by Cheiromancer » Mon Feb 20, 2012 12:39 am
annis just posted a lovely grammar guide from the University of Dallas, written by one Karl Maurer. On page 7 he gives an unusually complete list of the circumstances estin receives its accent. The rule that covers this case is "if it follows οὐκ, μή, εἰ, ὡς, καί, ἀλλά (ἀλλ') or τοῦτο."
I wonder if there is a more intuitive way to grasp the rule?
P.S. The full text of Maurer's rule for estin is
SPECIAL RULES FOR ἐ σ τ ί : accent it ἔστι (A) if it is the first word; (B) when it means "it is possible" (ἔξεστι); (C) in the phrases ἔστιν οἵ, ἔστιν ὅτε etc.("there are those who" = "some people", "there are times when" = "sometimes"); (D) if it follows οὐκ, μή, εἰ, ὡς, καί, ἀλλά (ἀλλ') or τοῦτο.
edit: Of course, this doesn't explain what is going on with ouk eimi. The special rule for esti doesn't apply to it, so it should appear as οὔκ εἰμι. But it doesn't. It is instead οὐκ εἰμί. Maybe those same 7 words are exceptional for all the bisyllabic present indicative forms of eimi?