Paul Danove, «The Licensing Properties of New Testament Verbs of Non-Spoken Communication», Vol. 24 (2011) 41-58
This article resolves the semantic, syntactic, and lexical requirements for the grammatical use of the twenty-nine New Testament verbs that designate communication without a necessary reference to speaking. The discussion establishes criteria for distinguishing verbal usages, identifies four basic usages of non-spoken communication, and examines the conditions for the permissible omission of required complements. The presentation of the licensing properties of verbs with the four basic usages clarifies the similarities and dissimilarities in the realizations of complements for verbs of non-spoken and spoken communication and illustrates two further usages that are restricted to verbs of non-spoken communication. The concluding discussion considers patterns in the distribution of complements and usages among verbs of non-spoken communication.
The Licensing Properties of New Testament Verbs of Non-Spoken Communication 57
The only notable change in the relative frequency of categories of
realizations occurs between Usages ACE and AEC. Whereas verbs with
Usage ACE show a marked preference for maximal verb phrase real-
izations of the Content (29.8% for V+, V+conj, V+pron) over infinitive
phrase realizations (4.7% for V±i), verbs with Usage AEC show a marked
preference for the infinite phrase realization (30.7% for V-i2) over the
maximal verb phrase realization (8.33% for V+ὅτι). Since the maximal
verb phrases permit greater specificity of expression than the infinitive
phrases, greater reliance on the latter with usage AEC reflects its lesser
emphasis on the Content.
Table 1
Content ACE | AEC || Topic ATE | AET
V+ 59 (16.0%) | ||
V+conj 28 (8.0%) | (8.3%) 1 ||
V+pro 17 (4.9%) | ||
V±i 13 (4.7%) | (33.3%) 4 ||
N+acc 190 (54.4%) | (33.3%) 4 || N+acc 1 (10.0%) |
| || P/περιᾳ 8 (80.0%) | (14.3%) 2
Realized 307 (88.0%) | (75.0%) 9 || 9 (90.0%) | (14.3%) 2
DNC 41 (11.7%) | (25.0%) 3 || DNC 1 (10.0%) | (85.7%) 12
INC 1 (0.3%) | || |
Unrealized 42 (12.0%) | (25.0%) 3 || 1 (10.0%) | (85.7%) 12
Total 349 (100%) | (100%) 12 || 10 (100%) | (100%) 14
Table 2
Exper. ACE | ATE || Exper. AEC | AET
N+dat 144 (41.3%) | (50.0%) 5 ||
P/προᾳϡ 4 (1.1%) | ||
| || N+acc 9 (75.0%) | (85.7%) 12
Realized 148 (42.4%) | (50.0%) 5 || 9 (75.0%) | (85.7%) 12
DNC 182 (52.1%) | (50.0%) 5 || DNC 3 (25.0%) | (14.3%) 2
INC 19 (5.4%) | ||
Unrealized 201 (57.6%) | (50.0%) 5 || 3 (25.0%) | (14.3%) 2
Total 349 (100%) | (100%) 10 || 12 (100%) | (100%) 14
8. Conclusion
This article resolved the semantic, syntactic, and lexical requirements
of the 391 occurrences of 29 NT verbs that designate non-spoken com-
munication. The analysis distinguished four basic and two derived usages
of non-spoken communication and, in the process, identified two lexical
realizations of Content complements and two passive-reflexive usages that
do not occur with verbs of spoken communication but have precedents
among verbs of non-spoken communication in the LXX. The discussion
then specified relationships among usages and accounted for the change
in usage of one verb in relation to a change in the action designated by
FOLLOW US