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The development of εὑρίσκω ‘find’ as evidence towards a diachronic solution of the matching-problem in Ancient Greek complementation

Ezra la Roi (UGent)
(2020) PHILOLOGIA CLASSICA. 15(2). p.191-207
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Abstract
This paper traces the semantic and constructional development of the complement-taking verb εὑρίσκω ‘find’ from Homeric Greek to Post-Classical Greek. First, the paper details the semantic development of εὑρίσκω using characteristics such as predicate type, semantic role of the subject and factivity. Subsequently, explanations are offered for the constructional development of εὑρίσκω, using insights from grammaticalization research such as reanalysis and analogy. In contrast to previous studies on Ancient Greek complementation which support the idea of a systematic Classical Greek opposition of factive participial versus non-factive infinitival complementation, this paper shows how bridging contexts of mental judgment εὑρίσκω with a participial complement do not follow this opposition as they are non-factive and changed their meaning (with reanalysis) before changing their complementation structure (through analogy). Also, by extending our view to the individual history of other cognitive predicates (ἐπίσταμαι, γιγνώσκω and οἶδα) the author shows that other cognitive predicates undergo similar developments from factive+object to factive+ ACP to non-factive+ACI, although their individual histories are still in need of a systematic diachronic account. Thus, complementation patterns per period could be analysed in a more fine-grained way by analysing complementation patterns bottom-up from the semantic and constructional evolutions of individual predicates. Also, the findings from this paper provide evidence towards a diachronic solution of the so-called matching-problem: diachronically related semantic and constructional stages strongly motivate the choice of a specific complementation structure but absolute factivity oppositions in Classical Greek complementation are rather strong tendencies.
Keywords
Ancient Greek complementation, matching-problem, factivity, reanalysis, analogy, εὑρίσκω, cognitive predicates

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MLA
la Roi, Ezra. “The Development of Εὑρίσκω ‘find’ as Evidence towards a Diachronic Solution of the Matching-Problem in Ancient Greek Complementation.” PHILOLOGIA CLASSICA, vol. 15, no. 2, 2020, pp. 191–207, doi:10.21638/spbu20.2020.202.
APA
la Roi, E. (2020). The development of εὑρίσκω “find” as evidence towards a diachronic solution of the matching-problem in Ancient Greek complementation. PHILOLOGIA CLASSICA, 15(2), 191–207. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu20.2020.202
Chicago author-date
Roi, Ezra la. 2020. “The Development of Εὑρίσκω ‘find’ as Evidence towards a Diachronic Solution of the Matching-Problem in Ancient Greek Complementation.” PHILOLOGIA CLASSICA 15 (2): 191–207. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu20.2020.202.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
la Roi, Ezra. 2020. “The Development of Εὑρίσκω ‘find’ as Evidence towards a Diachronic Solution of the Matching-Problem in Ancient Greek Complementation.” PHILOLOGIA CLASSICA 15 (2): 191–207. doi:10.21638/spbu20.2020.202.
Vancouver
1.
la Roi E. The development of εὑρίσκω “find” as evidence towards a diachronic solution of the matching-problem in Ancient Greek complementation. PHILOLOGIA CLASSICA. 2020;15(2):191–207.
IEEE
[1]
E. la Roi, “The development of εὑρίσκω ‘find’ as evidence towards a diachronic solution of the matching-problem in Ancient Greek complementation,” PHILOLOGIA CLASSICA, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 191–207, 2020.
@article{8696385,
  abstract     = {{This paper traces the semantic and constructional development of the complement-taking verb εὑρίσκω ‘find’ from Homeric Greek to Post-Classical Greek. First, the paper details the semantic development of εὑρίσκω using characteristics such as predicate type, semantic role of the subject and factivity. Subsequently, explanations are offered for the constructional development of εὑρίσκω, using insights from grammaticalization research such as reanalysis and analogy. In contrast to previous studies on Ancient Greek complementation which support the idea of a systematic Classical Greek opposition of factive participial versus non-factive infinitival complementation, this paper shows how bridging contexts of mental judgment εὑρίσκω with a participial complement do not follow this opposition as they are non-factive and changed their meaning (with reanalysis) before changing their complementation structure (through analogy). Also, by extending our view to the individual history of other cognitive predicates (ἐπίσταμαι, γιγνώσκω and οἶδα) the author shows that other cognitive predicates undergo similar developments from factive+object to factive+ ACP to non-factive+ACI, although their individual histories are still in need of a systematic diachronic account. Thus, complementation patterns per period could be analysed in a more fine-grained way by analysing complementation patterns bottom-up from the semantic and constructional evolutions of individual predicates. Also, the findings from this paper provide evidence towards a diachronic solution of the so-called matching-problem: diachronically related semantic and constructional stages strongly motivate the choice of a specific complementation structure but absolute factivity oppositions in Classical Greek complementation are rather strong tendencies.}},
  author       = {{la Roi, Ezra}},
  issn         = {{0202-2532}},
  journal      = {{PHILOLOGIA CLASSICA}},
  keywords     = {{Ancient Greek complementation,matching-problem,factivity,reanalysis,analogy,εὑρίσκω,cognitive predicates}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{191--207}},
  title        = {{The development of εὑρίσκω ‘find’ as evidence towards a diachronic solution of the matching-problem in Ancient Greek complementation}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.21638/spbu20.2020.202}},
  volume       = {{15}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}

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