Abstract
AbstractIn the accusative and infinitive construction in Archaic Latin, both present and future tense infinitives can be found if there is future meaning; semantic differences cannot be detected. Various scholars have tried to show that the present infinitive is colloquial here or that the alternation between the two tenses has to do with semantic differences in the governing verbs. However, on closer examination of the data such theories cannot be upheld. In this paper, I shall demonstrate that the present infinitive is restricted to telic events. Moreover, it is particularly frequent if the subjects of the superordinate and subordinate verbs are identical. The present infinitive of the verb ‘to give’ occurs more often than present infinitives of other verbs. Finally, we can observe how such present infinitives become less frequent if we compare Plautus and Terence.1
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