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Description:
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This is the most comprehensive history of the Greek prepositional system ever
published. It is set within a broad typological context and examines interrelated
syntactic, morphological, and semantic change over three millennia. By
including, for the first time, Medieval and Modern Greek, Dr Bortone is able to
show how the changes in meaning of Greek prepositions follow a clear and
recurring pattern of immense theoretical interest. The author opens the book by
discussing the relevant background issues concerning the function, meaning,
and genesis of adpositions and cases. He then traces the development of
prepositions and case markers in ancient Greek (Homeric and classical, with
insights from Linear B and reconstructed Indo-European); Hellenistic Greek,
which he examines mainly on the basis of Biblical Greek; Medieval Greek, the
least studied but most revealing phase; and Modern Greek, in which he also
considers the influence of the learned tradition and neighbouring languages.
Written in an accessible and non-specialist style, this book will interest classical
philologists, as well as historical linguists and theoretical linguists.
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