Gerry Wakker

The main topics of my research are:

1. which factors determine the choice of aspect.

   Some scholars argue that the determining factors are purely pragmatic and have to do with the informational states of the state of affairs in question (new vs. old information). This seems too simple. It seems better to look for semantic factors, sometimes combined with pragmatic factors.

   2. Expressions of the future. Ancient Greek has a synthetic future, but also several analytic expressions. It may now be asked whether in these expressions we have to do with auxiliaries and which factors determine the choice between the synthetic future and the periphrastic expressions.

   3. The semantic and pragmatic function of particles in Greek texts and the role they play in the constitution of discourse cohesion or in helping the addressee to find out what the speaker really wants to convey.