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New search for Absolute Genitives


Marco V. Fabbri

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In four years several improvements were made to the syntax of GNT28-T. It is time to take the changes into account and rewrite the search for Absolute Genitives. I will repost much material that is still valid, and change what is no longer valid.

 

Usually we think of syntax searches as something involving the Greek or Hebrew Construct Window. That is true for complex searches, or searches involving a clause o phrase.

However, many interesting things can be found also in the main Search Window, that are made possible by the syntax add-on. The grammatical tags can tell us that the case of a word is Genitive, but can't tell us that that Genitive is Subject. The syntax add-on can.

If I type:

[ANY genitive]@[subject] 

I will find any Genitive that is Subject. In Greek, this happens when the Predicate is a Genitive Participle.

In other words, the result of the search will be a genitive absolute.

post-76-0-17202500-1448191420_thumb.png

 

Instead of entering [ANY genitive], I could have entered a part of speech, as [NOUN genitive] or [PRONOUN genitive]. This is good if I want to restrict my search to Prononuns or Nouns. But if I want to make it general, [ANY genitive] will fit better my purpose. 

 

We need to be aware that this search does not find all Absolute Genitives, but only those that have a visible Subject. If the Subject were understood, the search wouldn't find it, because it wouldn't know that the case of the Subject is Genitive.

 

When is this the case? It is when we find two Absolute Genitives, connected with a coordinating conjunction (usually καί).

The second Genitive Absolute can't be found in the same way, as its Subject can be omitted: it is understood that it is the same as the Subject of the first Genitive Absolute. 

 

As a consequence, we cannot search for a [subject] that is also [ANY genitive]: Accordance can't find what is not there.

 

However, we will see that there are other more refined searches that find all Absolute Genitives, or even all Absolute Genitives that have an understood Subject. The refined searches will take advantage of the Greek Contruct Window.

Edited by Marco V. Fabbri
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I have suggested a way of searching for a Genitive Absolute. Sometimes we find two of them, connected with a coordinating conjunction (usually καί).

The second Genitive Absolute may be hard to find, as its Subject can be omitted: it is understood that it is the same as the Subject of the first Genitive Absolute. 

As a consequence, we cannot search for a [subject] that is also [ANY genitive]: Accordance can't find what is not there. 

Rather, we need to search for two Genitive Participles, that are part of two Adjunct Dependent Clauses.

In turn, the two clauses will be part of the same Predicate Phrase, as they are both adverbial adjuncts to the same Predicate

We can do this as follows:
 

  1. Open a new Search Text, choose GNT-T as search text, and choose to search for Words (not Verses) within every Chapter or Book (not Verse, etc)
  2. Open a new Greek Construct (Command-2), that will be automatically linked to the Search Text
  3. In the Greek Construct window, drag the green CLAUSE element and drop it into the first column
  4. When prompted, choose Dependent and Adjunct
  5. In the same prompt window, set the depth at will
  6. Drag the purple Verb element and drop it into the first column of the Adjun. DEPENDENT Clause
  7. When prompted, choose Mood: participle and Case: Genitive
  8. Drag the purple ANY element and drop it into the second column of the Adjun. DEPENDENT Clause
  9. When prompted, enter Genitive 
  10. Look at the bottom of the Greek Construct window, and check the button Search in both directions (this is needed to find all genitive absolutes, independently of the order of the Subject and the Predicate).
  11. Press the option key, click on Adjun. DEPENDENT and drag the whole clause to the right, dropping it into the first free column. This will duplicate the Adjun. DEPENDENT Clause with its content.
  12. In the Adjun. DEPENDENT clause to the right select and delete the ANY Genitive element.
  13. Choose from the left column the green framed connecting item WITHIN and drop it to the upper part of the construct window
  14. When prompted, enter 3 or more
  15. Make sure that the two branching lines fall each into a different clause
  16. Press Return, or click on the search button.

The results are as in the image.

 

post-76-0-49639900-1448210777_thumb.png

 

Please note that the hits need to be reviewed, as there may be false hits. Also, as I am working with the complete NT syntax (that I am revising), the hit number is higher than the one you would get.

Edited by Marco V. Fabbri
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  • 4 years later...

Is it possible to do the same without using the “Construct Window”? I expect this can be done as the construct window just a visual way to build complex search string. I am asking because my sole platform is iPadOS. Thanks.

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Sorry, not really. There is no way to express in the command line the containment of elements within phrases the way the construct does it, the VERBs for example.

You can do similar searches in some respects but you don't have the same expressive power in the command line syntax as you have in the construct window.

 

Thx

D

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Only if the construct window using some internal search command that not accessible to the normal users. 

 

I understand that the LINK or HITS command can’t be used without further software development but I think that there are still many things can be done by search line commands itself using the syntax module IMO 

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Actually LINK and HITS are used from the search command line.

 

Thx

D

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Only if the construct window using some internal search command that not accessible to the normal users. 

 

I understand that the LINK or HITS command can’t be used without further software development but I think that there are still many things can be done by search line commands itself using the syntax module IMO 

Henry, please screenshot if you accomplish this, it would be great to see.

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Hi. I read the discussion and I thought it was worthy a try. It is also likely that since iOS and iPadOS bifurcated, iPadOS will become more powerful and we will able to do more.

 

As for our search, GNT-T make it possible to search for [Any Genitive], and the addition of the syntax makes it possible to search for [subject]. Then we need to combine both. We need to write a command that says:

 

[Any genitive] @ [subject]
 

This will find the subject of absolute genitive Clauses, provided that the subject is not null, that is, provided it is not an understood but not written. It should already be good, as understood subjects in absolute genitive Clauses is used in the GNT only when the clause Immediately follows another absolute genitive clause where the subject is visible.

 

I hope this helps. I look forward to your feedback. Should I miss a post please message me.

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Please correct: provided it is not an understood but unwritten subject.

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I may have suggested to search for the genitive of a verb participle that also is a predicate, but I didn’t because that would also find attributive participles.

 

If I search for

 

[Verb participle genitive] @ [Predicate]
 

I find Mt 1:18.20.22 etc. In Mt 1:18.20 we find a genitive absolute, while in Mt 1:22 we find an attributive participle.
 

The search for a genitive which also is a subject wouldn’t find Mt 1:22.

 

The second search finds unwanted results, but it will also find those rare verses where a genitive absolute has a covert subject. It may be useful to compare it with the first.

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I will try to make one but I need to familiar with all the language of the searching (like regex in programming). Any pdf for it? 

 

Also, it would be great if we can save the search string for later use. like the button next to the search bar. 

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  • Dr. Nathan Parker unpinned this topic

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