From: Iver Larsen (iver_larsen@sil.org)
Date: Sat Dec 01 2001 - 03:13:35 EST
Dear Steven,
Thanks for this additional information about Wallace's perspective. I had
sent off my other post before receiving yours. From the quote below I can
see that his understanding of semantics and translation is somewhat
different from mine. That is to be expected, since I am a linguist and
translator, not a Greek teacher.
> Secondly, he is very careful to point out that he thinks this is NOT a
> Greek way of looking at things, but an English way:
>
> "To say that the article is functioning like a relative pronoun is only
> an English way of looking at the matter. Thus it is not truly the
> semantic force of the article. The article is still dependent on a noun
> or other substantive. It typically bears an anaphoric force, pointing
> back to the substantive with which it has concord. We translate it as a
> relative pronoun because this is less cumbersome than something like
> 'our Father, the [one] in heaven.'"
>
> Steven Lo Vullo
> Madison, WI
In general descriptive linguistics, a relative clause is an attribute to a
head noun (or pronoun) and functions as part of the whole noun phrase. So, a
relative clause is dependent on a noun or other substantive and it typically
bears an anaphoric force, pointing back to the substantive it modifies.
Semantically and grammatically, the Greek article may function in a way
similar to the way an English relative functions.
Since the function of the Greek article overlaps with the function of the
English relative clause, both being attributive, correct translations are
"our Father who is in heaven" or "our heavenly Father". The cumbersome "our
Father, the one in heaven" is Greekish English. It is a special dialect of
English, spoken/written mainly in Greek class rooms and on this list. It is
a useful dialect, and I use it myself at times, but I could not use it in a
real translation of the Bible without losing or at least skewing the
originally intended meaning.
Iver Larsen
Kolding, Denmark
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