[b-greek] Re: TIS : the indefinite person in masc sing

From: Roe (d.roe@t-online.de)
Date: Tue Jun 20 2000 - 18:56:55 EDT


Thanks Carl, and others, for your help.


> For what it's worth, Philippians 2:1 is interesting...

Yes, and, having not seen that before, I'm comforted to hear you say the
construction appeared strange before stumbling across it alone...

I was about to send this to the list when I noticed that I was
responding to a mail sent directly to me. I'll send it anyway here,
though it doesn't specifically address your post. Someone wrote to me:

> Although ADELFOS would refer to a male, the plural ADELFOI can
> refer to males and females.


But what about the indefinite singular...? What if one wants to say "If
any 'brother'...", meaning any of 'the brethren' -- brother or sister?
Would one have to say "EI TIS ADELFOS hH ADELFH..."? or could one
simply say "EI TIS ADELFOS..."?

Looking (from a novice's perspective) at passages like the following
leads me to think the latter masculine-only rendition might work...


1 Cor 3:18 ... EI TIS DOKEI SOFOS EINAI...

1 Cor 14:37 EI TIS DOKEI PROFHTHS EINAI...

Jams 1:23 hOTI EI TIS AKROATHS LOGOU ESTIN...

James 1:26 EI TIS DOKEI QRHSKOS EINAI...


These cases have TIS referred to with a masculine adjective or noun.
Yet, they don't seem to be masculine-specific.
 
I think I failed to ask what I really question: How (or with what
gender) does one express the singular indefinite person? It *seems* to
me to be with the masculine...

Thanks again,

David

D.W. Roe
Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

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