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Syntax search for anarthrous adj prep phrases?


Rod Decker

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Might the new syntax module be able to help with the following search--one that I think would be quite difficult with many false hits using a regular search?

 

How can I find examples of prepositional phrases that function adjectivally but which do *not* have the article? (i.e., w/o an article, a prep phrase is normally adverbial; the normal way to mark it as adj is with an article as an adjectivizer, but there are some anarthrous prep phrases which are probably adjectival, e.g., Mark 1:23; 5:2 bis; 10:45; 12:2--to note a few I've identified manually.)

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Might the new syntax module be able to help with the following search--one that I think would be quite difficult with many false hits using a regular search?

 

How can I find examples of prepositional phrases that function adjectivally but which do *not* have the article? (i.e., w/o an article, a prep phrase is normally adverbial; the normal way to mark it as adj is with an article as an adjectivizer, but there are some anarthrous prep phrases which are probably adjectival, e.g., Mark 1:23; 5:2 bis; 10:45; 12:2--to note a few I've identified manually.)

 

Rod, I'm not sure one needs the syntax module to locate those hits. Would this search work for you?

post-29215-041335300 1288636890_thumb.png

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Rod, I'm not sure one needs the syntax module to locate those hits. Would this search work for you?

 

No, that isn't sufficiently discriminatory because it also hits all adverbial prep phrases in which the verb follows the prep phrase; e.g., the 2d hit, Mt 1:20: ἄγγελος κυρίου κατ᾿ ὄναρ ἐφάνη. (It also eliminates any with embedded postpositives, etc.) That's why I hoped the syntax module would be tagged and searchable in such a way as to avoid numerous false hits.

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No, that isn't sufficiently discriminatory because it also hits all adverbial prep phrases in which the verb follows the prep phrase; e.g., the 2d hit, Mt 1:20: ἄγγελος κυρίου κατ᾿ ὄναρ ἐφάνη. (It also eliminates any with embedded postpositives, etc.) That's why I hoped the syntax module would be tagged and searchable in such a way as to avoid numerous false hits.

 

Rod,

 

Right now I don't have time to check whether the search below gets *all* the right hits, but try them and if they don't, try variations on them.

 

As with all syntax searches, we must think in terms of phrase/clause hierarchy. What you're looking for seems to be an adjective that does not modify a verb and also does is not preceded by an article. The basic search is thus: an ADJUNCT PHRASE that is *not* within a PREDICATE PHRASE and the ADJUNCT PHRASE has an ADJUNCT = ADJECTIVE but no SPECIFIER. To get all those that do not modify a verb/predicate, your topmost phrase can be Subject, Complement, or Adjunct (and you will want to do all 3 searches to get the total results -- below I've only included the Complement type).

 

I hope this helps. Let me know if the search results are in the ballpark and, if necessary, we can refine it together.

 

post-29948-028822800 1288646112_thumb.png

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Rod,

 

Right now I don't have time to check whether the search below gets *all* the right hits, but try them and if they don't, try variations on them.

 

As with all syntax searches, we must think in terms of phrase/clause hierarchy. What you're looking for seems to be an adjective that does not modify a verb and also does is not preceded by an article. The basic search is thus: an ADJUNCT PHRASE that is *not* within a PREDICATE PHRASE and the ADJUNCT PHRASE has an ADJUNCT = ADJECTIVE but no SPECIFIER. To get all those that do not modify a verb/predicate, your topmost phrase can be Subject, Complement, or Adjunct (and you will want to do all 3 searches to get the total results -- below I've only included the Complement type).

 

I hope this helps. Let me know if the search results are in the ballpark and, if necessary, we can refine it together.

 

post-29948-028822800 1288646112_thumb.png

 

OK, I finally figured out how to build the search you pictured, but the results are not at all what I'm looking for. I'm not looking for a single-word adjective. I don't know what you call these things (your syntax terminology is foreign territory to me, but I'm trying to figure it out). In traditional grammatical terms, I'm looking for a *prepositional phrase* that is *functioning* adjectivally. The normal way in which Greek marks that function is by pre-pending an article to the prepositional phrase. Those are easy to find. What's more difficult is finding *anarthrous prepositional phrases* that modify a noun (or other word/construction functioning as a noun). Most anarthrous prep phrases are adverbial, not adjectival. That's why I hoped a syntactically tagged text would enable such a search since it requires someone to manually identify the syntactical relationship in the first place.

 

For an example from Mark (which is where I do much of my work), Mark 1:23, ... ἦν ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ αὐτῶν ἄνθρωπος ἐν πνεύματι ἀκαθάρτῳ καὶ ἀνέκραξεν. The prep phrase is adjectival, modifying ἄνθρωπος; it is *not* adverbial modifying either of the verbs (ἦν, ἀνέκραξεν).

 

The list in my original post contains all such constructions that I've identified in Mark 1-12. What I want to know is, is there any way to find similar constructions elsewhere apart from manually checking every single prep. phrase. (For now I realize that I'll have to be content with exs. from John.)

 

If you can figure out what I'm looking for, and could then 1) tell me how you describe the same construction in your terminology, and then how one goes about building such a search, I'm be thankful.

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OK, I finally figured out how to build the search you pictured, but the results are not at all what I'm looking for. I'm not looking for a single-word adjective. I don't know what you call these things (your syntax terminology is foreign territory to me, but I'm trying to figure it out). In traditional grammatical terms, I'm looking for a *prepositional phrase* that is *functioning* adjectivally. The normal way in which Greek marks that function is by pre-pending an article to the prepositional phrase. Those are easy to find. What's more difficult is finding *anarthrous prepositional phrases* that modify a noun (or other word/construction functioning as a noun). Most anarthrous prep phrases are adverbial, not adjectival. That's why I hoped a syntactically tagged text would enable such a search since it requires someone to manually identify the syntactical relationship in the first place.

 

For an example from Mark (which is where I do much of my work), Mark 1:23, ... ἦν ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ αὐτῶν ἄνθρωπος ἐν πνεύματι ἀκαθάρτῳ καὶ ἀνέκραξεν. The prep phrase is adjectival, modifying ἄνθρωπος; it is *not* adverbial modifying either of the verbs (ἦν, ἀνέκραξεν).

 

The list in my original post contains all such constructions that I've identified in Mark 1-12. What I want to know is, is there any way to find similar constructions elsewhere apart from manually checking every single prep. phrase. (For now I realize that I'll have to be content with exs. from John.)

 

If you can figure out what I'm looking for, and could then 1) tell me how you describe the same construction in your terminology, and then how one goes about building such a search, I'm be thankful.

 

Rod,

 

Oops -- I didn't mean to build this with an adjective. That's a mistake due to doing too many things at once today.

 

Let me work out how to build the search for the PP and get back to you.

 

Robert

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