{"id":88,"date":"2016-11-17T14:48:01","date_gmt":"2016-11-17T14:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.publiconsulting.com\/wordpress\/ancientgreek\/chapter\/26-contract-futures\/"},"modified":"2018-01-19T11:35:24","modified_gmt":"2018-01-19T11:35:24","slug":"26-contract-futures","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/www.publiconsulting.com\/wordpress\/ancientgreek\/chapter\/26-contract-futures\/","title":{"rendered":"Contract Futures"},"content":{"raw":"\n

<\/h2>\n[caption id=\"attachment_825\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"]\"2009.04.0063\"<\/a> A dedication of a stairway, \u1f04\u03bd\u03bf\u03b4\u03bf\u03bd, during the reign of the Roman emperor Publius Septimius Geta Caesar, ca. 200 A.D. Athenian Agora Excavations.[\/caption]\n

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Contract Futures<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Liquid and Nasal Verb Stems<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a general rule, Greeks tended to avoid pronouncing -\u03c3<\/span>- directly after a liquid (-\u03bb<\/span>, -\u03c1<\/span>) or a nasal (-\u03bc<\/span>, -\u03bd<\/span>). We have encountered this situation before. Recall that in our earlier discussion of the Greek noun, the nominative singular ending -\u03c2<\/span> regularly drops when added to noun stems ending in -\u03bd<\/span> (e.g. \u03b4\u03b1\u03b9\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd<\/span>-, \u03b1\u1f30\u03c9\u03bd<\/span>-, \u1f21\u03b3\u03b5\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd<\/span>-).<\/p>\n

As a result, when the future tense marker -\u03c3<\/span>- was added to a verb stem that ends in a liquid or nasal, some Greek dialects, including Classical Greek, tended to avoid pronouncing what would have been the resulting sounds: -\u03bb\u03c3\u03c9<\/span>, -\u03c1\u03c3\u03c9<\/span>, -\u03bc\u03c3\u03c9<\/span>, -\u03bd\u03c3\u03c9<\/span>. This was done by adding an -\u03b5<\/span>- before the -\u03c3<\/span>-. As a result, the future tense marker of liquid and nasal stem verbs became -\u03b5\u03c3<\/span>-, to which would then be added the regular -\u03c9<\/span> endings: -\u03b5\u03c3\u03c9<\/span>, -\u03b5\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2<\/span>, -\u03b5\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9<\/span>, etc.<\/p>\n

In Classical Greek, it is a general (though sometimes broken) rule that an INTERVOCALIC SIGMA \u2013 i.e., a  -\u03c3<\/span>- found between two vowels \u2013 drops out, and the two remaining vowel sounds, now side-by-side, contract (S 120). For example, the future tense of \u03b1\u1f34\u03c1\u03c9<\/span>, raise<\/em>, originally was \u1f00\u03c1\u03ad\u03c3\u03c9<\/span> (note that the verb stem, \u1f00\u03c1<\/span>-, has been slightly changed in the present stem). In Attic Greek pronunciation, the -\u03c3<\/span>- gradually dropped out, producing the form \u1f00\u03c1\u03ad\u03c9<\/span>. Attic Greek then contracted -\u03ad\u03c9<\/span> just as it does for regular present tense -\u03ad\u03c9<\/span> verbs.<\/p>\n

These contract futures are sometimes called ATTIC FUTURES, because this type of contraction happens much more regularly in Classical Greek than in other Greek dialects, including Koine (S 538-539).<\/p>\n

So, putting it all together, contract futures conjugate as follows (cf. S 401; GPH p. 116):<\/p>\n

\u03b1\u1f34\u03c1\u03c9<\/span>, \u1f00\u03c1\u1ff6<\/span> raise<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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(\u1f00\u03c1\u03ad\u03c9<\/span> \u2192) \u1f00\u03c1\u1ff6<\/span>  I will raise<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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(\u1f00\u03c1\u03ad\u03bf\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd<\/span> \u2192) \u1f00\u03c1\u03bf\u1fe6\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd<\/span> we will raise<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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(\u1f00\u03c1\u03ad\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2<\/span> \u2192) \u1f00\u03c1\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c2<\/span> you will raise<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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(\u1f00\u03c1\u03ad\u03b5\u03c4\u03b5<\/span> \u2192) \u1f00\u03c1\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c4\u03b5<\/span> you all will raise<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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(\u1f00\u03c1\u03ad\u03b5\u03b9<\/span> \u2192) \u1f00\u03c1\u03b5\u1fd6<\/span> (s)he, it will raise<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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(\u1f00\u03c1\u03ad\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9<\/span> \u2192) \u1f00\u03c1\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c3\u03b9<\/span> they will raise<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Future infinitive active: (\u1f00\u03c1\u03ad\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd<\/span> \u2192) \u1f00\u03c1\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bd<\/span><\/p>\n

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With only one common exception (\u1f10\u03bb\u03b1\u03cd\u03bd\u03c9<\/span>, \u1f10\u03bb\u1ff6<\/span>, see below), all contract futures can be assumed to be -\u03ad\u03c9<\/span> contracts. As a result, the SECOND PRINCIPAL PART of verbs with contract futures are written in their contracted form. Note the following verbs, and the SUBTLE CHANGES that some exhibit in their PRESENT STEMS (cf. S 20, 517-519).<\/p>\n

\u1f00\u03b3\u03b3\u03ad\u03bb\u03bb\u03c9<\/span>, \u1f00\u03b3\u03b3\u03b5\u03bb\u1ff6<\/span> report, tell<\/p>\n

\u03b1\u1f34\u03c1\u03c9<\/span>, \u1f00\u03c1\u1ff6<\/span> raise<\/p>\n

\u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03ba\u03c4\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03c9<\/span>, -\u03ba\u03c4\u03b5\u03bd\u1ff6<\/span> kill<\/p>\n

\u1f00\u03c0\u03cc\u03bb\u03bb\u03c5\u03bc\u03b9<\/span>, \u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u1ff6<\/span> kill, destroy<\/p>\n

\u03b2\u03ac\u03bb\u03bb\u03c9<\/span>, \u03b2\u03b1\u03bb\u1ff6<\/span> throw<\/p>\n

\u03b4\u03b9\u03b1\u03c6\u03b8\u03b5\u03af\u03c1\u03c9<\/span>, -\u03c6\u03b8\u03b5\u03c1\u1ff6<\/span> destroy<\/p>\n

\u03ba\u03c1\u03af\u03bd\u03c9<\/span>, \u03ba\u03c1\u03b9\u03bd\u1ff6<\/span> judge, decide, determine<\/p>\n

\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03c9<\/span>, \u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u1ff6<\/span> remain, stay<\/p>\n

\u03c4\u03ad\u03bc\u03bd\u03c9<\/span>, \u03c4\u03b5\u03bc\u1ff6<\/span> cut<\/p>\n

\u03c6\u03b1\u03af\u03bd\u03c9<\/span>, \u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u1ff6<\/span> make appear<\/p>\n

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-\u03b9\u03b6\u03c9<\/span> Verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another class of ATTIC FUTURES are verbs whose stems end in -\u03b9\u03b6\u03c9<\/span>. Since -\u03b6<\/span> is a dental, we should anticipate that the addition of the future tense marker -\u03c3<\/span>- would produce a future tense stem ending in -\u03af\u03c3\u03c9<\/span>. For example, the future of \u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03af\u03b6\u03c9<\/span>, \"think, believe\" would be \u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03af\u03c3\u03c9<\/span>.<\/p>\n

In practice, however, Classical Greek regularly dropped the -\u03c3<\/span>-, and replaced it with an -\u03b5<\/span>-, resulting initially in a form like \u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03b9\u03ad\u03c9<\/span>. As you can by now imagine, the -\u03ad\u03c9<\/span> would then contract. Note the following examples:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u1f10\u03bb\u03c0\u03af\u03b6\u03c9<\/span>, \u1f10\u03bb\u03c0\u03b9\u1ff6<\/span> hope for<\/p>\n

\u03ba\u03bf\u03bc\u03af\u03b6\u03c9<\/span>, \u03ba\u03bf\u03bc\u03b9\u1ff6<\/span> provide for<\/p>\n

\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03af\u03b6\u03c9<\/span>, \u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03b9\u1ff6<\/span> think, believe<\/p>\n

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Other Contract Futures<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u1f10\u03bb\u03b1\u03cd\u03bd\u03c9<\/span>, \u1f10\u03bb\u1ff6<\/span> march (This future is an -\u03ac\u03c9<\/span> contract: \u1f10\u03bb\u1ff6<\/span>, \u1f10\u03bb\u1fb7\u03c2<\/span>, \u1f10\u03bb\u1fb7<\/span>, etc.!)<\/p>\n

\u03ba\u03b1\u03bb\u03ad\u03c9<\/span>, \u03ba\u03b1\u03bb\u1ff6<\/span> call (We might expect \u03ba\u03b1\u03bb\u03ae\u03c3\u03c9<\/span>, but we would be wrong. Note that the present and future tense are identical in form!)<\/p>\n

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- \u03c4\u1f78 \u03c4\u03ad\u03bb\u03bf\u03c2 -<\/p>\n

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Key Terms and Concepts<\/h3>\n