Re: Adverbials in the Acc Neut Sing

From: Maurice Taraschi (mtaraschi@cadets.com)
Date: Sun Oct 04 1998 - 12:53:36 EDT


Carl W. Conrad wrote:

> I'm going to piggy-back onto Clay's response to Maurice Taraschi to suggest
> a further answer and to supplement what I wrote in response to the original
> question, all too briefly, yesterday. I would agree that Maurice seemed to
> suggest that almost any case form could function as an adverb; I would not
> say that (I certainly can't think offhand of any nominative case form
> that's used as an adverb, nor a genitive either, for that matter, unless
> it's with a preposition in a phrase such as DIA hHMERWN or KAQ' hOLOU).
> There are datives of adjectives that are used so frequently that their
> nouns may be omitted such as TAUTHi (scil. THi hODWi).

 Although many readily come to my mind in Latin, this is a Greek list so I will stick
to that.

Adverbs in the Nominative: PUX, hAPAX, ANAMIX, EGGUS
Adverbs in the Genitive: hENHS, hEXHS, POU, hOU, AUTOU, hOMOU, EKPODWN, EMPODWN

> Nevertheless, I'd repeat that the accusative case of a noun or adjective or
> even of a larger phrase is essentially adverbial and that this is closely
> related to the essential LIMITING function of the accusative case.

 Yes indeedy!!!

> I don't know that I'd want, at least without seeing your other "working
> definitions," Clay, to venture a "working definition of an adverb" beyond
> saying that it is a word or phrase that LIMITS the range of meaning of a
> verb, adjective, or another adverb.

I would have to agree with Carl on this issue, but as for the ability to
"distinguish" (from the earlier post) it, I would just say two things: context and
placement (i.e., in the sentence).

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