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Chapter 33 · Lesson 33.4 · Pronoun
Pronoun – Reflexive 1s, 2s
ObjectivesLearning objectives
- The morphology of the 1s and 2s reflexive pronouns
- The syntax-semantics of reflexive pronouns in their anaphoric use
VocabularyVocabulary
| Greek | Gloss | Part of speech | Paradigm |
|---|---|---|---|
| τὸ ὄρος, -ους | the mountain | noun | B.a.γ.viii |
| ἡ Ἀντιόχεια, -ας | Antioch | noun | B.a.α.ii |
| τὸ μέρος, -ους | the part | noun | B.a.γ.viii |
| τὸ σκέλος, -ους | the leg | noun | B.a.γ.viii |
| τὸ ἔθνος, -ους | the nation | noun | B.a.γ.viii |
| ἀδικεῖ σε | (he) does bad to you (acc) | verb | C.a.β |
MorphologyMorphology: Pronoun – Reflexive 1s, 2s
- Both pronouns are based on the declined forms of the 3rd person pronoun αὐτός.
- The 1s reflexive pronoun has the prefix ἐμ-, and the 2s has σε-.
| Masculine 1s | Feminine 1s | Masculine 2s | Feminine 2s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genitive | ἐμαυτ-οῦ | (ἐμαυτ-ῆς) | σεαυτ-οῦ | (σεαυτ-ῆς) |
| Dative | ἐμαυτ-ῷ | (ἐμαυτ-ῇ) | σεαυτ-ῷ | (σεαυτ-ῇ) |
| Accusative | ἐμαυτ-όν | (ἐμαυτ-ήν) | σεαυτ-όν | (σεαυτ-ήν) |
SyntaxSyntax-Semantics: Pronoun – Reflexive (Anaphoric reference)
Reflexive pronouns have received an enormous amount of attention in the syntax literature. The main question being asked in that literature is: under what conditions is the reflexive pronoun used? This question gets very complicated very quickly, but the basic description given to reflexive pronouns is that they are anaphors. This means that they refer back to a noun or pronoun used earlier in the sentence. The noun or pronoun that the reflexive pronoun refers back to is called an antecedent.
Because the reflexive pronoun needs an antecedent, the main verb is normally in the same person as the reflexive pronoun. It is this pronoun, whether given explicitly in ἐγώ or σύ or implicitly in the verb, that the reflexive pronoun refers back to:
θέλω δὲ πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἶναι ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτόν (1 Cor 7:7)
But I wish all people might also be like myself
The main verb θέλω is in the first person, and the first person reflexive pronoun ἐμαυτόν refers back to the (implicit) subject of the verb.
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New Testament text shown on hover: Greek from the SBLGNT, © 2010 Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0; English from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain).