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 55
7. The Distribution of Complements and Usages of Non-Spoken Com-
munication
This discussion investigates the distribution of novel realizations of
complements and usages, of verbs with multiple usages, and of realized
complements with the four basic usages.
7.1. Novel Complement Realizations and Usages
For the four basic usages, the presentation identified only two diver-
gences in the realization of required complements in relation to verbs of
spoken communication, and both divergences apply to the non-maximal
infinite phrase realizations of the Content with Usage ACE. Although
τοῦ V+i and τοῦ V-i3 constitute 16.7% (2/12) of the realizations of the
Content with Usage ACE, they account for only 0.65% (2/307) of the
total occurrences of the realized Content with that usage. Their prec-
edents with verbs of non-spoken communication in the LXX indicate
that they are viable alternatives to the more frequently occurring bare
infinite phrases (V+i and V-i3) and a unique characteristic of verbs of
non-spoken communication.
Precedents in the LXX for the two passive reflexive usages also iden-
tify A[[C]]E and A[[E]]C as unique and viable usages of verbs of non-
spoken communication. The awkward conception of “speaking oneself to
someone” probably accounts for the absence of parallel usages with verbs
of spoken communication.
7.2. Verbs with Multiple Usages
Five of the 29 verbs appear with multiple usages of non-spoken com-
munication. The introduction to Usages ATE and AET noted that three
verbs with the former usage also appear with Usage ACE and that two
verbs with the latter usage also appear with Usage AEC. Verbs of spoken
communication similarly appear with these usage sets. For example,
λέγω (say) and λαλέω (speak) appear with Usages ACE and ATE; and
ἐρωτάω (ask) and κατηγορέω (accuse) appear with Usages AEC and
AET. This is not surprising because these usage sets differ only in the
specificity of what is communicated. The same cannot be said for any
other usage set. Thus it is surprising that χρηματίζω, which appears with
Usage AEC (Matt 2,12; 2,22; Acts 10,22; Heb 8,5; 12,25) and Usage AET
(Heb 11,7) also appears with Usage ACE on one occasion (Luke 2,26).
The following examples present a passivized occurrence of the verb with
Usage AEC and the passivized occurrence of the verb with Usage ACE: