After all these years of either borrowing it or lately getting screen shots I finally picked up a copy of The Greek Particles. I am very happy to have it, but I’m wondering if there has been any major work since that time that I should be aware of? I assume the usual collection of dissertations or journal articles (easy enough to research on my own, if so led) but anything else?
BTW, I love these lines from the introduction (p. xxxvii):
“A loss of definiteness has been accompanied by increased subtlety of nuance. There is less body, more bouquet.”
Denniston was intimately familiar with ancient Greek literature—he really knew Greek, as few if any do today—and his book is invaluable, whether or not it’s the second edition that you have. It’s really meant for people who are themselves already well read in ancient Greek literature, but even relative beginners can use it with profit, if they come to grips with the examples of usage that he offers. More recent work tends to be more linguistically oriented, but Denniston’s great strength is his literary sensibilities.
Hi Barry, just to add, the two major studies on particles since Denniston that I’ve found most helpful (there are some aspects of these which improve on Denniston’s treatment—I’m less interested in the theoretical wrapping-paper which is currently in vogue, but in the actual contents of the use-cases themselves; these two studies go deeply into the concrete cases) are these: