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The present paper aims at drawing renewed attention to the relevance of evidentiality for Ancient Greek by means of a number of case studies taken from two of Plato's works (namely the Apologia Socratis and Crito). First, I briefly identify the conceptual framework within which themain analysis of Attic evidential phenomena occurs. Then, I provide a preliminary overview of (possible) linguistic means used in marking evidentiality in Ancient Greek (formal aspect). I also explore the way in which evidential values are conveyed (semantic aspect). Certain Attic particles (e.g., ára, depou), functional oppositions in complementizing patterns (e.g., hóti vs. hōs), defective verbal forms (e.g., ēmí), and "auxiliaries" (e.g., dokéō) are revealed as evidential markers or "strategies" . These are able to express inferential, presumptive, reportative, quotative, visual, and participatory evidentiality. The oblique optative is suggested to have evidential overtones as well. In summary, the paper endeavors to show the importance of "evidentiality" as an integrative conceptual frame for the descriptive analysis of certain Ancient Greek phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

My aim in this paper is to show the benefits of incorporating a conversation-analytic perspective in the analysis of Greek storytelling data with regard to the endpoints of a telling, that is, the opening and the closing. I specifically explore the types of story openings and closings occurring in a data set that comprises the conversations of a group of female adolescents in a small town in Greece. I also discuss the salience of economic openings (Jefferson 1978) realized by certain conventionalized devices and the importance and local design of what I call counter stories in the stories' closing. I juxtapose counter stories to second stories (Sacks 1992), which have been found within CA to be frequent after a story's closing and I assess the frequency of second stories told by the same teller and not by a story recipient in my data. Overall, I argue that these systematic openings and closings in my data are interrelated with the types of stories told and the participants' roles and relations. Finally, I ponder the implications of this close connection for CA work on stories as talk-in-interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the close relation between the verb (V) and its direct object (DO) in Greek ditransitive structures, bringing together a formal analysis of the inherent nature of this special bond and a performance motivated treatment of factors determining variation in linearisation, i.e. the effects of performance principles on the permutation of the original order of arguments. Thus, first, by means of lexico-syntactic criteria, we propose that Greek –a relatively free word order language– exhibits the asymmetry between the DO and the IO which has also been observed in other languages (e.g. English, Icelandic, and Mainland Scandinavian languages). On the basis of such criteria, we conclude that in the underlying structure of both the PP Object Construction (PPOC) and the Double Object Construction (DOC), the DO is a sister to V. This structural relationship, represented in the single tree diagram we propose for the two constructions, reveals the V-DO special affinity. Second, we investigate the factors involved in the alternation from the basic to the derived orders both in the PPOC and the DOC. Thus, we suggest that the derivation of the orders V-NPacc-PP and V-NPacc-NPgen from V-PP-NPacc and V-NPgen-NPacc, respectively, is motivated by a number of largely interrelated factors (e.g. information focus, internal complexity, and syntactic weight), which may function either individually or compositionally. Finally, it is observed that the insights about the special affinity between the V and its DO expressed in our formal account of ditransitive orders are also captured in Lascaratou’s (1994) performance principles motivated analysis of a small corpus of Greek ditransitive constructions, in terms of the strong preference of the DO to be linearised immediately after the verb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work looks at the term ksénos as an access point to the enacted model of hospitality— ksenía —in ancient Greece. It deduces the onomasiological and semasiological spread of the term across the model's participants, namely GUEST, STRANGER but also HOST, into a schematic prototypical core within a complex and dynamic conceptual integration model. Along the spatial continuum of DISTANCE-APPROACHING-PROXIMITY, the analysis looks into APPROACHING as an emergent space, where GIFT-EXCHANGE is interpreted as a process of mental-space shift on the part of a stable SELF confronting the incoming OTHER. POSSESSIONS EXCHANGE conceptualised as non-commodifiable and non-alienable to the giver activates the metaphorical relation HAVE as BE. Thus, the abrupt confrontation is accommodated as an ad hoc partial substitutability of each participant's identity by the identity of the other. Some Proto-Indo-European etymologies proposed in literature for the term are reviewed, and their compatibility with the present analysis is evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we investigate the role of prosodic means in framing humour within conversational narratives. In particular, we focus on whether, how, and why jab lines as basic turn constructional units in a humorous narrative turn are marked off by prosodic features. Our aim is twofold: a) to investigate, by means of statistical tests, if jab lines are systematically segmented by pauses and by differentiation in speech rate and intensity; b) to analyse the conversational and pragmatic functions of the prosodic features under scrutiny within humorous conversational narratives. The data examined comes from 3 conversations between 2 adolescent girls (different ones in each conversation) and includes 22 humorous conversational narratives. The conversational narratives contain 170 jab lines, which are checked for the occurrence of pauses before and after them, and are measured for speech rate and intensity using the Praat software. Based on the results of our quantitative and qualitative analysis, we argue that pauses surrounding jab lines and prosodic differentiation in speech rate and intensity, either in isolation or in combination with one another, are systematically employed by the narrators in order to signal, delimit, and underline jab lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advice giving sequences are often the result of troubles telling sequences in both ordinary conversation and institutional interaction: it is often the case that a troubles teller is offered advice by interlocutors which he/she tends to reject because the interactional rights of a troubles teller are valued and troubles tellers are reluctant to abandon them. This paper analyses advice giving that takes place during Greek reality-television talk shows in which people participate to talk about their troubles and possibly find a solution to the problems they face. Advice is offered by the host/hostess of these shows and/or a professional expert. I explore the ways in which advice is either accepted or rejected during the shows by the guests. The analysis indicates that the guests accept advice that affiliates with their troubles and tend to resist advice that is hearable as criticism of their actions and perspectives. In addition, advice recipients often resort to troubles talk as seeking affiliation with their troubles seems to be more important for them in the talk-show context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with complaints to close friends about the misbehaviour of third non-present parties. In this sequential environment, we seek to identify the basic sequential as well as the distinctive features of complaints in Cypriot Greek ordinary conversations. Thus, this study analyzes the production of complaints as distinct topics with easily identifiable beginnings and endings. As it is shown, a crucial part of complaining is the expression of negative moral stance towards the non-present party's misbehaviour. This is followed by a description of the non-present party's misbehaviour which includes overdetailed and exaggerated reporting of the other's misbehaviour. Added to that, a critical point in the complaints analyzed is the reporting of the oppositional conversation the teller had with her opponent. By quoting this conversation, the teller enables the recipients to see the teller's innocence and the other's wrongdoings in their own words. Also considering that complaints are recipient designed, the recipients' responses are given their own analytical attention since they occur as affiliative interjections within the telling sequence, but also as affiliative evaluations upon complaint completion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I study the production of consonant clusters by Greek children and examine the consequences of the acquisition data for phonological theory, with particular emphasis on the word-initial position. Using a non-word repetition test, I tested the order of acquisition of wordinitial and word-medial s+obstruent (sT), obstruent-obstruent (TT) and obstruent-sonorant (TR) clusters in 59 children. The results provide evidence against any analysis that assigns identical status to word-initial sT and word-initial TT, such as models of extrasyllabicity, and lend support to an alternative analysis of the beginning of the word, based on Lowenstamm's (1999) initial ON hypothesis and CVCV theory (Scheer 2004). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The point of departure of this paper is the claim that dialectal variation should be approached not only as a geographical reflex but also, in line with recent discourse analytic approaches, as an interactional resource for various communicative objectives. Our analysis is based on 11 spontaneous conversational narratives produced by a Greek dialectophone from the island of Lesbos. We observe that she does not straightforwardly comply with the researcher's request to speak the (northern Greek) dialect. Rather, in order to produce dialectal features, she discursively constructs the spatio-temporal context of her village as it used to be half a century ago. It is mainly by animating, via direct speech, the voices of the foretime inhabitants of her village that she shows, rather than speaks, the local dialect. She achieves this by successfully adopting the discourse identity of performer, using devices like ellipsis, narrative present tense and prosodic differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cypriot Greek has been cited as “the last surviving Modern Greek dialect” (Contossopoulos 1969:92, 2000:21), and differences between it and Standard Modern Greek are often seen as seriously disruptive of communication by Mainland and Cypriot Greeks alike. This paper attempts an anatomy of the linguistic ‘difference’ of the Cypriot variety of Greek. By placing this in the wider context of the history of Cypriot Greek, the study and current state of other Modern Greek dialects, and state and national ideology in the two countries, Greece and Cyprus, it is possible to identify both diachronic and synchronic, as well as structural and ideological factors as constitutive of this difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I propose a uni ied semantic analysis of two phenomena characteristic of ancient Greek speech reporting, (i) the unmarked switching between direct and indirect discourse, and (ii) the use of οτι ('that') as a quotation introduction. I accommodate these phenomena in a formal semantic framework, where both can be modeled uniformly as instances of mixed quotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consonant harmony (CH) is a phenomenon commonly found in child language. Cross-linguistically, Place of Articulation (PoA), specifically the Coronal Node, undergoes CH, while regressive harmony seems to be the preferred directionality that CH takes (cf. Goad 2001a, b; Levelt 1994; Rose 2000, 2001). In the present study, drawing on naturalistic data from nine children acquiring Greek L1, we place emphasis on the fact that multiple factors need to be considered in parallel, in order to account for CH patterns: Not only PoA, but also Manner of Articulation (MoA) contributes to CH; consequently, (de)voicing or continuity harmony emerges. Although regressive harmony is generally favoured, markedness scales and word stress highly affect directionality. Coronal, stop and voiceless segments trigger and undergo CH depending on their degree of prominence and their position in the word. Harmony can be partial or full, i.e. either place or manner or both place and manner of articulation are targeted. Progressive harmony emerges when the triggers belong to the stressed syllable or when they are stops. Cases of double, bidirectional and recursive harmony are also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on Greek phonetics. Research in all aspects of Greek phonetics has altered the understanding of spoken Greek, organization of sounds, organization of vowel systems, the structure of intonation, the nature of rhythm, and the relationship between phrasing and sandhi phenomena. Phonetics is usually equated with phonology because it seeks to find general patterns of sound organization in the grammars of diverse language through the examination of language structures and sound systems.

In recent years, morphology has received increasing attention within linguistic theory. It deals with word structure and attracts significant interest in languages that are morphologically rich, such as Modern Greek (hereafter Greek). In this paper, I present an overview of the main theoretical studies that focus on Greek morphology in the last four decades, with a particular emphasis on those following the framework of generative grammar. Reasons of space prevent me from giving an exhaustive presentation of all the topics that have been examined from a synchronic point of view. Moreover, I do not take into consideration studies on historical and dialectal morphology or lexical borrowing, or works that cover areas where morphological issues interact with research in domains such as computational linguistics, psycholinguistics, and neurolinguistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although conversation analysis (CA) has been widely employed in different languages, its application to Greek talk-in-interaction is still quite limited. For this reason, in our introduction we summarise briefly the foundations of CA and present international and Greek CA bibliography on different areas of analysis in a manner that will be accessible to conversation analysts of various interests but also to researchers who are new to the field. We begin by outlining the foundations of CA and then offer a brief background to its development and its relationship to other disciplines. The empirical basis of CA is stressed by focussing on the process of collecting and transcribing data for CA and the method and units of analysis. We also give background information on the main CA areas of analysis (grammar-and-interaction, prosody, narrative analysis, institutional interaction, feminist CA, membership categorisation analysis, multimodal interaction). Finally, we present a brief overview of past studies of Greek talk-in-interaction and conclude with a summary of the articles of the Special Issue. By placing the emphasis on the fine-grained, turn-by-turn analysis, its ethnomethodological underpinnings and the understanding of social action, our aim is to set the tone for this Special Issue and to encourage future study of Greek conversational data and cross-cultural comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results arising from a study of the prosodic organisation of everyday talk in Greek suggest that 'falling' and 'rising' tunes might occur in free variation in certain interactional contexts. They also show that, at least for Greek, pitch alignment of rising tunes might be interactionally driven. I explore these possibilities by examining the organisation of two interactional sequences: a) response-to-summons turns (i.e. the first utterance by the recipient of a call) at the openings of Greek telephone calls, b) sequences involving the Greek continuer ne. Analysis of the first data set of response-to-summons turns suggests that the choice of falling or rising tune does not appear to have consequences for the design or subsequent development of the talk. Nor is there evidence in the interactional behaviour of the participants that the choice conveys a difference in pragmatic nuance. Analysis of the second data set shows that pitch alignment of rising tunes might be dependent on the interactional function and/or lexical design of the turn they occur in. I argue that choice of tune-type in this interactional context is related to particular lexical selections and that pitch alignment is related to interactional structure and composition of the turn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]