[b-greek] Re: "He who has ears... " - predicate position

From: Iver Larsen (alice-iver_larsen@wycliffe.org)
Date: Tue Jan 23 2001 - 13:34:56 EST



Carlton wrote>
> This discussion might want to branch out and include Luke 9:44 QESQE hUMEIS
> EIS TA WTA hUMWN TOUS LOGOUS TOUTOUS. You, put these words in your ears! My
> grandson would say Jesus told them to "stick it in their ear!"
>
> As an aside, I would say that TOUTOUS is in the predicate position and
> makes the object more demonstrative. Is that confusing? not much.

I would say that if the term "predicate position" leads you to say that this
position "makes the object more demonstrative" then it IS confusing, because I
cannot imagine what it means to make the object (LOGOUS I assume) "more
demonstrative."

There are two basic guidelines about prominence of parts of phrase or sentence
constituents. One guideline says that the more to the left a constituent occurs,
the more relative emphasis it has. The other says that a change from the default
order shows some kind of emphasis on the parts that have been moved forward. In
this case we have article+noun+demonstrative. In this position within the NP the
demonstrative is a simple reference to some words occurring in the immediate
context. Usually hOUTOS is anaphoric, that is, it refers backwards to something
said earlier, but in certain contexts it is kataphoric, referring to words that
are coming. Here it is kataphoric. If I were to show the relative prominence
with capitals in English it would be something like YOU should put these WORDS
into your ears. YOU disciples are singled out from other people. Then Jesus is
talking about words and ears. There is no contrast between THESE words and other
words, which there would have been had the order been TOUTOUS TOUS LOGOUS.

Iver Larsen
Kolding, Denmark
alice-iver_larsen@wycliffe.org


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