The Graeco-Roman Legacy

1. The Graeco-Roman Legacy continued

2. Parts of Speech (Varro)

3. hierarchical system • based on heterogeneous criteria: • morphology (endings) • syntax (prior vs posterior, modified vs modifier) • semantics (object vs action, etc.)

4. this is still a problem when divising systems of word classes • formal criteria such as morphology or syntactic behavior appear more precise than semantic criteria, but often fail to carry over crosslinguistically

5. another system (Varro)

6. cross-classifying system • similar systems still in use, e.g. the X-bar feature system of Chomsky 1970 • gives ‘natural classes’ (e.g. [-N] is the class of case assigners, [+N] the class of case marked elements in Latin, [+V] the class of elements that agree)

7. Romans were aware of all the basic morphological facts of the Latin language, such as case tense mood person number declension classes compounding irregularities Morphology

8. Priscian (6th century) • Institutiones grammaticae • Most elaborate work on grammar from Antiquity • Includes a rare section on syntax • Introduces the notion of transitivity

9. Transitivity • transitio personarum • in a transitive sentence, the verb gives a transition from one thing (the subject) to another (the object) • hence transitive sentences do not contrast with intransitives only, but also with reflexive sentences (where subject and object corefer)

10. in modern terms, transitive verbs form a covert class • overt classes can be recognized on the basis of formal properties such as endings or function words • covert classes require analysis of the context • and are therefore harder to detect