The article is devoted to the history of the concept of “finiteness” and its comprehension in modern linguistics. An analysis of the most relevant sources from ancient Babylonian, ancient Indian and ancient Greek traditions to the present day is offered. In the context of understanding finiteness, the Sumerian-Akkadian comparative tables of verb conjugation paradigms are considered. In Panini?s grammar of Sanskrit the concept of connection between predicate and arguments: karaka and vibhati are analyzed. Apollonius Dyskolus?s reflection on verb forms is discussed. An attempt is made to provide a distributive analysis of the Priscian?s terms finitus/infinitus/definitus . It was revealed that finitus was used by the author in the context of quantitative and qualitative limitation, and is also intended to distinguish the “form itself” from its particular expression. The understanding of finiteness in modern formal and functional linguistic theories is also analyzed. It is concluded that modern linguistics is focused not so much on the content of the concept of«finiteness», but on its practical applicability to individual languages.
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