YΠΟΤΑΚΤΙΚOΣ, SUBIUNCTIVUS, CONIUNCTIVUS: VARIAZIONI DI PREFISSI FRA GRECO E LATINO

Abstract

In the Latin grammatical tradition, two alternative terms were adopted to denote the 'subjunctive' mood, i.e. coniunctivus and subiunctivus. This duality (which persists, as is well-known, into modern languages) contrasts with the uniformity of the Greek terminology, with only one option, i.e. ὑποτακτικός. This paper explores the roots of the Latin dual terminology, in relationship both with the Greek model and with competing ideas on the function of this mood emerging in the Latin scholarship.