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Aelius Herodianus · Excerpt from Herodian's Hypomnemata on Didymus' On Pathē §1-3

Accentuation in Elision and Phonological Derivations

Passage 1 of 1 · Greek

Summary

Citing commentaries on Didymus, this chunk discusses the accentual rules for elided oxytone words, the correct accentuation of "â deîl'" in Homeric readings, and the phonological derivation of the pluperfect "âōrto" from "árō".

§11.
1.
Il.
Il.
Pros. Λ 160: κειν᾿: λέγει ὁ τεχνικὸϲ ἐν τῷ α΄ ὑπομνήματι τῷ περὶ παθῶν Διδύμου· τὰ ὀξύτονα ἡνίκα ἐκθλίβηται τὴν ὀξυνομένην ϲυλλαβήν, ἀναπέμπει τὴν ὀξεῖαν ἐπὶ τὴν ὀπίϲω ϲυλλαβήν, καὶ ἐὰν ᾖ ἡ ἐκθλιβεῖϲα ϲυλλαβὴ ἡ ἔχουϲα τὴν ὀξεῖαν βραχεῖα, ἡ δὲ ὀπίϲω ϲυλλαβὴ φύϲει μακρά, τῷ τονικῷ παρεγγέλματι γίνεται περιϲπώμενον.
Pros. Λ 160: on "kein'": the grammarian says in the first commentary on Didymus' On Alterations: when oxytone words have the accented syllable elided, they throw the acute accent back onto the preceding syllable; and if the elided syllable containing the acute is short, and the preceding syllable is naturally long, it becomes circumflexed by the accentual rule.
περιϲπᾶ γοῦν τὸ δεῖλ᾿.
Thus, deîl' is circumflexed.
ἐν δὲ τῇ Ὁμηρικῇ προϲῳδίᾳ ἐναντιοῦται τούτῳ.
But in Homeric prosody, this is opposed.
§22.
2.
Il.
Il.
Pros.
Pros.
P 201: ζητεῖ ὁ Ἡρωδιανὸϲ ἐν τῷ α' ὑπομνήματι τῷ περὶ παθῶν Διδύμου περὶ τοῦ ἆ δεῖλ᾿, πῶϲ δεῖ τονίζειν αὐτὸ καί φηϲι. πολὺ δὲ πρότερον παρὰ τῷ ποιητῇ ἐϲτὶ τὸ τῆϲ ἀναγνώϲεωϲ «ἆ δείλ᾿ οὐδέ τί τοι θάνατοϲ» ἢ «ἆ δεῖλ᾿ οὐδέ τί τοι θάνατοϲ». τὸ γὰρ πλῆρέϲ ἐϲτιν ἆ δειλέ· οὐ γάρ, ὡϲ οἱ ἐξηγηϲάμενοι, τοῦ δείλαιε ἀποκοπή. ἐν ἑτέροιϲ γὰρ αὐτὸϲ λέγει «ἆ δειλώ, τί νυ δάκρυ κατείβετον» (Od φ 86).
P 201: Herodian investigates in the first commentary on Didymus' On Alterations concerning "â deîl'", how one ought to accent it, and says: for the reading "â deíl' oudé tí toi thánatos" is much prior in the poet than "â deîl' oudé tí toi thánatos." For the full form is "â deilé"; for it is not, as the commentators have explained, an apocope of "deílaie." For in other places he himself says, "â deilṓ, tí ny dákry kateíbeton" (Od. φ 86).
περιγέγραπται οὖν ἡ ὀξεῖα, εἶτα καὶ ἀνάπαυϲιϲ γέγονεν.
Therefore, the acute has been removed, and then a pause occurred.
ἆρα οὖν φυλαχθήϲεται ἡ ὀξεῖα, ἢ ἐπεὶ περιγέγραπται τὸ φωνῆεν τῆϲ ὀξείαϲ περιγέγραπται καὶ ὁ τόνοϲ;
Will the acute accent then be preserved, or, since the vowel of the acute has been removed, has the accent also been removed?
τὸ κρινόμενον ἐκεῖνο, ἵνα ἐπιϲτάμενοι ἀναγνῶμεν.
That is the point to be judged, so that we may read with knowledge.
ἕν ἐϲτιν εἰπεῖν, εἰ ἅπαξ περιγέγραπται τὸ φωνῆεν τὸ ἔχον τὴν ὀξεῖαν, ὁ τόνοϲ γενέϲθω τῆϲ προτέραϲ ϲυλλαβῆϲ, οὐχὶ τῆϲ ἐπὶ τέλουϲ.
One thing to say is that, if once the vowel containing the acute is removed, let the accent be on the preceding syllable, not on the final syllable.
§33.
3.
Schol.
Schol.
A ad Il. Γ 272 et E. M. 116, 51: ἄωρτο·
A ad Il. Γ 272 et E.
ἄρω ἐϲτὶ τὸ ϲημαντικὸν τοῦ ἁρμόζω, οὗ μέλλων ἄρϲω, ἀόριϲτοϲ ἦρϲα «Θέτιϲ ὤμοιϲιν ἐπῆρϲεν» (Il.
M. 116, 51: on "âōrto": "árō" is the word indicating "harmózō" (to fit), of which the future is ársō, the aorist êrsa: "Thetis fitted (epêrsen) [it] onto her shoulders" (Il.
Ο 167 et 339) ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐφήρμοϲεν «καὶ πώμαϲιν ἄρϲον ἅπαντα» (Od. β 353) ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐφάρμοϲον.
XV 167 and 339) instead of ephérmosen, and "fit (árson) everything with lids" (Od. ii 353) instead of ephármoson.
τοῦ ἄρω ὁ παρακείμενοϲ ἦρκα, ὁ παθητικὸϲ ἦρμαι, ὑπερϲυντέλικοϲ ἤρμην, τὸ τρίτον ἦρτο, ϲυϲτολῇ ἄρτο, ἐπενθέϲει τοῦ ω ἄωρτο ὥϲπερ εἶθα εἴωθα.
Of árō, the perfect is êrka, the passive perfect êrmai, the pluperfect êrmēn, the third person êrto, by shortening árto, by epenthesis of the omega âōrto, just as eîtha becomes eíōtha.
οὕτωϲ Ἡρωδιανὸϲ ἐν τῷ β΄ ὑπομνήματι τῷ περὶ παθῶν Διδύμου.
Thus Herodian in the second commentary on Didymus' On Alterations.

Notes

  1. §1ὁ τεχνικὸϲ — Meaning "the craftsman" or "expert," in grammatical contexts this substantivized adjective refers to "the grammarian." In this context, it designates Herodian.
  2. §1τὰ ὀξύτονα ἡνίκα ἐκθλίβηται — The conjunction ἡνίκα ("when") is used here with the present subjunctive passive (ἐκθλίβηται) to form a conditional-temporal clause expressing a general or repeated occurrence in the present. The main verb is in the present indicative (ἀναπέμπει), stating a general rule.
  3. §2πολὺ δὲ πρότερον — The comparative adjective πρότερος ("prior," "earlier") is used here in a textual-critical or orthoepic context to mean "older, more primary" or "highly preferred" as a reading.
  4. §3ϲυϲτολῇ ἄρτο, ἐπενθέϲει τοῦ ω ἄωρτο — Explains the grammarians' derivation of the Homeric form ἄωρto from the pluperfect ἦρto, through the phonological steps of shortening (systole) to ἄρτο, and the insertion (epenthesis) of omega to ἄωρτο. The datives ϲυϲτολῇ and ἐπενθέϲει denote means.

Cite this passage

Aelius Herodianus, Excerpt from Herodian's Hypomnemata on Didymus' On Pathē §1-3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0087.tlg009a.humanitext-grc1:1-3

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