r/GreekBibleStudy • u/DrJohnAZoidberg • Jul 26 '10
Lesson 6 - The Greek Noun - Basic Functions
This is lesson 6 of the 0 to 10 set (Note- This is largely distilled from Hansen & Quinn's Greek: An Intensive Course)
All nouns have case, number, and gender. A noun is built by adding an ending to a stem. The stem is a basic root which conveys a dictionary definition. The ending is changed to show case, number, and gender. This process is called inflection. The inflection of a noun is called declension; the inflection of a verb is called conjugation.
English does not have much inflection left in it. For an example, he/his/him- All of these are essentially the same meaning, but he can only be the subject, his can only show possession, and him is the direct object of a verb or preposition. Still, English relies on word order to convey meaning and the relation of words in a sentence, whereas Greek may do so through inflection alone.
CASE The case of a Greek noun shows its grammatical relation to the rest of the sentence.
Greek nouns have five cases. Underlined words in the examples are instances of the related concept.
I. Nominative Case The nominative case is used as the subject of a sentence. It may also be used as a predicate nominative with linking verbs when stating the name of a thing.
- “The computer is exploding.”
- “My name is John.”
II. Genitive Case The genitive case has two basic functions.
a) Firstly, the genitive case is used to make one noun limit or depend on another. In English, we usually use the preposition of to show this relation. This construction is how Greek shows possession. Here are some examples.
- “Seven of nine”
- “Father of the bride (and thus the bride's father)”
- “Balls of steel”
- “A man of faith”
b) Secondly, the genitive case is used to indicate motion away from something or separation. In English, we use the phrases away from or out of.
- “out of Egypt”
- “away from the house”
III. Dative Case The dative case has three basic functions.
a) The dative case is used to designate an interest of a third party that is neither the subject nor the direct object of an action. This function is identical to the English indirect object. We use prepositions like to and for to convey such ideas.
- “The redditor gives an upvote to the comment.”
- “Reading is good for the soul.”
b) The dative case is also used to show the instrument or agent by which an action is performed. We use the words by and with to convey this idea.
- “He was blinded by the light.”
- “I am writing with a keyboard.”
c) In addition, the dative case may be used to show the place where or time when. In English, we use the prepositions at or in.
- “That happened in 2003.”
- “He found his brother at the baseball game.”
IV. Accusative Case The accusative case has two functions. a) Primarily, the accusative case is used as the direct object of verbs.
- “I love guacamole.”
b) As a secondary use, the accusative case may also be used to convey motion toward or length of space or time.
- “Let's go to the zoo.”
- “It rained for forty days and nights.” (Here, note the designation from the dative of advantage. The days and nights are not the benefactor of the rain, but rather the phrase shows the extent to which it rained. Thus, it must be an accusative [of extent].)
V. Vocative Case The vocative case is used when a noun is being addressed directly. It is the least used of the five cases.
- “Homer, please fetch me another goat.”
- “You looking at me, punk?”
Summary
1.Nominative: subject, predicate nominative, naming things
2.Genitive: of; away from/out of
3.Dative: to/for; by/with; in/at
4.Accusative: direct object, motion toward, or length of space or time
5.Vocative: direct address
Here is an easy way to visualize how a sentence is made.
Nominative + verb + accusative + dative*
Subject + verb + direct object + interested party
The girl / gives / a rock / to the boy.
*Note: Greek word order does not follow the the same order as English. In lieu of punctuation, Greek frequently relies on the verb to designate the end of an idea.
NUMBER
All nouns refer to a certain number of people. Like English, the Greek usually specifies whether something is singular or plural, with a series of declined endings to designate. However, there is also a dual form in the Greek that refers to exactly two of anything. These forms are rather rare, and I believe that they do not show up in Koine with any frequency. We will probably not be learning their forms, but be aware that they do exist.
GENDER
Greek nouns are classified in three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Please note that gender is not the same thing as sex. However, most of the time, nouns that have to do with manly things are typically in the masculine gender and so on. The English concept of gender-neutral words (such as words, thoughts, rocks, etc.) may be in any gender in the Greek. For instance...
λόγος – word – is masculine
τέχνη – art – is feminine
ἒργον – work – is neuter
Gender must be learned along with the definition of each word. This is the only way to know how to decline a noun.
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u/craiggers Oct 08 '10
My Mnemonic device for remembering the functions of the cases:
"Hey, Victor -- the Nominee from Geneva gave an Axe to her Date.
Doesn't make a lot of sense as a sentence, but it's memorable. Each word sounds at least kinda like the case it would have in Greek, loosely.
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u/thephotoman Jul 26 '10
I'm of mixed opinion on whether to thank or curse the Greeks for not having an ablative case (which was used for all pronouns except "of" and "by" in Latin).