>Well, presumably Clay is here proposing a notion that extends beyond
>case-systems, so let me just add a note regarding verbs bearing on this
>question from a perspective I've stated in this forum before: I think
>languages are, in varying degrees at different times and places, unstable
>and in flux, undergoing changes and being used by different persons and
>social strata in somewhat different ways all the time. Perhaps I shouldn't
>state that universally, because I don't know that many languages and most
>of the ones I know are Indo-European. But I would call attention to a few
>facts about Greek and Latin that I find interesting:
Carl then gave four examples of how language has moved in the direction of
becoming more regular. He concluded:
>In sum, I rather suspect that languages are always in flux and that the
>direction of change may be sometimes toward chaos while clearly in other
>cases it is toward greater regularity.
Carl, here are two more examples to add to your collection:
5. In the classical Greek flexion of the optative aorist active, some forms
have stem in LUSAI- and other forms in LUSEI-; whereas in koine Greek the
stem all the way through both active and middle flexions is LUSAI-.
Morphologically, LU- is the lexical morph, -SA- the aorist [punctiliar]
morph, in Slot 7, and -I- the Specifier Morph of the optative, in Slot 8 -
compare the present optative stem LUOI-, which consists of LU-, lexical
morph, -O-, neutral morph, Slot 7, and similarly -I- the Specifier Morph of
the optative, Slot 8. All beautifully regular, morphologically speaking.
6. The classical Greek paradigm of the pluperfect active is not easy to
describe morphologically (and I will not attempt it). What comes after the
kappa jumps around between -H-, -EI, and -E-. But in the Greek NT it has
become absolutely regular and absolutely simple. To form the pluperfect,
you take the stem of the perfect active LELUKA-, prefix the augment E-
(some writers regarded this as optional), add -EI- as the pluperfect morph
(it goes in Slot 8 of the verb's nine morph slots, and the alpha of the
-KA- in Slot 7 elides before it, as it always does before a following
vowel): and this gives you the pluperfect active stem (E)LELUKEI-. This
stem remains constant throughout the flexion, and to it you add the same
set of pronoun endings as for the third aorist (e.g., as for EGNWN or ESTHN
or -EBHN) and the aorist passive (as in ELUQHN), viz, -N, -S, -zero, -MEN,
-TE, -SAN. Thus you have this flexion:
(E)LELUKEIN
(E)LELUKEIS
(E)LELUKEI
(E)LELUKEIMEN
(E)LELUKEITE
(E)LELUKEISAN
All beautifully regular, morphologically speaking.
Two more instances where chaos has given way to regularity.
Regards,
Ward
Rev Dr B. Ward Powers Phone (International): 61-2-9799-7501
10 Grosvenor Crescent Phone (Australia): (02) 9799-7501
SUMMER HILL NSW 2130 email: bwpowers@eagles.bbs.net.au
AUSTRALIA.