COMPOUNDS WITH PREFIXES ἐξ- AND ἀπο- IN THE VERBAL SYSTEM OF THE BOOK OF JESUS THE SON OF SIRACH: STRUCTURE, SEMANTICS AND SYNTACTIC FEATURES

Abstract

The article examines the morpho-semantic and syntactic properties of the prefixes ἐξ- and ἀπο- in The Book of the Wisdom of Jesus, Son of Sirach. For most verbs, the addition of these prefixes yields verbal composites that preserve the core lexical meaning of the base while acquiring additional semantic nuances. The prefixal meanings are realized primarily with dynamic predicates: ἀπο- encodes source, separation, or distancing from a point of origin or surface, whereas ἐξ-, attaching to verbs of motion and physical action, denotes movement from within or outward movement. In the analyzed text, the semantic role of prefixes has significantly diminished: ἀπο- and ἐξ- often performed only a word-formation function, giving the word a more expressive form and intensifying its meaning. The addition of a prefix frequently resulted in the emergence of new semantics and facilitated the usage of verbs in figurative meanings. The study of lexical compatibility of prefixed verbs with ἐξ- and ἀπο- has demonstrated that most of them exhibit restricted lexical combinability. This is explained by the fact that prefixes modify the meaning of non-derived verbs according to their inherent circumstantial nuances, endowing the derived forms with more specific semantics. Verbal compounds constitute an important component of the stylistic repertoire of the Book of Jesus the Son of Sirach occurring in comparisons, antitheses, and metaphors. The analysis of syntactic compatibility of verbs with prefixes ἀπο- and ἐξ- has revealed that object and locative actants typically serve as right-valent positions with such compounds. Adding prefixes to the stems of intransitive verbs renders them morphologically and syntactically transitive; when attached to the stems of transitive verbs, they do not alter morphological characteristics but modify their valency structure. Among the morphosyntactic means of expressing object valency, accusative or prepositional constructions are most frequently employed. Most predicates with prefixes ἀπο- and ἐξ- that denote movement or action directed away from an object combine with complements featuring synonymous prepositions with semantics of removal or movement away from something – ἐξ, ἀπὸ. Evidence of the weakening of prefix semantics in the text includes the usage of poly-prefixed compounds, as well as the parallel functioning of verbs with one and two prefixes.