[b-greek] Re: Predicate Nominative

From: Glenn Blank (glennblank@earthlink.net)
Date: Sun Apr 07 2002 - 03:50:32 EDT




>At 10:05 PM 020406 -0500, Clwinbery@aol.com wrote:

>>Glen, the predicate nominative is a substantive in the nominative case
used
>>with a verb to be (in Greek EIMI, GINOMAI, or hUPARCW some also count
>>nominatives used with KALEW). The predicate nominative modifies (some say
>renames) the subject [whether] it is a noun or noun substitute. eg.hO QEOS
>AGAPH ESTIN, "God is love." God is the subject and love is the pred. nom.

Ward Powers wrote:

>This is one possible and completely valid grammatical description. An
>alternative term for this, instead of "predicative nominative", is
>"complement".

Be careful about equating "predicate nominative" with "complement."
Granted, a "predicate nominative" is a type of a complement. But there are
other complements that are not predicate nominatives. For example, "to be"
verbs in Greek also take prepositional phrases as their complements, but
these are not predicate nominatives. In fact, whatever completes any verb
is its complement.

Ward wrote,

>Because it [the "complement"] refers to the same person as the subject, it
takes the same
>case (nominative). (Contrast "Matthew saw the treasurer".)

Most grammars I have seen would call "the treasurer" a complement as well.
But Ward, since you are equating "predicate nominative" and "complement",
you would categorize "the treasurer" with another term, right? What term?

Of course, I can still hear Evie Pike admonishing us green linguistics
students at SIL about the arbitrariness of labels: "it doesn't matter what
you call it -- you can call it 'flowerpot' if you like -- just make sure you
are consistent." :)

You have to make sure no how the linguist you are reading is using the term.
 In most cases, when he says "complement," he will not mean exactly the same
thing as "predicate nominative."

--the other Glenn :)

glenn blank
Pensacola FL


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