Re: Castillian Greek was Re: Slovanik, Enamyn, and Slavic slaves

John Cowan wrote:

> But how different are masculine and neuter these days?
The genitives are the same, but nearly all netuer nouns (apart from one
small group I'm aware of) have the nom. and acc. plural in -a. The nom. and
acc. singular are likewise always identical, whereas with masc. nouns those
two cases are kept distinct.

Examples (nom. sg., acc. sg., gen sg., voc sg. [where applicable]; nom/voc
pl., acc. pl., gen. pl.)

fílos (m.): fílos, fílo, fílu, fíle; fíli, fílus, fílon
mathitís (m.): mathitís, mathití, mathití, mathití; mathités, mathités,
mathitón
patéras (m.): patéras, patéra, patéra, patéra; patéres, patéres, patéron

vivlío (n.): vivlío, vivlío, vivlíu; vivlía, vivlía, vivlíon
trapézi (n.): trapézi, trapézi, trapeziú; trapézia, trapézia, trapezión
máthima (m.): máthima, máthima, mathímatos; mathímata, mathímata, mathimáton

A couple of feminine nouns for comparison:

kóri (f.): kóri, kóri, kóris, kóri; kóres, kóres, korón
mitéra: mitéra, mitéra, mitéras, mitéra; mitéres, mitéres, mitéron

Note:
1. first declension (nom sg. in -as/-is) masc. nouns end in -s in the nom.
sg. and form all the other cases of the singular by dropping the -s; first
declension fem. nouns (nom sg. in -a/-i)  have all cases alike in the
singular except for the gen. which is formed by adding -s.

2. Except for second declension masc. nouns (nom. sg. in -os), the nom. and
acc. cases are identical.

3. Any noun may be used in the vocative where sense permits; however, the
voc. is only distinguished from the nom. in form in singular masculine nouns
(those of the first declension drop the -s; those of the second declension
change -os to -e)

Moving on to verbs, I would like to offer a perhaps slightly different
analysis from Philip's. This may be due to the fact that I studied Russian
before I studied Greek, but I see (modern) Greek as having an aspectual
system similar to that of Slavic languages. All verbs have two stems: one
denoting an ongoing, continuous or repeated action, and one denoting a
single and/or completed action -- in other words, imperfective and
perfective. The perfective stem is derived ultimately, from the old s-future
(I think; I haven't studied ancient Greek, but there's a tense formed by
adding -s to the stem, I think it's the future). Example: the verb gráfo has
the imperfective stem graf- and the perfective stem graps-.

The present tense, by definition, is formed from the imperfective stem:
gráfo, gráfis, gráfi, gráfume, gráfete, gráfun. A present tense can be
formed from the perfective stem, but this only occurs after another verb,
where other European languages might employ a subjunctive (which doesn't
really exist in mod. Greek): compare thélo na gráfis (imperfective): "I want
you to write (in general), to be writing") with thélo na grápsis
(perfective): "I want you to write (e.g. once, write something down and
finish).

By adding the past endings (and augment, where necessary, as past tense
forms must have a minumum of 3 syllables) to the imperfective stem we get
the imperfect: égrafa, égrafes, égrafe, gráfame, gráfate, égrafan ("I was
writing, used to write, etc.). By adding the past endings to the perfective
stem we get the simple past (preterite, whatever you want to call it):
égrapsa, égrapses, égrapse, grápsame, grápsate, égrapsan ("I wrote, you
wrote, etc.)

The future is formed by adding the particle tha (deriving ultimately from
thélo na..., i.e. "I want that...") to the present. Imperfective: tha gráfo,
tha gráfis, etc. ("I will be writing", etc.); perfective: tha grápso, tha
grápsis, etc. ("I will write [and finish]", etc.)

There is a compound perfect and pluperfect formed with the verb éxo ("have")
in the present and past (no imperfective/perfective stem difference with
this verb) as an auxilliary plus an invariable form ending in -i (spelt
epsilon-iota). This is, as far as I've seen, only formed from perfective
stems, as they denote a completed action:

éxo grápsi, éxis grápsi, etc. ("I have written, you have written", etc.)
íxa grápsi, íxes grápsi, etc. ("I had written, you had written", etc.)

The imperative (only exists in 2nd person): gráfe, gráfete ("write
[continuously, etc.], be writing!"); grápse, grápsete ("write [and
finish]!")

I don't think it was mentioned before, but there's a whole other set of
endings for the passive voice. Not that "I am written", etc. makes much
logical sense, but for the sake of using the same verb: imperfective stem
graf-, perfective stem graft-

pres. imperfective: gráfome, gráfese, gráfete, grafómaste, gráfeste,
gráfonde
pres. perfective ("subjunctive"): graftó, graftís, graftí, graftúme,
graftíte, graftún

imperfect: grafómun, grafósun, grafótan, grafómaste/grafómastan,
grafósaste/grafósastan, gráfondan
simple past: gráftika, gráftikes, gráftike, graftíkame, graftíkaste,
gráftikan

fut. imperfective: tha gráfome, etc.
fut. perfective: tha graftó, etc.

perfect: éxo graftí
pluperfect: íxa graftí

perfective imperative: grápsu, graftíte
(endings exist for the imperfective imperative passive, i.e. gráfu,
gráfeste, but for whatever reason they are hardly ever used.)

I hope this is of help!

Best regards

Thomas Leigh

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