Aorist

The Aorist (Greek ἀόριστος ahoristos, indefinite ⟨ ⟩ time ') is in some Indo-European languages ​​, a tense of the past. Unlike other past tenses such as the past tense or the perfect, he describes events in the past, which are considered as individual actions once completed, so selectively. It thus includes the perfective verbal aspect. This aspect of the aorist meaning, in some forms displace the time.

The grammatical term aorist is used inconsistently and partially contradictory for other languages. So he called in Turkish, a tense that expresses something rather close to that of imperfective aspect.

• 2.1 aorist
• 2.2 aorist in the past

• 4.1 To the aorist in Greek
• 4.2 Back to the aorist in Bulgarian

The Aorist in Indo-European languages

Importance

It is believed that the aorist in the Indo-European proto-language only the aspect expressed, but joined early with the temporal meaning. Similar to the Greek aorist in Sanskrit was originally a time and aspect category. The significance of differences between the past tenses of Sanskrit but faded early. The Bulgarian language has developed a double aspect system: The perfective and imperfective aspect of the realized in two strains of the verb and in two different past tenses, the aorist (as usual narrative time ) and the past tense (as a kind of progressive form of the past). In the Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian language is aorist and imperfect have received only in written language.

In many Indo-European languages ​​of the aorist (or its equivalents from the Latin Perfect ) and the past tense form a semantic pair. The difference between the two can be illustrated German Verbpaare like " see " and " look ", " find " and " search", " hear " and " listen" to understand; in each of these pairs the first verb has the aorist similar meaning: it features a unique, completed action, with a clearly defined beginning and end. The respective second verb other hand indicates a continuous process which can not be limited to a specific torque or a specific action; a repeated or habitual action can be displayed.

Beyond tenses gave this aspect of duality the basis of word meanings in Protoindogermanischen. This is well demonstrated in Ancient Greek. For example, there is in the subjunctive and optative no time shape discrimination, but merely an aspect of discrimination, such that the pair ἀκούωμεν and ἀκούσωμεν between " we want to listen," and " we want [ it ] to hear (' hear ') " and not between " we want listen "and" we want to have listened " differs.

Morphology

In the Primitive Indo-European existed several methods of formation of the aorist, which can be understood within the context of Greek and Sanskrit ( Old Indian ) best. Also in Latin, in which the aorist with the Perfect has collapsed, live old Aoristformen as modes of formation of the perfect on. In ancient Greek, and Sanskrit the aorist, like all past tenses, an augment receives. The following modes of formation of the aorist stand out as the most used:

The s - aorist

The s - aorist aorist or sigma tables ( after the Greek letter sigma ) s is formed with a Tempus characters. Examples:

• Ancient Greek ἀκούω akouō " I hear " - ἤκουσα, ēkousa " I heard " (regular mode of formation of the weak aorist ).
• Sanskrit करोमि Karomi " I do " - अकार्षम् akārṣam " I did ".
• Latin dico ' I say " - dixi " I said, " (so-called s- perfect).

The thematic aorist in Sanskrit is formed without tense sign, but with the theme vowel a. Accordingly, some strong Aoristformen are formed in ancient Greek without tense sign. If necessary, the quantitative ablaut comes to fruition, with the verb in the present tense the normal level and the Aorist has the zero grade. The mode of formation of the past tense in the strong verbs of the German is a remnant of the Indo-European ablaut. example:

• Ancient Greek λείπω leipō " I 'm leaving " - ἔλιπον elipon " I left ".
• Sanskrit शक्नोमि śaknomi "I can" - अशकम् aśakam " I could "

Root-

When root- the verbal root is identical to the aorist stem. Examples:

• Ancient Greek γιγνώσκω gignōskō " I know " - ἔγνων egnōn " I realized ."
• Sanskrit ददामि DADAMI " I give " - अदाम् Adam " I was ."
• Latin video " I see" - vidi " I saw " (so-called elongation perfect).

Reduplicated aorist

The reduplicated aorist is formed by the doubling of the first stem syllable ( reduplication ), an educational way that is typical for the perfect tense. Examples:

• Ancient Greek ἄγω ago " I lead " - ἤγαγον ēgagon
• Sanskrit द्रवामि dravāmi " I walk " - अदुद्रवम् adudravam " I ran ."

Examples

Modern Greek

Since no distinction in the Greek strictly between unique and repetitive / continuous actions, many time steps have two different verb forms in order to bring the aspect to be expressed. The basis for these two verb forms, the two tribes that are (almost ) has each verb in Modern Greek: the present stem and the aorist stem. Two forms are available for the future tense ( θα κλαίω - θα κλάψω ), the simple past ( έκλαιγα - έκλαψα ), the imperative ( κλαίγε! - κλάψε! ) And all Conjunctive (eg να κλαίω - να κλάψω ); but not, for example, the indikativische Present ( κλαίω ) and all time steps, which are formed with an auxiliary verb, such as the perfect tense ( έχω κλάψει ) or the pluperfect ( είχα κλάψει ). The German knows the morphological differentiation of two verb forms according to aspect in this form: I went to both a unique as well as a constantly repeated Walking express, while in Greek is essential to form two different verb forms here: πήγα ( aorist ) I went (once and I actually went ) - πήγαινα ( Paratatikos ) I went (always, usually, regularly, just at the time when something else happened).

In textbooks the terms aorist indicative and subjunctive aorist are used, this terminology is unfortunate for several reasons. Firstly, the term imply a pair of opposites in which is the distinguishing feature of the mode. On the other hand does not match the aorist subjunctive in its most common use as a time step of the presence of the subjunctive mode of most other Indo-European languages ​​, only to realize that thus the expression of desire or ability. In modern Greek, it serves more as a general constructor in sentence structure hypotaxis and plays an important role in the infinitive replacement. The aorist indicative finally available as aspect- marked past form itself not the subjunctive over, but the Paratatikos.

The Aorist Indicative expresses a mostly ad hoc and one-time action in the past.

• τρέχω run > I ran έτρεξα
• βρίσκω find > I found βρήκα
• διδάσκω teach > I δίδαξα taught
• αισθάνομαι feel > I felt αισθάνθηκα

The examples given here express a unique plot. Will you express durability, however, repeat or simultaneity, you need the past tense of the present stem, the Paratatikos: έβρισκα κάθε μέρα ... I found every day ..., ήθελε να πάμε σινεμά, αλλά εγώ αισθανόμουν άσχημα. he wanted us to go to the movies, but I felt bad.

Also, the retrospective summary of a longer period is usually expressed with the aorist, although it is a permanent or repeated action:

• Προσπάθησε στη ζωή του να είναι πάντα γενναιόδωρος. He tried in his life to always be generous.
• But Προσπαθούσε πάντα να είναι γενναιόδωρος. He always tried to be generous. Here the verb is not in the aorist, but in Paratatikos because it is always associated with πάντα - one of several signal words that contradict the selective character of the aorist and require the Paratatikos. The first example is προσπαθώ aorist, as it is here connected to the summing up - punctual στη ζωή του in his life and πάντα depends on είναι!

The aorist subjunctive is used for words that require the subjunctive, and also expresses uniqueness of punctuality. It can refer to different time stages:

• Ήθελε να με βρει. He wanted to find me.
• Θα έρθετε τελικά; Will you now? / Will you finally come?
• Ας έρθει! Let him come!
• Πριν φύγετε, κλείστε τα παράθυρα! Closes the window before you go!
• Να τα βάλω εδώ; Should I put it here?

If you want durability or repetition can be expressed, the subjunctive must be formed from the present stem (which is identical with the present indicative ): Again Θα έρχεστε; Will you (always) come Να τα βάζω εδώ? ; Should I ( basically every time ) put here?

Finally, the imperative is formed by analogy, whether is invited to a one-off, ad hoc, or on a repeated, basic plot:

• Imperative from the aorist stem (very common): βάλε! κλείσε! βρες! εξαφανίσου! έλα! Leg! Closing! Find! Get out! Come on!
• Imperative from the present stem ( rarely): βάζε! κλείνε! βρίσκε! να εξαφανίζεσαι! να έρχεσαι! Leg forever! Complete every time! Locate every time! Get out every time! Come on forever!

Should also be mentioned that in some, very frequent verbs present tense and aorist stem are identical or may be, for example, in θέλω want and make κάνω. It is probably at the nature of the action expressed in the verb, that a strict separation of the two aspects is not possible to identify; so the will can be a spontaneous emotion, but suppressed to a certain extent, by definition, always a permanent inclination of. Also be the verbs είμαι and have έχω not distinguish aspects.

Lower

One of the three forms of education of the past tense in the Lower Sorbian literary language in addition to perfect and past perfect tense is the simple past tense or synthetic: imperfect and aorist. The aorist is except in the verbal class o / jo -VII formed from the infinitive to which the personal endings of the aorist are added; padnuch about the root padnu - endings / padnu / padnuchu. The verbs of the class o / jo -VII form the aorist from the on -e- auslautenden nominal stem to which the personal endings of the aorist be added (example: narosć to the root - narosće - forms: narosćech, narosće, -chu ). In most verbal classes is imperfect and aorist differ only in the 2nd and 3rd person singular. In some verbal classes imperfect and aorist have in all persons before the personal ending different vowels (except Aoristformen the verbal class jI ).

The aorist in Turkish

In the grammar of the Turkish aorist the name of the terminology of the Indo-European languages ​​is needed in opposite directions. The Turkish knows six basic and derived tenses. This call aorist (Turkish Zaman Genis, German and R - present, after the ending of the third person singular, cf sever ) and the derived address the past aorist ( Genis Zamanın Hikayesi ) general operations without specifying a temporal determination. Thus, the Turkish aorist has a modal component and is used for operations without a time limit enforcement, for example, for operations in the imagination, the So (yet) take place. Among other things, it is used in forms of politeness or hypothetical statements. Another use is for designating habitual processes in which the speaker emphasizes his own subjective knowing or position. The aorist in the past called the one hand, the habitual action in the past, on the other hand, an even more personal considered process, regardless of the time step. Examples:

Aorist

• Dikkat et, yoksa düşersin. - "Be careful, otherwise fall du "
• Yemeğin Yanina ne alırsınız? - " What do you take as a supplement to food? "
• Kizim sebze sever. - " My daughter likes vegetables. "

The word kebab is a Aoristform the verb dönmek ( " rotate " ) and referred to as elliptical shape similar to Greek gyros the rotating skewer.

• Dunya doner. - " The earth rotates. "

Aorist in the past

• Böyle bir şey yapmazdım. - "This is something I had not done / I would not do. "
• Yemeğin Yanina ne alırdınız? - " What would you like as a side dish for dinner? "
• Çocukken futbol oynardım. - "As a child I used to play football."

The aorist of Quenya

In art, language Quenya, one of the languages ​​of the world Tolkien, there is a " aorist ". It is used there to time indefinite action for which the time or the duration is irrelevant, because, for example, this action is constantly repeated or condition is permanent or unchanging. In German, it usually correspond to the present tense ( " Atlantis is in the sea ").