REDUPLICATION

Like augment, reduplication is a precursory addition to the stem applied in certain forms. There are three kinds of reduplication:

1) Applied to stems with an initial consonant: a precursory syllable is added consisting of the initial consonant of the stem with a vowel.

a) In duratives this vowel is an –ι-: e.g. stem πτ-, du A pr-ind 1^st sg: πίπτω

In Greek, initial σ- before vowel and intervocalic –σ- are eliminated; initial σ- is replaced by a spiritus asper, intervocalic –σ- just disappears. Stems originally with initial σ-  that are reduplicated start with ἱ-: στη- du A pr-ind 1^st sg: ἵστημι, σδ- du A ind 1^st sg ἵζω, ἡ- (<ση-) du A pr-ind 1^st sg ἵημι. In other than durative forms of these verbs this reduplication naturally is not applied: στη- ao A pa-ind 1^st sg: ἔστησα etc. The complete collection of such forms will be given with further details on the various types of du: 2. 5. and II.*)

b) In non-durative forms the vowel is an –ε-: stem λυ-, pf A pr-ind 1^st sg λέλυκα; stem λαβ-, ao Md inf λελαβέσθαι (reduplicated ao rare, in Epic). The complete collection of aorists with reduplication will be given with the further detail of ao 2.

Past indicatives are augmented in addition to the reduplication: du A pa-ind 1^st sg ἔπιπτον.

Stems beginning with an aspirate (θ-, φ-, χ-) are reduplicated with the corresponding tenuis (τ-, π-, κ-): stem θη-, du A pr-ind 1^st sg τίθημι,  stem φυλακ-, pf MP pa-ind 3^rd sg ἐπεφύλακτο. §)

2) “Attic” reduplication, which is applied to (very few, but frequent) stems with initial vowel: the initial vowel+consonant is prefixed to the stem, or, in the case of perfect forms to the augmented stem:

a) in du: stem ἀρ-, du A pr-ind 1^st sg ἀραρίσκω; in ao: stem ἀγ-, ao A inf ἀγαγεῖν [in pa-ind forms augment is also applied: ao A pa-ind 1^st sg ἤγαγον] [In the du-form ὀνίνημι we find a kind of mix of both sorts of reduplication.] All du & ao forms with Attic reduplication will be enumerated with the details of such formations.

b) in pf: stem ὀλε-, pf A pr-ind 1^st sg ὀλώλεκα. Here, the pa-ind is not always augmented. This is the appropriate place for an enumeration of stems that have Attic reduplication in the perfect; the ones marked with * are Attic, the unmarked are Epic (do not try to learn by heart: all stems, except when the perfects are very rare, are in the list of verb stems):

3) Properly speaking the third sort of “reduplication” is not reduplication at all. A goodish number of stems is what I call “non-reduplicant”: by far the most stems with initial vowel, most stems that begin with two consonants and all stems that begin with more than two consonants,only in perfect forms, get augment instead of reduplication: stem ἁμαρτη-, pf A pr-ind 1^st sg ἡμάρτηκα, stem γνω-, pf A pr-ind 1^st sg ἔγνωκα, stem στρατοπεδευ-, pf MP pa-ind 3^rd pl ἐστρατοπέδευντο (pa-ind gets no further augmentation!).

The letters ζ, ξ, ψ and ρ count for two consonants and verbs beginning with these are never reduplicated, always augmented. ρ is redoubled after augm: ἐρρ-.

The only reduplication/augment-instead-of-reduplication that is compulsory in all forms is that in perfect forms.

[There is a lot of quirkiness in this sector of the Greek grammar: some stems show more than one kind of reduplication (γιγνώσκω, reduplicated in du, but not in pf, ᾕρηκα and ἀραίρηκα, both of αἱρέω, πέπτυγμαι and ἔπτυγμαι, both of πτύσσω), but one should realise that Greek was used for millennia over a great tract of territory and by a great variety of speakers, amongst whom many that used Greek as a foreign tongue, which causes a tendency to create analogical forms, e.g. ἔπεσαν (3^rd pl only), instead of ἔπεσον because normal ao pa-ind 3^rd pl ends in -σαν].

Greek has many compound verbs, which may be divided into two groups:

1) Those compounded with words otherwise in use as prepositions, comparable to English “forgive”, e.g. ἀποβάλλω,

2) those compounded with other elements, chiefly ἀ-, εὐ- & δυσ-.

For purposes of reduplication the second kind is treated as any other verb, but in the first kind the reduplication (or augment-instead-of—) is applied as follows (cf. AUGMENT): first the compounding particle is separated from the verb, then the uncompounded verb is reduplicated or augmented and the particle re-attached to the form. This is only the principle of the thing; for further detail one is referred to the page on COMPOUND VERBS.

 [N.B. These pages are designed to get you through your first readings; it may be years before you encounter anything that does not conform, but do not be surprised at deviations, especially in the augmentation of perfect past indicatives.]