Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §1.10.1

Lessons from Alexander on Tactful Correction of Speech

Passage 10 of 486 · Greek

Summary

Reflecting on the lessons from Alexander the grammarian, focusing on avoiding fault-finding and instead gently correcting others' errors of speech by demonstrating the correct expression in natural conversation.

§1.10.1Παρὰ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ γραμματικοῦ τὸ ἀνεπίπληκτον καὶ τὸ μὴ ὀνειδιστικῶς ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι τῶν βάρβαρον ἢ σόλοικόν τι ἢ ἀπηχὲς προενεγκαμένων, ἀλλ’ ἐπιδεξίως αὐτὸ μόνον ἐκεῖνο ὃ ἔδει εἰρῆσθαι προφέρεσθαι ἐν τρόπῳ ἀποκρίσεως ἢ συνεπιμαρτυρήσεως ἢ συνδιαλήψεως περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος, οὐχὶ περὶ τοῦ ῥήματος, ἢ δι’ ἑτέρας τινὸς τοιαύτης ἐμμελοῦς παρυπομνήσεως.
From Alexander the grammarian, to refrain from fault-finding, and not in a reproachful way to chide those who uttered any barbarous or solecistic or strange-sounding expression; but dextrously to introduce the very expression which ought to have been used, under the guise of an answer or as confirming the statement or as joining in the discussion about the matter itself, not about the word, or by some other such gentle hint.

Notes

  1. §1.10.1των βαρβαρον η σολοικον τι η απηχες προενεγκαμενων — A genitive participle phrase serving as the object of the middle infinitive ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι (to lay hold of, chide). The adjectives βάρβαρον (barbarous, non-Greek), σόλοικόν τι (solecistic, ungrammatical), and ἀπηχές (discordant, harsh) characterize the substandard quality of the speech.
  2. §1.10.1αυτο μονον εκεινο ο εδει ειρησθαι — The accusative direct object of the infinitive προφέρεσθαι (to utter, bring forward). The relative clause ὃ ἔδει εἰρῆσθαι ("what ought to have been said") refers to the correct expression that should have been used instead of the speaker's erroneous one.
  3. §1.10.1εν τροπω αποκρισεως η συνεπιμαρτυρησεως η συνδιαληψεως — Explains the manner of indirect correction through three parallel nouns in the genitive (answer, confirmation, or joint discussion). Instead of correcting the word itself (περὶ τοῦ ῥήματος), the correction is embedded naturally in the dialogue concerning the subject matter (περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος).

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §1.10.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.10.1

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