PREPOSITIONAL SYSTEMS in BIBLICAL GREEK, GOTHIC, CLASSICAL ARMENIAN, and OLD CHURCH SLAVIC by OLGA THOMASON (Under the Direction
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PREPOSITIONAL SYSTEMS IN BIBLICAL GREEK, GOTHIC, CLASSICAL ARMENIAN, AND OLD CHURCH SLAVIC by OLGA THOMASON (Under the Direction of Jared Klein) ABSTRACT This study investigates the systems of prepositions in Biblical Greek, Gothic, Classical Armenian and Old Church Slavic based on data collected from the New Testament text of the canonical Gospels in each language. The first part of the study focuses on the inventory of prepositions in each of the languages mentioned. It provides an exhaustive overview of the prepositional systems examining the division of semantic space in them. The second part of this investigation is a comparative study of the overall systems of prepositions in all four languages. It observes similarities and differences between prepositional systems examined in the first part. The prepositional systems of the languages mentioned have approximately the same range of semantic functions. Each system includes proper and improper prepositional phrases that regularly alternate with each other as well as with nominal ones. The semantics of most prepositions in each of the languages under consideration are closely connected with spatial notions. This is especially common for improper prepositions. Although it is customary for a proper prepositional phrase to be dominant in a certain semantic field, we find instances in all four languages where a construction with an improper preposition prevails. Numerous notions are expressed by a variety of phrases, but there are instances where a concept is indicated only by one construction. The comparative analysis of the translations of the New Testament from Biblical Greek into Gothic, Classical Armenian, and Old Church Slavic shows that there are no absolute prepositional equivalents in these languages, but different types of correspondences can be established. Constructions that become regular counterparts often share origins and/or primary semantic functions or have approximately the same semantic loads. Many correspondences seem unsystematic or occur only once. The translation of Greek proper, improper, and nominal phrases varies among prepositional and nominal constructions, free adverbs, and even conjunctions or clausal structures. The range of semantic functions that a certain preposition may have does not influence the number of counterparts it may have. Rephrasing is also an important factor affecting translation. The frequency and semantic load of several correspondences differs among the gospels. INDEX WORDS: Preposition, Biblical Greek, Gothic, Classical Armenian, Old Church Slavic, Prepositional semantics, Semantic function, Translation PREPOSITIONAL SYSTEMS IN BIBLICAL GREEK, GOTHIC, CLASSICAL ARMENIAN, AND OLD CHURCH SLAVIC by OLGA A. THOMASON B.A., The Gomel State University, Belarus, 1999 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2006 © 2006 Olga A. Thomason All Rights Reserved PREPOSITIONAL SYSTEMS IN BIBLICAL GREEK, GOTHIC, CLASSICAL ARMENIAN, AND OLD CHURCH SLAVIC by OLGA A. THOMASON Major Professor: Jared Klein Committee: Keith Langston Jonathan Evans Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2006 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................................xi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................1 1.1 Purpose of the study .................................................................................................1 1.2 Previous studies .......................................................................................................2 1.3 Theoretical background ...........................................................................................3 1.4 Method .....................................................................................................................8 1.5 Text ..........................................................................................................................9 2 BIBLICAL GREEK PREPOSITIONS ............................................................................12 2.0 Introduction ...........................................................................................................12 2.1 ἘN .........................................................................................................................12 2.2 EἸΣ ........................................................................................................................16 2.3 ἘK/ἘΞ ...................................................................................................................18 2.4 ΠΡΌΣ ....................................................................................................................21 2.5 ἘΠΊ ........................................................................................................................23 2.6 ΠΑΡΆ ....................................................................................................................26 2.7 ἈΠΌ ......................................................................................................................28 2.8 ὙΠΌ ......................................................................................................................30 2.9 ∆ΙΆ ........................................................................................................................32 v 2.10 ΚΑΤΆ ..................................................................................................................33 2.11 ΠΕΡΊ ....................................................................................................................35 2.12 ΜΕΤΆ ..................................................................................................................37 2.13 ΣΎΝ .....................................................................................................................38 2.14 ἈΝΆ ....................................................................................................................39 2.15 ΠΡΌ .....................................................................................................................40 2.16 ὙΠΈΡ ..................................................................................................................41 2.17 ἈΝΤΊ ...................................................................................................................42 2.18 Improper prepositions ..........................................................................................43 2.19 Cases ....................................................................................................................46 2.20 Conclusions .........................................................................................................49 3 GOTHIC PREPOSITIONS ..............................................................................................55 3.1 IN ...........................................................................................................................55 3.2 AT ..........................................................................................................................58 3.3 ANA ......................................................................................................................59 3.4 UF ..........................................................................................................................62 3.5 UFAR ....................................................................................................................63 3.6 BI ...........................................................................................................................64 3.7 FAUR ....................................................................................................................66 3.8 AFAR ....................................................................................................................67 3.9 UND ......................................................................................................................68 3.10 DU .......................................................................................................................70 3.11 AF ........................................................................................................................72 3.12 FRAM ..................................................................................................................73 vi 3.13 US ........................................................................................................................74 3.14 MIÞ ......................................................................................................................76 3.15 WIÞRA ................................................................................................................77 3.16 AND ....................................................................................................................78 3.17 ÞAIRH .................................................................................................................79 3.18 UNDAR ...............................................................................................................80 3.19 Improper prepositions ..........................................................................................80