Monday, April 18, 2016

Yet more Greek imperative fun

There are some cases in which the present imperative is used in a way which is not very easy for us to understand. We have seen that aspect is something subjective and that the speaker often does not see a situation as it actually is, but as he thinks it is, or will be later. We have also seen that, when the “here and now” is postponed, it has to be indicated in the context, as it would otherwise lead to misunderstandings. Sometimes, however, this indication is not very clear.—The Greek Imperative, page 61

<idle musing>
Well, let's just throw up our hands in despair then! But at least he's honest; not every situation fits his categories.
</idle musing>

2 comments:

Mike Aubrey said...

Kind of like this:

Perspectival uses of Aspect in the Imperative

jps said...

Yes. I read that post and thought it was very insightful.

James