Pronomen Abundans and Pronomen Coniunctum. A ... - DWC

PRONOMEN ABUNDANS AND PRONOMEN CONIUNCTUM 45
2.6.2. Period ot the Koine
There is no factual evidence of the occurrence of the pronomen abundans
in the spoken language of the classical period. There are only suppositions.
The same suppositions apply to the period of the Koine: the idiom is
found in the texts, and the authors of the NT and the Apocrypha, if
influenced by the spoken language, were influenced by the speech of
their contemporaries. But is there any evidence? We have seen that
Ljungvik considered the phenomenon as a trait of colloquial speech 148,
and there were many others who thought the same 149.
Instanees of the pronomen abundans occur in literary texts (especially
Polybius is fond of using it), in "Fachprosa" -texts, in papyri and in the
LXX and the NT. One may be inclined to consider the fact that it is
used in papyri and in the LXX and NT as evidence of its occurrence
in the spoken language. In 2.1.2.5 it was observed that this is a very
weak piece of evidence, as everything which has been left to us has been
written, and will, therefore, be quite different from colloquial speech 150.
And there is something else: if we decide that the pronomen abundans
was used in common speech only on account of its occurrenee in papyri
and in the LXX and NT, then we would have to admit at the same time
that Polybius was strongly influenced by the spoken language and even
wrote his History in a Greek which was very close to colloquial speech:
it is in his work that we find the majority of the instanees!
It is wiser, I think, first to admit that this idiom occurs at all the levels
of the Greek Koine and then to ask, not at which level, but in what kind
of circumstances it is mostly used. Let us recapitulate in short what has
been discovered on this point 151. The pronomen abundans is used:
1. In order to mark strongly and distinctly the connection with the
preceding sentence. See 2.3.2.1, points 1 and 2.
2. Because of astrong inclination towards clearness. See 2.3.2.3 and
2.3.2.4.
3. Because of the reduction of the relat. pronoun to a mere connective
- supposed that this is a fact! - people were inclined to use still another
anaphoric word. See 2.3.2.1, point 3, 2.3.2.3, 2.3.2.4 and 2.3.3.
Considering the three preceding points, we must admit that there se ems
to be nothing against supposing that the pronomen abundans was used
in colloquial speech. The spoken language excels in using redundant
phrases. Emotion, emphasis and the inclination to say things as clearly
148 See 2.6.
149 See note 98.
150 See the quotation from Rydbeck in 2.1.2.5 (pp. 22-3) and the following
(Rydbeck, p . 196): "Ein normales Papyrusdokument ist etwas Geschriebenes, das
von einer Person mit normaler sprachlicher Schulbildung - also von jemand, der
gelernt hat Griechisch zu schrei ben - verfasst ist ...".
151 See 2.3 etc.