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Genitive: totality as first (or second) object

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τοῦ ζῆν γὰρ οὐδεὶς ὡς ὁ γηράσκων ἐρᾷ

‘Nobody is more attached to life than an ageing man.’ (Soph. )

The genitive signals totality as an object with a large number of verbs. In a number of cases the genitive is used interchangeably with the accusative. The genitive is then distinguished by the fact that an object in the genitive is partially involved (semantic role: part-totality), while an object in the accusative is completely involved.

Lexical usage

The genitive as object signals a part-whole relationship (or a 'partitive patiens') with verbs of:

PARTICIPATION

μεταδίδωμι 'to give a part (of)', μετέχω 'to partake (of)', κοινωνέω 'to partake (of)'

partial or incomplete CONTACT

- ἁμαρτάνω 'to miss, fail to reach', ἅπτομαι, θιγγάνω, ψαύω 'to touch', γαμέω 'to marry', ἐπιλαμβάνομαι 'to hold on (to)', ἔχομαι 'to cling (to)', τυγχάνω 'to obtain';
- thus also verbs of striving and loving: ἐπιθυμέω ‘to long (for)’, ἐράω ‘to desire ardently’, ἐφίεμαι ‘to strive (for)’, ὀρέγομαι ‘to reach, yearn (for)’;
- thus also verbs of beginning and ending (as part of an event): ἄρχω, ἄρχομαι ‘to begin (with)’, πειράομαι ‘to try, test’;
- words of moving which do not entail that the goal of the movement is reached (particularly in epic texts and poetry): σκοπέω ‘to direct (at)’, τοξεύω ‘to shoot (at)’;

partial or incomplete OBSERVATION OR THOUGHT

- verbs of hearing, with the sound in the genitive, but the comprehensible content in the accusative.
ἀκούω 'to hear', ἀκροάομαι 'luisteren', αἰσθάνομαι ‘waarnemen’, πυνθάνομαι ‘vernemen’;
- thus also verbs of remembering and forgetting: ἀναμιμνῄσκω ‘to remind, call to remembrance’;
ἐπιλανθάνομαι ‘to forget’

Nota bene


ἀναμιμνᾐσκειν (τινά) τινος to remind someone of something
ἀναμιμνῄσκεσθαί τινος to remember something
μεμνῆσθαί τινος to bear something in mind
[ἀ]μνημονεύειν τινός [not] to call something to mind
ἐπιλανθάνεσθαί τινος to forget something

partial CONSUMPTION

ἀπολαύω 'to enjoy', γεύομαι ‘to taste (of)’, ἐσθίω ‘to eat (of)’, πίνω ‘to drink (of)’

Syntactic usage

When the genitive as an object is not used interchangeably with the accusative, it can sometimes be converted into the subject of a passive construction.

Example Sentences: 

τῶν ἡγεμόνων πυνθάνομαι ὄτι οὐκ ἄβατον ἐστι τὸ ὄρος

I understand from the guides that the mountain is not inaccessible. ֍

οὐδέν γε ἄλλο ἐστίν, οὗ ἐρῶσιν ἅνθρωποι, ἢ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ

Yet there is nothing that people love other than what is good. ֍

χειρουργῶν τ᾽ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ συνεχές, εἴθε ἦν, ἔλεγε, καὶ τὴν κοιλίαν παρατριψάμενον τοῦ λιμοῦ παύσασθαι

As he was pleasuring himself in public, Diogenes (the Cynic) said: if only one could dispel hunger by rubbing one's stomach.

ὁ γὰρ βότρυς ἀπόζει τῶν ῥόδων

For the clusters smell of roses.

παῦσαι, μακάριε, τραγῳδῶν.

Comrades, stop that play-acting.