Pronoun – Relative plural

ObjectivesLearning objectives

• The morphology of the relative pronoun (pl)
• The syntax and semantics of restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses

VocabularyVocabulary

VocabularyParticles as vocabulary items

The particle (abbreviated part) γέ does not change the truthfulness of a sentence, but it signals how the hearer should think about the sentence as a whole, such as it being true contrary to what the addressee is assumed to think or in line with what the addressee thinks. For example, you might say I have learned a lot of Greek and I could reply Indeed, you have learned a ton of Greek where Indeed signals that I am agreeing but also drawing a contrast between how much you think you have learned and how much I am saying you have learned. The particle γέ can introduce a proposition that the speaker expects the hearer to accept as true but they may doubt or be uncertain of:

In this context, Paul is defending his apostleship to those who might doubt it. The use of γέ signals to the addressee that it should not actually be doubted. Particles like γέ often have these kinds of meanings and may, therefore, often be omitted without affecting the truth-value of the sentence. Their meanings are best learned by paying careful attention to how they are used in specific discourse and interpersonal contexts.

MorphologyMorphology: Pronoun – Relative plural

• pl relative pronouns follow the same rules as sg ones (see 24.3.3.1):
• 2nd declension endings in masc/neut, and 1st declension endings in fem
• Always have an accent and a rough breathing

SyntaxSyntax-Semantics: Pronoun – Relative (Restrictive vs. nonrestrictive)

Relative clauses are commonly divided into two main syntactic classes: restrictive or nonrestrictive. Nonrestrictive relative clauses are not essential to determining the referent of the noun they are modifying. For example, we can say something like The boy, who ate all the pizza, just left. The relative clause who ate all the pizza is nonrestrictive and is set off by commas. The inference is that there is only one relevant boy in the context, and he happened to be the one to eat all the pizza. In contrast, the same sentence can be given with a restrictive relative clause as The boy who ate all the pizza just left. Without the pause represented by the commas, this relative clause is restrictive. The inference here is that there may be multiple boys in the relevant location, but the one who just left is the one who ate all the pizza. To determine which boy is being referred to, you need to know who ate all the pizza. In the nonrestrictive case, you don’t need to know that the boy ate all the pizza to pick him out as a referent. There is only one relevant boy in the context, and he left.

Because printed Greek NTs use commas, we see the same convention at work, though the commas represent the interpretation of the editors. A nonrestrictive relative clause is normally set off by commas, whereas restrictive relative clauses are not: