Cover not available

In:Perfects in Indo-European Languages and Beyond
Edited by Robert Crellin and Thomas Jügel
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 352] 2020
► pp. 435–482

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload Book EPUB
authorization required

Chapter 13
The perfect system in Ancient Greek

 | University of Cambridge
Published online: 23 September 2020
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.352.13cre
Abstract
The present paper surveys the diachronic development of the Ancient Greek perfect in four periods: Mycenaean, Archaic, Classical and post-Classical. At each stage the semantic evaluation of perfect is assessed in the context of the semantics of its predicate. While generally confirming the standard picture of increasing anteriority and past reference in the perfect correlating with greater numbers of verbs able to form perfects, the present study contributes empirical data to support this assertion. The article traces the growing paradigmatisation of the perfect form throughout its history. However, this development is not linear. Instead in the post-Classical language we witness a bifurcation along diglossic lines, with the literary language remaining much more conservative in terms of the perfect’s semantic range, while in lower-register material the perfect increasingly competes with the aorist to denote perfective semantics.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Morphology
    • 1.2Periodisation
    • 1.3The problem of the semantics of the Greek perfect
  • 2.Theoretical preliminaries
    • 2.1Homogeneity, state and change-of-state
    • 2.2Target (T) and Result (R) states
    • 2.3Internal and external arguments
  • 3.Mycenaean
  • 4.Archaic Greek
    • 4.1State and other homogeneous predicates
    • 4.2Change-of-state predicates (non-causative)
    • 4.3Causative COS predicates
    • 4.4Two-place verbs introducing non-homogeneous non-COS predicates
    • 4.5Semantics of the perfect in Archaic Greek
  • 5.Classical
    • 5.1Continuity with Archaic Greek
    • 5.2Paradigmatisation: Expansion of the active ~ non-active opposition in the perfect
    • 5.3Specialised transitivising and detransitivising perfect active stems
    • 5.4Lability in the perfect system
    • 5.5Felicity conditions
    • 5.6Summary of the semantics of the perfect in Classical Greek
  • 6.Post-Classical Greek
    • 6.1Overview
    • 6.2Literary language: Distributional trends with respect to earlier periods
    • 6.3Semantic continuity with earlier periods
      • 6.3.1Further paradigmatisation: COS predicates
      • 6.3.2Bounded homogeneous atelic predicates
    • 6.4Documentary texts
      • 6.4.1Continuity with earlier stages and the literary language
      • 6.4.2Paradigm loss: expression of the anticausative by non-active morphology
      • 6.4.3Competition with the aorist: Definite past time adverbial modification and use of the perfect in past narrative
    • 6.5Semantics of the perfect in post-Classical Greek
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
References (90)
References
von Arnim, Hans (ed.). 1962[1891–1896]. Dionis Prusaensis quem vocant Chrysostomum quae exstant omnia. 2nd edn. 2 vols. Berlin: Weidmann. (See TLG database at [URL])
Bartoněk, Antonin. 2003. Handbuch des mykenischen Griechisch. Heidelberg: Winter.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
van Beek, Lucien & Migliori, Laura. 2019. Active versus middle perfect in Homeric Greek: Synchrony and diachrony. In Enzo Passa & Olga Tribulato (eds.), The Paths of Greek: Literature, linguistics and epigraphy (Trends in Classics. Supplementary Volumes 85). Berlin: De Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bentein, Klaas. 2016. Verbal periphrasis in Ancient Greek: Have- and be-constructions. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Berrettoni, Pierangiolo. 1972. L’uso del perfetto nel greco omerico. Studi e Saggi Linguistici 12. 252–298.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bohnemeyer, Jürgen & Mary Swift. 2004. Event realization and default aspect. Linguistics and Philosophy 27. 263–296. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bülow-Jacobsen, Adam (ed. and trans.). 1981. Papyri Graecae Haunienses: Letters and mummy labels from Roman Egypt. Trans. by Adam Bülow-Jacobsen. Vol. 2 (Papyrologische Texte und Abhandlungen 29). Bonn: Habelt.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Burnet, John (ed.). 1967[1900]. Platonis opera. Vol. 1. Oxford: Clarendon. (See TLG database at [URL])
Bury, Robert G. 1929. Plato: Timaeus. Critias. Cleitophon. Menexeus. Epistles. Vol. 9 (Loeb Classical Library 234). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (See TLG database at [URL]) 1929
Butcher, Samuel H. & William Rennie (eds.). 1907–1931. Demosthenis orationes. 3 vols. Oxford: Clarendon. [URL]
Büttner-Wobst, Theodor (ed.). 1962–1967. Polybii historiae. repr. 4 vols. Leipzig: Teubner. (See TLG database at [URL])
Chadwick, John. 1973. Documents in Mycenaean Greek. 2nd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chadwick, John, Louis Godart, John T. Killen, Jean-Pierre Olivier, Anna Sacconi & Iannis A. Sakellarakis (eds.). 1990. Corpus of Mycenaean inscriptions from Knossos. Vol. 2 (Incunabula Graeca 88.2). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chantraine, Pierre. 1927. Histoire du parfait grec (Collection linguistique 21). Paris: Champion.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 1967. Le parfait mycenien. Studi micenei ed egeo-anatolici 3. 19–27.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Crellin, Robert S. D. 2012. The Greek perfect active system: 200 BC – AD 150. Cambridge: University of Cambridge dissertation.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2014. The Greek perfect through Gothic eyes: Evidence for the existence of a unitary semantic for the Greek perfect in New Testament Greek. Journal of Greek Linguistics 14(1).
CrossRef DOI logo with hyperlink to permanent DOI
2016a. The semantics of the perfect in the Greek of the New Testament. In Steven E. Runge & Christopher J. Fresch (eds.), The Greek verb revisited, 430–457. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2016b. The syntax and semantics of the perfect active in literary Koine Greek (Publications of the Philological Society 113). Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
CrossRef DOI logo with hyperlink to permanent DOI
Dickey, Eleanor. 2009. The Greek and Latin languages in the papyri. In Roger S. Bagnall (ed.), Oxford handbook of papyrology, 149–169. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Diggle, James (ed.). 1984. Euripidis fabulae. Vol. 1. Oxford: Clarendon. (See TLG database at [URL])
Evans, Trevor V. 2001. Verbal syntax in the Greek Pentateuch: Natural Greek usage and Hebrew interference. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ferrara, Silvia. 2010. Mycenaean texts: The Linear B tablets. In Egbert J. Backer (ed.), A companion to the Ancient Greek language, 11–24. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
George, Coulter H. 2005. Expressions ofagency in Ancient Greek. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gerö, Eva-Carin & Arnim von Stechow. 2003. Tense in time: The Greek perfect. In Regine Eckardt, Klaus von Heusinger & Christoph Schwarze (eds.), Words in time: diachronic semantics from different points of view (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs 143), 251–293. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Godley, Alfred D. 1920–1925. Herodotus: The Persian wars. 4 vols. (Loeb Classical Library 117, 118, 119, 120). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. [URL]
Goldberg, Donna. 1997. Studies in the language of Menander. Oxford: University of Oxford dissertation. [URL]
Grenfell, Bernard P. & Arthur S. Hunt (eds.). 1916. The Oxyrhynchus papyri. Vol. 12 (Graeco-Roman Memoirs 15). London: Egypt Exploration Society. [URL]
Grenfell, Bernard P., Arthur S. Hunt & Josiah G. Smyly (eds.). 1902. The Tebtunis papyri. Vol. I (Univ. of California Publications, Graeco-Roman Archaeology I 4). London: Frowde. [URL]
Hall, Frederic W. & William M. Geldart (eds.). 1907. Aristophanis comoediae. Vol. 2. Oxford: Clarendon. [URL]
Haspelmath, Martin. 1992. From resultative to perfect in Ancient Greek. Función 11–12. 187–224.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Haug, Dag T. T. 2004. Aristotle’s kinesis/energeia-test and the semantics of the Greek perfect. Linguistics 42(2). 387–418. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2008. From resultatives to anteriors in Ancient Greek: On the role of paradigmaticity in semantic change. In Thorhallur Eythórsson (ed.), Grammatical change and linguistic theory: The Rosendal papers (Linguistik aktuell 113), 285–305. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Horrocks, Geoffrey. 2010. Greek: A history of the language and its speakers. 2nd edn. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Huddleston, James (trans.). 2006. Odyssey. Online publication: Chicago Homer. [URL]
Hunt, Arthur S. & J. Gilbart Smyly (eds.). 1933. The Tebtunis papyri. Vol. 3.1 (Egypt Exploration Society, Graeco-Roman Memoirs 23 3). London: Milford. [URL]
Jacoby, Karl (ed.). 1967[1885–1905]. Dionysii Halicarnasei antiquitatum Romanarum quae supersunt. 4 vols. Stuttgart: Teubner. (See TLG database at [URL])
Jones, Henry Stuart & J. Enoch Powell (eds.). 1942. Thucydidis historiae. 2 vols. Oxford: Clarendon. [URL]
Jones, Horace L. 1923. Strabo: Books 3–5. Vol. 2 (Loeb Classical Library 50). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
CrossRef DOI logo with hyperlink to permanent DOI
1927. Strabo: Books 8–9. Vol. 4 (Loeb Classical Library 196). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
CrossRef DOI logo with hyperlink to permanent DOI
Kiparsky, Paul. 2002. Event structure and the perfect. In David I. Beaver, Luis D. Casillas Martínez, Brady Z. Clark & Stefan Kaufmann (eds.), The construction ofmeaning, 113–136. Stanford, CA: CSLI.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Klein, Wolfgang. 1992. The present perfect puzzle. Language 68(3). 525–552. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kölligan, Daniel. 2007. Suppletion und Defektivität im griechischen Verbum (Münchener Forschungen zur historischen Sprachwissenschaft 6). Bremen: Hempen.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Koontz-Garboden, Andrew. 2010. The lexical semantics of derived statives. Linguistics and Philosophy 33. 285–324. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kovacs, David (ed. and trans.). 1995. Euripides: Children of Heracles. Hippolytus. Andromache. Hecuba. Trans. by David Kovacs. Vol. 2 (Loeb Classical Library 484). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. [URL]
Kümmel, Martin Joachim. 2000. Das Perfekt im Indoiranischen: Eine Untersuchung der Form und Funktion einer ererbten Kategorie des Verbums und ihrer Entwicklung in den altindoiranischen Sprachen. Wiesbaden: Reichert.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lattimore, Richmond (trans.). 1951. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. [URL]
Lavidas, Nikolaos. 2009. Transitivity alternations in diachrony: Changes in argument structure and voice morphology. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Littré, Emile (ed.). 1840. Oeuvres complètes d’Hippocrate. Vol. 2. Paris: Baillière. [URL]
Mahaffy, J. P. (ed.). 1893. The Flinders Petrie papyri: With transcriptions, commentaries, and index. Vol. 2 (Royal Irish Academy, Cunningham Memoirs 9). Dublin: Academy House. [URL]
Maidment, Kenneth J. 1941. Minor Attic orators: Antiphon, Andocides. Vol. 1 (Loeb Classical Library 308). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. [URL]
Mandilaras, Basil G. 1973. The verb in the Greek non-literary papyri. Athens: Hellenic Ministry of Culture & Sciences.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Marchant, Edgar C. (ed.). 1961[1904]. Xenophontis opera omnia. Vol. 3. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [URL]
(ed.). 1971[1921]. Xenophontis opera omnia. 2nd edn. Vol. 2. Oxford: Clarendon. [URL]
(ed.). 1979[1923]. Xenophon: Memorabilia. Oeconomicus. Symposium. Apology. Vol. 4 (Loeb Classical Library 168). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. [URL]
McKay, Kenneth L. 1965. The use of the ancient Greek perfect down to the end of the second century A.D. Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies 12(1). 1–21. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
1980. On the perfect and other aspects in the Greek non-literary papyri. Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies 27(1). 23–49. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mitteis, Ludwig (ed.). 1906. Griechische Urkunden der Papyrussammlung zu Leipzig. Vol. 1. Leipzig: Teubner. [URL]
Monro, David B. & Thomas W. Allen (eds.). 1920. Homeri opera. Oxford: Clarendon. [URL]
Mourelatos, Alexander P. D. 1978. Events, processes and states. Linguistics and Philosophy 2. 415–434. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Murray, Arthur T. 1924–1925. Iliad. 2 vols. (Loeb Classical Library 170, 171). London: Heinemann. [URL]
1919. Odyssey. 2 vols. (Loeb Classical Library 104, 105). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. [URL]
Nedjalkov, Vladimir P. & Sergej Je. Jaxontov. 1988. The typology of resultative constructions. In Vladimir P. Nedjalkov (ed.). Trans. by Bernard Comrie, Typology of resultative constructions (Typological Studies in Language 12), 3–62. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nestle, Eberhard, Erwin Nestle, Kurt Aland, Barbara Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini & Bruce Metzger (eds.). 2012. Novum testamentum graece. 28th edn. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. [URL]
Norlin, George. 1928. Isocrates: To Demonicus. To Nicocles. Nicocles or the Cyprians. Panegyricus. To Philip. Archidamus. Vol. 1 (Loeb Classical Library 209). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
CrossRef DOI logo with hyperlink to permanent DOI
Olsen, Mari Broman. 1994. The Koine Greek verb: Tense and aspect. Paper presented at “Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies: The next wave”, Fourth interdisciplinary conference of graduate students and recent Ph.D.s, Ohio State University, October 1994. [URL] (May 19, 2020).
Page, Denys L. (ed.). 1972. Aeschyli septem quae supersunt tragoedias. Oxford: Clarendon. (See TLG database at [URL])
Pantella, Maria C. (ed.). Thesaurus Linguae Graecae® Digital Library. [URL]
Parsons, Terence. 1990. Events in the semantics of English (Current Studies in Linguistics 19). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Perel’muter, Ilja A. 1988. The stative, resultative, passive and perfect in ancient Greek (Homeric Greek). In Vladimir P. Nedjalkov (ed.), Typology of resultative constructions, 277–287. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
R Core Team. 2018. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Vienna. [URL]
Ramchand, Gillian Catriona. 1997. Aspect and predication: The semantics of argument structure. Oxford: Clarendon.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rappaport Hovav, Malka & Beth Levin. 1998. Building verb meanings. In Miriam Butt & Wilhelm Geuder (eds.), The projection of arguments: Lexical and compositional factors (CSLI Lecture Notes 83), 97–134. Stanford, CA: CSLI.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rees, Brinley R. (ed.). 1964. Papyri from Hermopolis and other documents of the Byzantine period (Egypt Exploration Society, Graeco-Roman Memoirs 42). London: Egypt Exploration Society. [URL]
Shorey, Paul. 1969–1970. Plato: The Republic. repr. 2 vols. (Loeb Classical Library 237, 276). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. [URL]
Sicking, Christiaan M. J. & Peter Stork. 1996. Two studies in the semantics of the verb in Classical Greek (Mnemosyne. Supplementum 160). Leiden: Brill. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Slings, Simon R. (ed.). 2003. Platonis rempublicam. Oxford: Clarendon. (See TLG database at [URL])
Smyth, Herbert Weir. 1920. A Greek grammar for colleges. New York: American Book Company.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 1926. Aeschylus: Agamemnon. Libation-bearers. Eumenides. Vol. 2. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. [URL]
Speyer, Augustin. 2003. The perfect in Ancient Greek. Tübingen-Linguistik-Forum (3). [URL] (December 10, 2018).
Spiro, Friedrich (ed.). 1903. Pausaniae Graeciae descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig: Teubner. (See TLG database at [URL])
Tenny, Carol L. 1994. Aspectual roles and the syntax-semantics interface (Studies in Linguistics and Philosophy 52). Dordrecht: Kluwer. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tenny, Carol L. & James Pustejovsky. 2000. A history of events in linguistic theory. In Carol L. Tenny & James Pustejovsky (eds.), Events as grammatical objects: The converging perspectives of lexcial semantics and syntax (CSLI Lecture Notes 100). Stanford, CA: CSLI.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tichy, Eva. 1983. Onomatopoetische Verbalbildungen des Griechischen (Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Linguistik und Kommunikationsforschung 14). Vienna: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Traugott, Elizabeth C. & Richard B. Dasher. 2005. Regularity in semantic change. 2nd edn. (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics 97). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vince, James H. 1935. Demosthenes: orations. Vol. 3 (Loeb Classical Library 299). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
CrossRef DOI logo with hyperlink to permanent DOI
. Vitelli, G. & M. Norsa (eds.). 1925. Papiri greci e latini. Vol. 7 (Pubblicazioni della Società Italiana per la ricerca dei papiri greci e latini in Egitto). Florence: Ariani. [URL]
Wackernagel, Jacob. 1904. Studien zum griechischen Perfektum. Gottingen: Kaestner.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Willi, Andreas. 2018. The origins of the Greek Verb. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Williams, Edwin. 1981. Argument structure and morphology. The Linguistic Review 1. 81–114. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Youtie, Herbert C. & John G. Winter (eds.). 1951. Papyri and ostraca from Karanis, second series (Univ. of Mich. Studies, Humanistic Series 50). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. [URL]
Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Aerts, Simon
2024.  Dormivit et resurgit. A language-ecology approach to the diachrony of the Latin ingressive perfect. Journal of Latin Linguistics 23:1-2 ► pp. 21 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 6 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue