| The Standard Model | |
| There is no one view of the moods in Ancient Greek. But there is general consensus over several aspects, and this consensus fits in well with modern views on modal systems generally. According to this general consensus, the optative is more remote than the subjunctive, which is more remote than the indicative, which may be represented by an irrealis continuum. | |
| The meanings of the moods were traditionally divided into two: those with an element of will (hortative, negative directive, wish), and those without (future, potential). This fits well with the division, seen as fundamental in many studies of modality, between deontic and epistemic modality. | |
| However, there are problems with these traditional views. Findings from the theory of grammaticalisation suggest that the table is too rigid, and modality studies suggest that the table is too simplistic. Furthermore, the 'deontic' meanings are not deontic but performative, or 'speaker-oriented'. | |
| Introduction | Subjunctive (3) | ||
| The standard model | Subjunctive (4) | ||
| Indicative | Optative (1) | ||
| Subjunctive (1) | Optative (2) | ||
| Subjunctive (2) | Optative (3) |
Realis |
--> |
Irrealis |
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Indicative |
Subjunctive |
Optative |
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Deontic |
Epistemic |
|
| Less remote: Subjunctive | Want |
Probable |
| More remote: Optative |
Wish |
Possible |
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