{"id":365,"date":"2017-10-29T05:58:02","date_gmt":"2017-10-29T02:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ellopos.com\/blog\/?p=365"},"modified":"2017-10-29T05:58:02","modified_gmt":"2017-10-29T02:58:02","slug":"protasis-and-protagma-on-the-meaning-of-the-greek-sentence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ellopos.com\/blog\/365\/protasis-and-protagma-on-the-meaning-of-the-greek-sentence\/","title":{"rendered":"Protasis and Protagma: On the meaning of the Greek sentence"},"content":{"rendered":"

A reader of Elpenor’s lessons in Greek<\/a> asks an important question, to which I dedicate this post.<\/p>\n

Allow me to make a comment on the basis of the following quotation from Elpenor’s second lesson<\/a>: “\u0391 Sentence in Greek is called \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2. The word \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 is formed by the preposition \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78 (pre, for, ahead, before, in front) and the noun \u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 (tensity). A sentence, a \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2, is a tensity that emerges in communication and leads ahead – not just a statement, but the disclosure of something probable, which is placed in front of those who listen, calling them to estimate it carefully and bear the consequences of this estimation. Therefore, the more primary and important a \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 is, the more it becomes – is meant to become – a principle, a law, an \u1f00\u03c1\u03c7\u03ae (=beginning, principle, ground, foundation, law, rule).” (Elpenor’s second lesson, page 9<\/a>).<\/p>\n

My own understanding of \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 is: \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf + \u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03c3\u03c9 (meaning, for example, “place before an audience” for consideration). I never thought that “tensity” has anything to do with “\u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2”. Although it sounds an intriguing prospect, if I take it to mean “friction”, i.e. a kind of a dialectical\/argumentative relationship between the speaker and the audience. However, I believe that the speaker’s intention is to “lay down” or “expose” (as in an exhibition or trade fair) his\/her arguments, ideas, etc. before an audience which is called upon to weigh such arguments, etc. The information in the latter part of the quotation, i.e. “the more primary and important a \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 is, the more it becomes a principle, a law” confuses me. Are you referring to grammar\/syntax or to semantics? An example would help. My sincerest congratulations on your work.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To your first question: \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 comes from \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf-\u03c4\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03c9, not from \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf-\u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03c3\u03c9. The important difference between the two is that in the second case, in the case of a \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03b3\u03bc\u03b1, something is distinguished, is given a priority, which is defined by comparison with alternative choices. In the case of a \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 the speaker extends his view (without, or without an\u00a0essential, comparison with other views) in front of an audience. Therefore, \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 means radically the out-going of a person in order to communicate his view, while \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03b3\u03bc\u03b1 means the priority that is given to a view among other possible views: in \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 what is first and most important is the communication, the release, the letting-know of others<\/strong>, while in \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03b3\u03bc\u03b1 the importance is in the superiority of a view compared with other views. I hope this is clear, – and this leads us to your second question.<\/p>\n

Your understanding of \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03c3\u03c9 fits with \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c4\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03c9, not with \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03c3\u03c9. \u03a0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c4\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03c9 regards the other persons (to who something \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf-\u03c4\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9), \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03c3\u03c9 regards other views (among which a certain one \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf-\u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03c3\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9). The more primary and important a \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 is, the more it becomes a principle, a law: what does this mean? Here is a \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2: \u1f18\u03bd \u1f00\u03c1\u03c7\u1fc7 \u1f96\u03bd \u1f41 \u039b\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2<\/a>. This is not a \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03b3\u03bc\u03b1, there is no comparison with other possibilities, or such a comparison does not participate essentially right now. It is a \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2, i.e. the speaker, St. John the Evangelist, approaches us and \u03c0\u03c1\u03bf-\u03c4\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9 to us his understanding that \u1f18\u03bd \u1f00\u03c1\u03c7\u1fc7 \u1f96\u03bd \u1f41 \u039b\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2.<\/p>\n

This means, that he has in his mind something important, that makes him go out and speak to us, let us share this important understanding. It is a primary and most important \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2, obviously, since it refers to the ground of all creation which is beyond creation, to the Creator himself. This is not said in the way that a reporter announces a fire or a new invention or the rise of oil prices; this is an invitation to us, to let our minds rise to the cause of everything, it is said as a principle and a law which is certain for the one that pronounces it and wants to\u00a0shake the foundations of our life, to change them and\u00a0become our own principle too. To say it in a word, a \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 invites, and the more universal and important the reality to which a \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 invites us is, the more this \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 can be regarded as a principle and a law, i.e. valid for all and absolute.<\/p>\n

Please write if you still can’t understand. [The visitor indeed wrote again, and the discussion continues at the next post<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Cf. Elpenor’s Greek\u00a0Language pages<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A reader of Elpenor’s lessons in Greek asks an important question, to which I dedicate this post. Allow me to make a comment on the basis of the following quotation from Elpenor’s second lesson: “\u0391 Sentence in Greek is called \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2. The word \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 is formed by the preposition \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78 (pre, for, ahead, before, in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_disable_autopaging":false},"categories":[317,46],"tags":[231,1004,5695,1001,1005,1003,1002],"class_list":["post-365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-greek-language","category-philosophy","tag-communication","tag-greek-grammar","tag-greek-language","tag-greek-sentence","tag-greek-syntax","tag-principle","tag-tensity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ellopos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ellopos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ellopos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ellopos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ellopos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ellopos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ellopos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ellopos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ellopos.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}