Verb – μι with -νυ-

ObjectivesLearning objectives

• The forms of μι verbs with a -νυ- infix
• A summary of the uses and meaning of the Luo form

VocabularyVocabulary

MorphologyMorphology: Verb – μι with -νυ-

• The verbs δείκνυμι and ἀπόλλυμι are regular μι verbs in the Luo form
• All other forms lack the -νυ- and are regular sigmatic Aorist/Luso and Leluka forms

SyntaxSyntax-semantics: Verb – Luo overview

The present is the tense with the broadest meaning, both within Greek and often in other languages as well. The uses found in the NT are represented in the below table:

Although it seems like these uses are quite varied, they can all be logically subsumed under a very simple definition: the time being talked about (the RT) overlaps with the speaker’s temporal anchor, whether that be the time of speaking or some other time in the context (see Semantics C for further discussion). In the table above, the description column gives a very short summary of the characteristics associated with each sense. There are two facts about eventualities and times that allow us to account for all the uses with this simple definition: 1) there is variability in the types of eventualities, and 2) the TA can move in the context.

Variation in the type of eventuality that may be referred to is the most important factor that accounts for the variability in Luso’s interpretation. The distinction between the first four uses arises from lexical verb meanings, not the meaning of the Luo form. The event-in-progress interpretation obtains because an event and specific time are being referred to. Events that occur during a general time lead to the habitual interpretation. States, of course, lead to a present stative interpretation. Events with no duration (often used in combination with a moved TA for the historical present) simply occur. These are culminating events. Since the pre-stage of an eventuality may also be referred to, the present tense can also be used for futurates (where there is a decided eventuality) and conatives (where there is a failed eventuality), both of which refer to a pre-stage. Finally, general truths about the world hold in the present moment (and every other moment), and iterative events are eventualities that occur repeatedly in the present moment. The key to understanding these various uses of Luo is not to make our definition of the present too narrow. Luo’s uses are broad because it can combine with many kinds of eventualities, and the varied properties of these eventualities lead to Luo’s diverse interpretations.

As discussed in Semantics C, the TA shifting is a different phenomenon because it involves a meaning component that the present tense makes explicit reference to, and there are rhetorical reasons why the speaker might want to use a shifted TA. In this sense, it is fundamentally distinct from the other uses because it is not an entailment that arises from another meaning component (namely the nature of the verb itself). It is, rather, a use that reflects an intentional (though certainly subconscious) decision of the speaker to convey a certain meaning, namely to bring the addressee to the time of the event itself.