<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
W. Schulze wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite" cite="mid:40289A84.52DF0719@lrz.uni-muenchen.de">
<pre wrap=""><br><br>The semantics of linguistic terms may be subjected to diachrony,<br>semantic change and borrowing just as any other ordinary language term.<br>The only thing is that we always have to make clear what we mean by the<br>term in an actual framework.<br><br><br></pre>
</blockquote>
One should add: and occasional translation errors. I don't know if Wolfgang
meant this when he referred to the term <i>accusative</i>; it goes back to
Greek <i>aitiatiké </i>(<i>ptósis</i>), which really is the 'case of the
caused (object)', like in 'I am writing a letter' (the writing is the cause
of the existence of the letter), and maybe should have been translated into
Latin as <i>causativus</i>. The reason for this blunder is probably that
the noun <i>aitía</i> both can be 'cause' and 'blame, accusation'.<br>
<br>
Similar is probably the 'passive voice'; the Greek term <i>pathetikós</i>
related to <i>páthos</i> ('what happens to a person; experience; passion,
emotion; misfortune, calamity') is probably meant to be the 'process voice'
as opposed to the 'action voice', but was associated via the Latin verb <i>
pati</i> (not etymologically related to <i>páthos</i>) 'to suffer' with suffering
(cf. German <i>Leideform</i>).<br>
<br>
Very much on a sideline, I see in Liddel and Scott's Greek-English Dictionary
that both words (<i>aitiatikós</i> and <i>pathetikós</i>) also are technical
terms in astrology, meaning 'noxious', and 'inactive (sc. sign of the Zodiac)',
resp.<br>
<br>
Hartmut Haberland<br>
<br>
<br>
</body>
</html>