Noun – 3rd Declension -δ/θ/τ

ObjectivesLearning objectives

• The morphology of 3rd declension nouns with δ, θ, or τ at the end of the stem
• The syntax-semantics of the double accusative

VocabularyVocabulary

MorphologyMorphology: Noun – 3rd Declension -δ/θ/τ

• The consonants δ, θ, and τ are called dental sounds because they are produced with your tongue near your teeth
• The dentals make the σ drop in nom sg and dat pl

SyntaxSyntax-Semantics: Noun – Accusative (2 – Double accusative)

Noun – Accusative: all 3 parts on one page →Also in Lesson 1.3, Lesson 47.1

The verb ποτίζω σε τήν is an example of the double accusative. This verb selects for two arguments, and though both are in accusative case, they have separate roles in the sentence. In the form ποτίζω σε τήν, we can see that one of the arguments is marked as a person, since it is represented by σε, and the other is not necessarily a person, it being marked as τήν. This is typical for these kinds of double accusative constructions where one argument is a person and the other is a thing. The verb means to provide a drink, so the drink is represented by τήν and the person who receives the drink by σε. Although this pattern is not uncommon, most animate arguments that refer to recipients are in the dative case, as in βάλλω σοι τήν. You will have to memorize whether the verb takes a recipient argument in the accusative case or the dative.