syntax and Semantics of the Verb in Classical Greek: An Introduction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  48. la Roi, Ezra
    2019 Epistemic Modality, Particles and the Potential Optative in Classical Greek. Journal of Greek Linguistics19:1.58–89. 10.1163/15699846‑01901002
    https://doi.org/10.1163/15699846-01901002 [Google Scholar]
  49. 2020 The Variation of Classical Greek Wishes: A Functional Discourse Grammar and Common Ground approach. Glotta96:1.213–245. 10.13109/glot.2020.96.1.213
    https://doi.org/10.13109/glot.2020.96.1.213 [Google Scholar]
  50. 2022a Interlocking Life-Cycles of Counterfactual Mood from Archaic to Classical Greek: Between Aspect and Changing Temporal Reference. Indogermanische Forschungen1271.235–282. 10.1515/if‑2022‑0012
    https://doi.org/10.1515/if-2022-0012 [Google Scholar]
  51. 2022b Towards a Chronology of the Modal Particles: The Diachronic Spread in the Ancient Greek Mood System. Graeco-Latina Brunensia27:2.113–135. 10.5817/GLB2022‑2‑8
    https://doi.org/10.5817/GLB2022-2-8 [Google Scholar]
  52. 2022c The Pragmatics of the Past: A Novel Typology of Conditionals with Past Tenses in Ancient Greek. Listy Filologicke1441:3–4.
    [Google Scholar]
  53. . Forthcoming. A Pragmatic Syntax of Counterfactual Mood Attraction and Mood (A)symmetry from Archaic to Classical Greek. Building Modality with Syntax: Focus on Ancient Greek ed. by Camille Denizot & Liana Tronci. Berlin: De Gruyter.
    [Google Scholar]
  54. Rhee, Seongha
    2003 From Discourse to Grammar: Grammaticalization and Lexicalization of Rhetorical Questions in Korean. LACUS Forum301.413–423.
    [Google Scholar]
  55. Ruiz Yamuza, Emila
    2008Tres verbos que significan ‘deber’ en Griego Antiguo. Zaragoza: Libros Portico.
    [Google Scholar]
  56. Ruiz Yamuza, Emilia
    2021 Past Tenses of Modal Verbs: ἔδει and (ἐ)χρῆν in Attic Tragedy and Comedy. Synchrony and Diachrony of Ancient Greeked. byGeorgios K. Giannakis, Luz Conti, Jesús de la Villa & Raquel Fornieles, 279–290. Berlin: De Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110719192‑022
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110719192-022 [Google Scholar]
  57. Schwyzer, Eduard & Albert Debrunner
    1950Griechische Grammatik. Zweiter Band. Syntax und syntaktische Stilistik. München: Beck.
    [Google Scholar]
  58. Shalev, Donna
    2001 Illocutionary Clauses Accompanying Questions in Greek Drama and in Platonic Dialogue. Mnemosyne54:5.531–561. 10.1163/15685250152909011
    https://doi.org/10.1163/15685250152909011 [Google Scholar]
  59. Smyth, Herbert W. & Gordon M. Messing
    1968A Greek Grammar. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  60. Stahl, Johann M.
    1907Kritisch-historische Syntax des griechischen Verbums der klassischen Zeit. Heidelberg: Winter.
    [Google Scholar]
  61. Strunk, Klaus
    1984 Probleme der Sprachrekonstruktion und das Fehlen Zweier Modi im Hethitischen. Incontri Linguistici91.135–152.
    [Google Scholar]
  62. Van linden, An & Jean-Christophe Verstraete
    2008 The Nature and Origins of Counterfactuality in Simple Clauses. Journal of Pragmatics40:11.1865–1895. 10.1016/j.pragma.2008.03.008
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2008.03.008 [Google Scholar]
  63. Van linden, An
    2021 A Usage-Based Approach to Counterfactuality: Optionality of the Apodosis. Theoretical Linguistics47:3–4.277–286. 10.1515/tl‑2021‑2025
    https://doi.org/10.1515/tl-2021-2025 [Google Scholar]
  64. Verstraete, Jean-Christophe & Sarah D’Hertefelt
    2014 Polariteitsomkering bij insubordinatie. InPatroon en Argument: een dubbelfeestbundel bij het emeritaat van William Van Belle en Joop van der Horsted. byFreek van de Velde, Hans Smessaert, Frank van den Eynde & Sara Verbrugge, 639–651. Leuven: Leuven University Press. 10.2307/j.ctt14jxsr0.46
    https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt14jxsr0.46 [Google Scholar]
  65. Verstraete, Jean-Christophe & Ellison Luk
    2021 Shaking Up Counterfactuality: Even Closer to the Linguistic Facts. Theoretical Linguistics47:3–4.287–296. 10.1515/tl‑2021‑2026
    https://doi.org/10.1515/tl-2021-2026 [Google Scholar]
  66. Wakker, Gerry C.
    1994Conditions and Conditionals: An Investigation of Ancient Greek. Amsterdam: Gieben. 10.1163/9789004408982
    https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004408982 [Google Scholar]
  67. Willmott, Jo
    2007The Moods of Homeric Greek. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  68. Yang, Zhixia
    2018 A Corpus-based Study of Rhetorical Questions in Monologic Genres in the Framework of Relevance Theory. Unpublished Thesis, Birmingham City University.
    [Google Scholar]
  69. Ziegeler, Debra
    2000Hypothetical Modality: Grammaticalisation in an L2 Dialect. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. 10.1075/slcs.51
    https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.51 [Google Scholar]
  70. 2016 Intersubjectivity and the Diachronic Development of Counterfactual almost. Journal of Historical Pragmatics17:1.1–25. 10.1075/jhp.17.1.01zie
    https://doi.org/10.1075/jhp.17.1.01zie [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/jhl.22048.lar
Loading
/content/journals/10.1075/jhl.22048.lar
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): Ancient Greek; counterfactuality; illocutionary force; implicature; polarity reversal
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error