Dual Speech Styles

Greek is written in an alternation of meaning-light verb + meaning-heavy noun followed by meaning-heavy verbv + meaning light noun. I have called those meaning light and meaning-heavy groupings "moieties" ("groupings"). A word that starts in one moiety is alternated to the other moieity (and can be used in the other half of the dual speech style as appropriate) if it is prefixed by a preposition, but if a verb is used in its native moiety, it is used only with the preposition at the head of a prepositional phrase. The addition of a preposition causes a noun or verb to function in the alternated speech style.

If we use Anglo-saxon words to represent meaning light words and Latinate words to represent meaning-heavy words in Greek, the general pattern followed in Greek is as followed:

He bought a hound and purchased a cat.

There are times when the context of the first verb is the context in which the second verb happens. There is a general action followed by a specific and extra meaningful action. An example (not using Anglo-saxon vs. Latinate distinction) is as follows:

They give a lanten and she takes the light.

The addition of a preposition to (the front of) a word - noun or verb - causes an alternation of the word to the other moiety from which its simplex form is native to. An example of that is as follows:

John gets a spoon but forgets the other utensils, and he re-forgets a knife but finds other equipment.

An example of the a noun being either meaning light or meaning heavy in the dual and alternating spreach styles can be seen with κλῆρος in Acts chapter 1:

Καὶ ἔστησαν δύο,

[This verb form looks like a θη form, and so is treated as one. This verb form is a nominalising centring form of the verb. ]

Ἰωσὴφ τὸν καλούμενον Βαρσαβᾶν,

[Here the simplex verb is used]

ὃς ἐπεκλήθη Ἰοῦστος, καὶ Ματθίαν.

[In the following half of a duality the complex form of the verb is used]

Καὶ προσευξάμενοι εἶπον,

[This is probably an example of chiasm or the like - these two verbs are reversed from the expected order.]

Σὺ κύριε καρδιογνῶστα πάντων,

ἀνάδειξον

ὃν ἐξελέξω, ἐκ τούτων τῶν δύο

ἕνα λαβεῖν τὸν κλῆρον τῆς διακονίας ταύτης καὶ ἀποστολῆς,

[The verb λαμβάνω forms the secondary specific member of the δίδωμι / λαμβάνω pair. "giving" is the, context within which "receiving" takes place.][The meaning of the noun κλῆρος here is "lot (holy office)" - that is the abstract meaning - meaning light usage of the word.]

ἐξ ἧς παρέβη Ἰούδας,

πορευθῆναι εἰς τὸν τόπον τὸν ἴδιον.

Καὶ ἔδωκαν, κλήρους αὐτῶν,

[The verb δίδωμι forms the initial context member of the δίδωμι / λαμβάνω pair. "Giving" is the, context within which "receiving" takes place. It is an even numbered -ie meaning rich - verb.][The meaning of the noun κλῆρος here is "lot (instrument of divination)" - that is the concrete meaning - meaning heavy usage of the word.]

καὶ ἔπεσεν ὁ κλῆρος ἐπὶ Ματθίαν,

[The meaning of the noun κλῆρος here is "lot (holy office)". It is an even numbered - ie meaning light (non-concrete meaning) closely significant noun.]

καὶ συγκατεψηφίσθη μετὰ τῶν ἕνδεκα ἀποστόλων.

[The θη form of the verb is nominally focused and therefore naturally suited to use with a meaning rich noun in the alternating pairs - ie It is an odd numbered verb.]