This is the first full-scale reference grammar of Classical Greek in English in a century. The first work of its kind to reflect significant advances in linguistics made in recent decades, it provides students, teachers and academics with a comprehensive yet user-friendly treatment. The chapters on phonology and morphology make full use of insights from comparative and historical linguistics to elucidate complex systems of roots, stems and endings. The syntax offers linguistically up-to-date descriptions of such topics as case usage, tense and aspect, voice, subordinate clauses, infinitives and participles. An innovative section on textual coherence treats particles and word order and discusses several sample passages in detail, demonstrating new ways of approaching Greek texts. Throughout the book numerous original examples are provided, all with translations and often with clarifying notes. Clearly laid-out tables, helpful cross-references and full indexes make this essential resource accessible to users of all levels.
Plundering and taking home precious objects from a defeated enemy was a widespread activity in the Greek and Hellenistic-Roman world. In this volume literary critics, historians and archaeologists join forces in investigating this phenomenon in terms of appropriation and cultural change. In-depth interpretations of famous ancient spoliations, like that of the Greeks after Plataea or the Romans after the capture of Jerusalem, reveal a fascinating paradox: while the material record shows an eager incorporation of new objects, the texts display abhorrence of the negative effects they were thought to bring along. As this volume demonstrates, both reactions testify to the crucial innovative impact objects from abroad may have.
This study is devoted to a corpus of Old Russian letters, written on pieces of birchbark. These unique texts from Novgorod and surroundings give us an exceptional impression of everyday life in medieval Russian society. In this study, the birchbark letters are addressed from a pragmatic angle. Linguistic parameters are identified that shed light on the degree to which literacy had gained ground in communicative processes. It is demonstrated that the birchbark letters occupy an intermediate position between orality and literacy. On the one hand, oral habits of communication persisted, as reflected in how the birchbark letters are phrased; on the other hand, literate modes of expression emerged, as seen in the development of normative conventions and literate formulae.
Central in this volume of the 6th International Colloquium on Ancient Greek Linguistics is the question how cohesion is created in Ancient Greek texts. The contributions to the volume either discuss the various cohesive devices that occur in a specific text or focus on the use and function of a particular cohesion device in a larger corpus. Apart from the use of pronomina and particles, less standard cohesive devices, like the use of tense and the grammatical form of complements, are taken into consideration. The result is a volume that gives a good impression of recent research in the field of Greek linguistics, not only of interest for classical scholars, but also for general linguists interested in discourse coherence cnd cohesion. Contributors include: Rutger J. Allan, Stéphanie J. Bakker, Louis Basset, Anna Bonifazi, Annemieke Drummen, Marietje (A.M.) van Erp Taalman Kip, Coulter H. George, Luuk Huitink, Sander Orriens, Annemieke van der Plaat, Antonio Revuelta, Albert Rijksbaron and Gerry C. Wakker.
This volume constitutes the first large-scale collaborative reflection on Xenophon’s Anabasis, gathering experts on Greek historiography and Xenophon. It is structured in three sections: the first section provides a linear reading of the Anabasis through chapters on select episodes (from Book 1 through Book 7), including the opening, Cyrus’ characterisation, the meeting of Socrates and Xenophon, Xenophon’s leadership, the marches through Armenia and along the Black Sea coast and the service under Seuthes in Thrace. The second section offers an in-depth exploration of hitherto overlooked recurrent themes. Based on new approaches and scholarly trends, it focuses on topics such as the concept of friendship, the speeches of characters other than Xenophon, the suffering of the human body, the role of rumour and misrepresentation, and the depiction of emotions. The third section offers a more thorough investigation of the manifold reception of this work (in Antiquity, Byzantium, Renaissance, modern period, in cinema studies and illustrations). Finally, in acknowledgement of the Anabasis’ long history as a pedagogical text, the volume contains an envoi on the importance and benefits of teaching Xenophon and the Anabasis, more specifically.
One of the most successful Classical Greek introductory textbooks, this edition provides an introduction to Classical Greek with an encouraging, pleasant, and accessible presentation for today's modern students. Fifty short lessons presume no knowledge of Latin, and allow students to master a concept before moving on to the next. Each lesson is accompanied by numerous exercises, as well as manageable selections of Ancient Greek writings (edited in early chapters) from Aesop's most amusing and curious fables to concise Greek passages from The New Testament, Aristotle, Arrian, Demosthenes, Lysias, Plato, Thucydides, and Xenophon. The fourth edition of From Alpha to Omega retains all the features that have made it a best-selling introductory Greek textbook, many of them improved or expanded: Balanced, evenly-paced lessons to accommodate various academic schedules Brief readings from Ancient Greek authors Efficient translation exercises Succinct, instructive vocabulary lists Glossary containing all vocabulary words from lessons and readings, both Greek-to-English, and English-to-Greek Online exercises, audio recordings, video tutorials, and more accompany each chapter at courses.pullins.com. An Ancillary Exercise Workbook and a Greek Reader are also available.
Situated at the crossroads of comparative philology, classics and general historical linguistics, this study is the first ever attempt to outline in full the developments which led from the remotest recoverable stages of the Indo-European proto-language to the complex verbal system encountered in Homer and other early Greek texts. By combining the methods of comparative and internal reconstruction with a careful examination of large collections of primary data and insights gained from the study of language change and linguistic typology, Andreas Willi uncovers the deeper reasons behind many surface irregularities and offers a new understanding of how categories such as aspect, tense and voice interact. Drawing upon evidence from all major branches of Indo-European, and providing exhaustive critical coverage of scholarly debate on the most controversial issues, this book will be an essential reference tool for anyone seeking orientation in this burgeoning but increasingly fragmented area of linguistic research.