From: Carlton Winbery (winberyc@popalex1.linknet.net)
Date: Tue Jan 30 1996 - 10:48:55 EST
Eric Weiss wrote;
>I understand (I learned 1st year Greek from Mounce's book) that in verb
>formation, the sigma normally drops out when it's between two vowels, and the
>two vowels then contract. (also see Smyth 120)
>
>Why is this not true for the sigma in the tense formatives for the 1st aorist
>and future tenses? Smyth (666 -- cf. 20.b., 35.c.) seems to be addressing
>this for the aorist, but only explains how the alpha came to be added to the
>aorist tense formative, not why the sigma, now that it's between two vowels,
>doesn't drop out.
>
What we have to say is that the intervocalic S often drops. There are many
exceptions; a single S which results from the simplification of SS does not
drop eg. EQNESIN; SA of the aorist following U or a verb stem ending in a
short vowel causes the short vowel to lengthen but does not drop. Sigmas
that come between two simple short vowels are more likely to drop.
Carlton L. Winbery
Prof. Religion
LA College, Pineville, La
winberyc@popalex1.linknet.net
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