[gothic-l] Re: Gothic "sa"

[Magnus Hreinn Snaedal]

If only one label should be chosen for Gothic 'sa' I think it is more
correct to call it a demonstrative than an article. Though 'sa' functions
as an article in some contexts it has not lost its deictic caracter to the
same degree as the article in many european languages. The definate article
was a demonstrative pronoun originally. Perhaps we have in Gothic the
initial stage - the beginning of a developement toward an article.
Look at for example Mt 5:16:
Gothic: attan izwarana þana in himinam
Greek: tòn patéra humôn tòn en toîs ouranoîs
Here, only the second article in Greek (the one with a deictic function) is
represented in Gothic. Also Mt 2:20
Gothic: þize bokarje jah Fareisaie
Greek: tôn grammatéon kaì Farisaíon
Here I think it is possible to use 'those' ore even 'these' in English.

M.Sn.

At 13:05 10.10.2000 EDT, you wrote:
>    I should probably publically state that I concede on this issue... if it
>appears without article in other places, then it probably should here. I was
>thinking that the article probably more or less followed Greek usage, but
>this seems to be a bad assumption!
>    I of course do not agree with the sweeping statement that "sa" is a
>demonstrative and not an article, but I gather that was a deliberate
>overstatement, so the point is moot.
>
>
>-IUSTEINUS
>
>



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