Verbal prefixation as an actionality (and valency) change strategy across ancient Greek, Latin and modern European Languages

This study aims at providing an answer to critical aspects of the following intertwined questions, which are common to ancient and modern languages of Europe: 1) is it possible to identify the principles underlying specific patterns of semantic change that affect prefixed verbs? 2) is the processing of prefixed verbs governed by the distinction between semantically transparent and semantically opaque preverbs? 3) do the functions and distribution of verbal prefixation in the languages of Europe rely on genetic factors, contact phenomena or universal typological tendencies? Ancient Greek and Latin data are analyzed, at the morphosyntax/semantics interface, and a unitary model is provided for the interpretation of the identified patterns of verbal prefixation. The function and distribution of Ancient Greek and Latin preverbs are further discussed in relation to evidence from other ancient Indo-European languages, such as Sanskrit and Hittite, as well as from modern Indo-European languages, inside and outside Europe. The results of this study show that: 1) verbal prefixation in ancient Indo-European languages can be used as a strategy for modifying the actionality of the predicate, by increasing the degree of its telicity and, consequently, of the affectedness of the undergoer argument; 2) so-called opaque preverbs, that is preverbs that have lost their lexical meaning, may produce semantic change and even valency change; 3) the valency change produced by preverbs applies to a specific class of verbs and is an epiphenomenon of the general principle governing the actionality change produced by preverbs; 4) the same mechanisms account for the identified functions of verbal prefixation in both ancient Indo-European languages and modern Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages of Europe: the patterns of verbal prefixation that involve a semantic or a semantic + valency change are a perfect candidate for a typological tendency that relies on universal principles; 5) verbal prefixation provides evidence of a causative/applicative syncretism in ancient Greek and Latin and sheds new light on the relationship between these two categories, showing how a more precise and systematic knowledge of the functions and distribution of verbal prefixation in the ancient Indo-European languages can help address crucial aspects of the unsettled questions on actionality and valency change strategies in the modern languages of Europe.