fryslân

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My research covers four research strands in the study of the history of Greek, Latin and Indo-European languages.


Research Strands


Linguistic typology. In particular, I have tried to show how typologically well-known morphosyntactic patterns of modality and tense & aspect are (or are not) reflected in the diachronic data of Greek, Latin and Indo-European languages. To this end, I have especially investigated moods and modal verbs, insubordination, counterfactuality, and habituality.


Historical linguistics. I have been involved in grammaticalization research on the Greek language, its potential improvement with collocationist analyses (e.g. 2020 IF on using collocations to identify the grammaticalization of habitual auxiliaries), typology (e.g. 2022 FolH on diachronic pathways into past habituality) and its intersection with related historical processes such as intersubjectification (e.g. 2022 Diachronica and forthc. on the intersubjectification and grammaticalization of imperatives).


(Historical) pragmatics. There are many more pragmatic patterns in Ancient Greek and Latin which will be familiar to us from modern languages. Thus far, I have tried to explain the pragmatics of conditional and counterfactual reasoning patterns (see below), the historical pragmatics of non-standard wishes in Ancient Greek, or of insubordinate patterns in Latin. At the same time, I have tried to show the utility of synchronic pragmatic methodologies such as Conversation Analysis for our understanding of ancient dialogical and non-dialogical texts (e.g. 2022 Emerita or forthc on insubordinate ὅπως).


Ancient scholarship and ancient languages. We possess many sources about ancient sources and their language from antiquity, some of which can provide useful perspectives on ancient language variation and change. To illustrate, I have recently collected the metalinguistic evaluations of morphosyntactic variation and change in Post-Classical Greek from the Atticist lexica (2022 JGL).


Publications


Edited Volumes

  • forthc, exp. 2025. E. la Roi & D. Pratali Maffei. Language Change from Above and Below in Ancient Greek and Latin. Special issue for the Journal of Historical Sociolinguistics.
  • forthc, exp. 2025. K. Bentein, E. Cattafi and E. la Roi (eds.). Subordination and Insubordination in Post-Classical Greek: From Syntax to Context. De Gruyter.
  • 2020 (ed.). Lingua graeca als lingua franca! De griekse taal door de eeuwen heen. Tetradio. [Lingua Graeca as Lingua Franca! The Greek language through the Centuries.Classics journal for public outreach, specifically aimed at disseminating the latest research into Antiquity to a wider public]



Papers in peer-reviewed Journals



Book Chapters

  • subm. Rewriting the History of the Optative in the Post-Classical Greek Papyri and Literary Texts (III BCE - VI CE): Persistence, Formulae and Innovation. In K. Bentein & M. Vierros (eds.), New light from the East: Linguistic Perspectives on Non-Literary Papyri and Related Sources. Helsinki University Press.
  • forthc, exp. 2025. The Intersubjectification of Vision as Interactional Thought: Vision Imperatives in Ancient Greek Diachrony. Verbs of Thought and Speech. Pragmaticalization paths across languages. A. Pardal (ed.). John Benjamins. 
  • forthc, exp. 2025. Contextualizing Counterfactual Patterns in Post-Classical Greek texts: Forms, Functions and Contexts. What if? Counterfactual Approaches to Imperial and Byzantine Literature. A. Quiroga (ed.). Peter Lang. 
  • forthc, exp. 2025. Between Dialogic and Diachronic Syntax: the Insubordination of Directive ὅπως in Classical Greek drama. Conversation Analysis and Classics. Talk-in-Interaction in Greek and Latin Literature, R. Verano Liaño (ed.), Brill.
  • forthc, exp. 2025. Dangling between Diachrony, Register and Atticism: A Language Ecology Approach to Modal Morphosyntax in Post-Classical Greek. Advances in Ancient Greek Linguistics. Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Ancient Greek Linguistics. J. de la Villa, A. Striano and R. Verano Liaño (eds.). De Gruyter. 
  • forthc, exp. 2025. Connecting Intersubjectivity, Politeness and Stance with Wishes in the Post-Classical Greek papyri. Everyday Communication in Antiquity: Frames and Framings. K. Bentein. Lexis.
  • forthc, exp. 2025. Habitual constructions in Ancient Greek. A layered approach to habitual expressions. S. Gregersen & K. Hengeveld (eds.). John Benjamins.
  • forthc, exp. 2025. H. Fang, E. Fortuin, R. Genis, R. Giomi, S. Gregersen, K. Hengeveld, L. Kemp, P. Kyselica, E. la Roi, H. Olbertz, E. Stapert, J. van der Vliet, H. van der Voort, S. de Wit, A. Wolvengrey, E. Zakrzewska. A Hierarchical Approach to Habitual Expressions: Typological Generalizations. A layered approach to habitual expressions. S. Gregersen & K. Hengeveld (eds.). John Benjamins.
  • forthc, exp. 2025. K. Bentein, E. Cattafi, E. la Roi. Unraveling Post-classical (in)subordination: From syntax to context. Subordination and Insubordination in Post-Classical Greek. K. Bentein, E. Cattafi, E. la Roi (eds.). De Gruyter. 
  • forthc, exp. 2025. Correlating Morphosyntactic Stability, Change, Register and Context of Use in Post-Classical Greek: The case of Insubordinate Wishes. Subordination and Insubordination in Post-Classical Greek: From Syntax to Context. K. Bentein, E. Cattafi, E. la Roi (eds.). De Gruyter.
  • forthc, exp. 2025. Aspect, Actionality and Pragmatics in the Life Cycles of Counterfactual Conditionals: The Evidence from Ancient Greek Diachrony (VIII - I BCE). Tense and Aspect in Counterfactuals. G. Sharma & M. Ippolito. De Gruyter.
  • forthc, exp. 2025. The Counterfactual Life Cycle: Cyclicity, Pragmatics and Modality. Cyclic change in grammar and discourse. Hansen, M.-B. M., & Waltereit, R. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • 2023. A Pragmatic Syntax of Counterfactual Mood Attraction and Mood (A)Symmetry from Archaic to Classical Greek. Building Modality with Syntax. Focus on Ancient Greek, C. Denizot & L. Tronci (eds.), 193–220. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter.
  • 2018. Shifting Responsibilities. Thucydides on Losing to Brasidas. Conflicts in Antiquity: Textual and Material Perspectives, D. van Diemen, D. van Dokkum, A. van Leuken, A. Nijenhuis, and F. A. van der Sande (eds.), 41–61. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. 


Encyclopedia Entries

  • forthc, exp. 2025. Orders in Medieval Greek. Encyclopedia of Greek Language and Linguistics. G. Giannakis, E. Crespo, P. Filos, B. D. Joseph, and T. Markopoulos (eds.). Brill. 
  • forthc, exp. 2025. Insubordination. Encyclopedia of Greek Language and Linguistics. G. Giannakis, E. Crespo, P. Filos, B. D. Joseph, and T. Markopoulos (eds.). Brill. 

    • forthc, exp. 2025. with K. Bentein. Mood and modality in Post-Classical Greek. Encyclopedia of Greek Language and Linguistics. G. Giannakis, E. Crespo, P. Filos, B. D. Joseph, and T. Markopoulos (eds.), Brill.
  • forthc, exp. 2025. Mood and Modality in Medieval Greek. Encyclopedia of Greek Language and Linguistics. G. Giannakis, E. Crespo, P. Filos, B. D. Joseph, and T. Markopoulos (eds.). Brill. 
  • forthc, exp. 2025. Speech Acts in Medieval Greek. Encyclopedia of Greek Language and Linguistics. G. Giannakis, E. Crespo, P. Filos, B. D. Joseph, and T. Markopoulos (eds.). Brill. 
  • forthc, exp. 2025. Grammars of the Greek Language, Medieval Greek. Encyclopedia of Greek Language and Linguistics. G. Giannakis, E. Crespo, P. Filos, B. D. Joseph, and T. Markopoulos (eds.). Brill. 
  • 2024. Counterfactuals in Ancient Greek. Encyclopedia of Greek Language and Linguistics. G. Giannakis, E. Crespo, P. Filos, B. D. Joseph, and T. Markopoulos (eds.), Brill. PDF
  • 2024. Counterfactuals in Post Classical Greek. Encyclopedia of Greek Language and Linguistics. G. Giannakis, E. Crespo, P. Filos, B. D. Joseph, and T. Markopoulos (eds.), Brill. PDF
  • 2024. Habituals in Ancient Greek. Encyclopedia of Greek Language and Linguistics. G. Giannakis, E. Crespo, P. Filos, B. D. Joseph, and T. Markopoulos (eds.), Brill. PDF

 

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