Requesting in a letter: context, syntax and the choice between complements in the letters of Cicero and Pliny the Younger1
Requesting in a Letter
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23232183 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hilla Halla‐aho (0000-0001-9367-9670, University of Helsinki, corresponding author), Hilla Halla-aho |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 108 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 232-247 |
| Publication date | 2010-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Transactions of the Philological Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0079-1636 • E-ISSN: 1467-968X |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-968x.2010.01244.x |
| OpenAlex | W1566959651 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 4 |
This article addresses the question of how the choice between two complements is determined in the case of Latin rogo‘I ask’. When rogo has the meaning ‘to request, to ask a favour’ (as opposed to asking a question), it is usually followed by a (final) complement clause that either is or is not introduced by the conjunction ut (the subordinate predicate is always in the subjunctive). Traditionally, the difference between these two constructions has been attributed to a register difference, the variant with ut representing formal/written language, and the variant without ut representing informal/spoken language. It is argued that a register distinction is not the decisive criterion for the choice of complement in this case. On the basis of an analysis of all occurrences of the verbal form rogo‘I request’ in the letters of Cicero and Pliny the Younger, an alternative factor influencing the choice of complement is identified. It is suggested that the syntactic context, most importantly the distance between the governing and subordinate verbs, plays a role in the choice of complement. The question is thus linked to the manner of syntactic composition and style, and only indirectly to issues of formality.
Cicero · Complement (music) · Conjunction (astronomy) · Dependent clause · Formality · Linguistics · Predicate (mathematical logic) · Sentence · Style (visual arts) · Syntax · Classical Antiquity Studies · Computer Science · History · Linguistics and language evolution · Philosophy · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,29 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2019 (8) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |