Aeolic Greek

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)
For the architectural style, see Aeolic order.
Aeolic Greek
Aeolian dialect
Lesbian dialect
Lesbic dialect
Αἰολικός
RegionAeolis, Boeotia, Lesbos, Thessaly
Erac. 800–300 BC[citation needed]
Early form
uncial and cursive forms)
Eastern Archaic Greek alphabet (up to 4th century BC)
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
grc-aeo
Glottologaeol1234
Distribution of Greek dialects in Greece in the classical period.[1]

In

Greek colonies of Aeolis in Anatolia
and adjoining islands.

The Aeolic dialect shows many archaisms in comparison to the other Ancient Greek dialects (Arcadocypriot, Attic, Ionic, and Doric varieties), as well as many innovations.

Aeolic Greek is widely known as the language of Sappho and of Alcaeus of Mytilene. Aeolic poetry, which is exemplified in the works of Sappho, mostly uses four classical meters known as the Aeolics: Glyconic (the most basic form of Aeolic line), hendecasyllabic verse, Sapphic stanza, and Alcaic stanza (the latter two are respectively named for Sappho and Alcaeus).

In Plato's Protagoras, Prodicus labelled the Aeolic dialect of Pittacus of Mytilene as "barbarian",[2] because of its difference from the Attic literary style:[3] "He didn't know to distinguish the words correctly, being from Lesbos, and having been raised with a barbarian dialect".

Phonology

Consonants

Labiovelars

*kʷ changed to Aeolic p everywhere. By contrast, PIE *kʷ changed to Attic/Ionic, Arcadocypriot, and Doric
t before e and i.

  • PIE *kʷetwores → Lesbian písures, Boeotian péttares ~ Attic téttares, Ionic tésseres, Doric tétores "four"

Similarly PIE/PGk *gʷ always became b and PIE *gʷʰ > PGk *kʰʷ always became ph (whereas in other dialects they became alternating b/d and ph/th before back/front vowels).

Labiovelars were treated the same way in the P-Celtic languages and the Sabellic languages.

Sonorant clusters

A Proto-Greek

assimilation. In Attic/Ionic, Doric, and Boeotian Aeolic, the h assimilated to the vowel before the consonant cluster, causing the vowel to lengthen by compensatory lengthening
.

PIE VsR or VRs → Attic/Ionic-Doric-Boeotian VVR.
PIE VsR or VRs → Lesbian-Thessalian VRR.[4]
  • PIE *h₁ésmi → Proto-Greek *ehmi → Lesbian-Thessalian emmi ~ Attic/Ionic ēmi (= εἰμί) "I am"

Loss of h

Lesbian Aeolic lost initial h- (psilosis "stripping") from Proto-Indo-European s- or y-. By contrast, Ionic sometimes retains it, and Attic always retains it.

  • PIE *sh₂wél(i)yos → Proto-Greek *hāwélios → Lesbian āélios, Ionic ēélios ~ Attic hēlios "sun"

Retention of w

In Thessalian and Boeotian (sub-dialects of Aeolic) and Doric, the Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Greek semi-vowel w (digamma) was retained at the beginning of a word.

  • PIE wekʷ-es- → Boeotian, Doric wépos ~ Attic-Ionic épos "word", "epic" (compare Latin vōx "voice")

Vowels

Long a

In Aeolic and Doric, Proto-Greek long ā remains. By contrast, in Attic, long ā changes to long ē in most cases; in Ionic, it changes everywhere.[5]

  • PIE *meh₂ter- → Aeolic, Doric mātēr ~ Attic/Ionic mētēr "mother"

Compensatory lengthening

Compensatory lengthening of a, e, o in Lesbian gives ai, ei, oi (in Attic, it would be ā, ei, ou) for example in the accusative plural of a and o stem nouns, or in many 3 Pl verb conjugations.

Boeotian

In Boeotian, the vowel-system was, in many cases, changed in a way reminiscent of the modern Greek pronunciation.

  • Attic/Ionic αι /ai/ ~ Boeotian η /eː/ ~ Modern Greek αι /e/
  • Attic/Ionic ει /eː/ ~ Boeotian ει /iː/ ~ Modern Greek ει /i/
  • Attic/Ionic οι /oi/ ~ Boeotian υ /yː/ ~ Mediaeval Greek and Old Athenaean οι /y/ ~ Modern Greek οι /i/

Accent

In Lesbian Aeolic, the accent of all words is recessive (barytonesis), as is typical only in the verbs of other dialects.[6]

  • Attic/Ionic potamós ~ Lesbian pótamos "river"

Morphology

Contracted or vowel-stem verbs that are thematic in Attic/Ionic are often athematic (-mi) in Aeolic.[7]

  • Ionic philéō, Attic philô ~ Aeolic phílēmi "I love"

Aeolic athematic infinitive active ends in -men or (Lesbian) -menai. ~ Attic/Ionic has -enai.

  • Lesbian émmen, émmenai; Thessalian, Boeotian eîmen ~ Attic/Ionic eînai (spurious diphthong) "to be"

In the Lesbian dialect this ending also extends to the thematic conjugation, where Attic/Ionic has -ein. All three of these Aeolic endings occur in Homer.

Proto-Greek -ans and -ons → -ais and -ois (first- and second declension accusative plural) ~ Attic/Ionic -ās and -ōs (-ους).[8][9]

Dative plural -aisi and -oisi ~ Attic/Ionic -ais and -ois.

The participle has -ois and -ais for Attic -ōs (-ους), -ās.[10]

Glossary

Below it is a list of several words in the Aeolian dialect, written in the Greek alphabet and next to a transcription in the Latin alphabet. Each word is followed by its meaning and compared to similar words in other ancient Greek dialects.

Aeolian

Aeolian lemma Transcription Meaning Correspondence to other Greek dialects Notes
ἀέλιος āélios 'sun' * Doric āélios
* Attic
Laconian bela
* Pamphylian
babelios		 Derives from
PIE *seh₂u-el- 'sun'.[11]
βᾶμα bama * Doric βᾶμα bama
* Attic βῆμα bema 'walking, step'		 Per Beekes, both forms derive from root βῆ-, itself from PIE *gʷeh₂-. Corresponds to Avestan gā-man- 'step, pace'.[12]
βελφιν
Βέλφοι		 belphin
Belphoi		 dolphin
Delphi		 Attic delphis Per Beekes, βέλφινες occurs in Lesbian, while Βελφοί is Aeolic.[13]
βραδινός bradinos 'slender, soft' Attic rhadinos Attested in Sapph. 90,104.[14]
βρίζα briza 'root' Attic rhiza
βρόδον brodon 'rose' Attic ῥόδον rhodon 'rose' Possible Eastern borrowing (cf. Arm vard 'rose' < Old Iranian *u̯ṛda 'id').[15] Also means vagina metaphorically in Erotic Glossary
Ἐννησιάδες Ennesiades Lesbian
Nymphs
ἐπιάλτης
ήπιάλης		 epialtēs
epialēs		 'nightmare' Attic ephialtēs Epialtēs attested in Alcaeus. Cf. Ephialtes, one of the Aloadae.[16]
ἴρον iron 'holy' * Attic ἱερόν hierón
* Doric hiarón
* Ionic hirón		 Derives from PIE *ish₁ro- 'holy'.[17]
πέσδος pésdos 'pedestrian', 'infantry' (as a collective) Attic πεζός pezós Per Beekes, formally identical to Sanskrit pád-ya 'regarding the foot' < PIE *ped-i̯o-.[18]
πέσσυρες pessyres 'four' * Lesbian πίσυρες pisyres
* Boeotian πέτταρες pettares
* Attic τέσσαρες tessares
* Doric tetores		 Derives from PIE *kʷetuer- 'four'.[19]
ξέννος xennos 'foreigner, guest-friend, strange' Attic xenos; Ionic xeinos
στρότος strótos 'army' Attic stratós
ὔσδος usdos 'branch, twig, bough, offshoot' Attic ozos 'twig, branch' Derives from PIE *h₃esdo- > *Hosdo-.[20]
φηρία phēria 'wild animal' Attic θηρία thēria 'beasts' Derives from PIE *ǵʰueh₁r-.[21]
Ψάπφω Psapphō Attic Σαπφώ Sapphō
  • ἄγωνος ágōnos "struggle" (Attic ἀγῶν agōn; Elean dat. pl. agōnois for agōsi)
  • ἀθρήματα athrḗmata gifts sent by kin to Lesbian brides (Sappho fr.) (compare Homeric hedna, eedna)
  • Αἰολίωνες Aiolíōnes "Aeolians" (Attic Αἰολεῖς Aioleîs) (aiolizō "speak Aeolic, compose in the Aeolian mode, trick out with false words" Sophocles Fr.912 ) (aioleō vary, adorn, diversify (aiolos quick-moving, glittering, shifty)
  • ἀκλάδες aklades (unpruned vineyards) (Attic akladeutoi ampeloi)
  • ἀκόντιον akontion (part of troops) (Attic spear) (Macedonian rhachis, spine or backbone, anything ridged like the backbone)
  • ἀμένης -τος amenēs -tos (Attic ὑμήν humēn) thin skin, membrane.
  • ἀμώνες amōnes (
    anemones
  • ἄορος aoros (Attic ἄϋπνος aypnos, without sleep) Μηθυμναῖοι
  • ἄρπυς arpys (
    Eros, Love) attested in Crinagoras, ἁρπάζειν harpazein to snatch. Homeric harpaleos
    attractive,devouring
  • ἄσφε asphe to them (Attic sphe, sphi)
  • βακχόα bakchoa (Attic βόθρος bothros sacred dungeon, pit)
  • βάλλα balla threshold (Attic βῆλος bēlos) (Doric balos)
  • βλῆρ blēr incitement (Attic delear) τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ αἶθμα. παρὰ Ἀλκαίῳ ἡ λέξις
  • βραδανίζω bradanizō brandish, shake off. (Cf.Elean bratana Common rhatane)
  • βρᾴδιον braidion (Attic ῥᾴδιον rhaidion easy)
  • βράκειν brakein to understand (dysbrakanon imprehensible)
  • βράκος brakos long robe, Sapph.70 Homeric ῥάκος ϝράκος rhakos wrakos
  • βροδόπαχυς brodopachus with pink, rosy forearms (Attic rhodopechys) (βροδόπαχυν brodopachun Sappho) and brododaktulos with rosy fingers
  • βροχέως brocheos or βρουκέων broukeon (Attic βραχύ brachy short) (Sapph.fr. 2,7)
  • δράσειν drasein (Attic θύειν to sacrifice)
  • δνόφος dnophos darkness Ionic also (Attic ζόφος zophos) (akin to knephas)
  • εἴδη eide (Attic ὕλη, forest) (εἴδη Ionian also)
  • ζάδηλον zadelon with holes in it, open (Attic diadelon obvious) (Alcaeus 30 D 148P)
  • ἴμβηρις imbēris eel (Attic ἔγχελυς enchelys) Μηθυμναῖοι
  • Ἰσσα Issa old name of
    Lesbos Island Cf. Antissa
  • ἴσσασθαι issasthai (Attic κληροῦσθαι klerousthai to take sth by lot)
  • καγκύλη kankulē (Attic κηκῖς kēkis wet,vapour, mordant dyeing)
  • κάμμαρψις kammarpsis dry Measure (Attic ἡμιμέδιμνον hemimedimnon, one half of a medimnos)
  • καραβίδες karabides (Attic γρᾶες graes) Μηθυμναῖοι
  • καυαλέον kaualeon Hsch (Attic αἶθος aithos fire, burning heat) (Cf.kaiō burn)
  • κλᾷδες klaides Doric also (Attic kleides bars, bolts, keys)
  • Mεσοστροφώνια Mesostrophonia Lesbian festival
  • μέσσυϊ messui (Attic ἐν μέσῳ in the middle)
  • μόλσος molsos (Attic δημός, fat)
  • ξίμβα ximba (Attic ῥοιά rhoia pomegranate-tree) (Boeotian sida)
  • ὄθματα othmata (Attic ommata eyes)
  • ὄν ón ὄνα óna (Attic ἀνά aná) upon, through, again (
    Arcadocypriot
    also)
  • πασσύριον passyrion (Attic passydia 'totally, all together, with the whole army')
  • πεδαμείβω pedameivō (Attic metameivo exchange) (πεδέχω pedecho μετέχω metecho), pedoikos metoikos peda for meta
  • πέμπε pempe five (Attic πέντε pente, Pamphylian πέδε pede ) ( πεμπάσσειν pempassein to count per five) (Attic pempe imp. of pempō send)
  • Πέῤῥαμος Perrhamos
    Priamus
    (Alcaeus 74D, 111P (it means also king)
  • πέσσον pesson plain (Attic πεδίον pedion)
  • σάωμι saōmi save (Attic σῴζω sōizō ) (Homeric σαόω saoō)
  • σίγλαι siglai ear-rings (Attic enōtia, Laconian exōbadia)
  • σκίφος skiphos Attic xiphos sword (skiptō, given as etym. of skiphos and xiphos, Sch.Il.1.220; cf. skipei: nussei, it pricks,pierces)
  • σπόλα spóla(Attic στολή stolē) equipment, garment (spaleis, the sent one, for staleis)
  • σύρξ syrx (Attic σάρξ flesh) (dative plural σύρκεσιν syrkesi Attic σαρξίν sarxin)
  • τενεκοῦντι tenekounti (Attic enoikounti dative singular of ἐνοικῶν enoikōn inhabiting)
  • τράγαις tragais you break, grow rough and hoarse and smell like a goat
  • τῦδε tude tudai and tuide here) (Ionic tēde)
  • φαυόφορος phauophoros priestess (Attic ἱέρεια hiereia) (light-keeper) (Aeolic phauō for Homeric phaō shine) (Homeric phaos light, Attic phōs and phōtophoros)

Boeotian

Boeotian lemma Transcription Meaning Correspondence to other Greek dialects Notes
ἄας
ἀεστητόν		 aas
aestēton		 'tomorrow' Attic αὔριον aurion cf. Attic ēōs 'dawn'
βανά
βανῆκες		 bana
banēkes		 'woman'
'women' (pl.)		 Attic gunē
Attic gunaikes		 Derived from PIE *gʷḗn-h₂.[22]
Δεύς Deus Zeus Also attested in:
*
Rhodian
Δεύς Deús		 Derives from PIE
*Dyeus ('sky-god').[23]

Thessalian

Thessalian lemma Transcription Meaning Correspondence to other Greek dialects Notes
Ἄπλουν Aploun Apollo (Olympic deity; brother to Artemis) * Attic Ἀπόλλων Apollōn
* Doric/Pamphylian Ἀπέλο̄ν Apelon		 [27]
δάμοσσος dámossos public Attic dēmósios See iddioûstikos below.
δέσποινα despoina 'woman' Feminine form of
despotes. In Attic gunē, in Doric guna mean 'woman'. See also Despoina
.
ἰδδιούστικος iddioûstikos privative Attic idiōtikós[28][29]
κίς kis 'who, anyone' * Attic tis
*
Laconian
tir
* Arcadocypriot sis		 Derived from PIE *kʷi- (interrogative/relative pronoun).[30]
κῦῤῥος kyrrhos or kyrros 'sir, master' Attic kyrios
Μακετοὺν Maketoun[31] 'Macedonian man' Attic Μακεδών Makedōn 'id' Thessalian suffix -ουν '-oun' parallels Attic suffix ων ōn in both nominative and genitive of participles, pronouns and nouns.
ματτύη mattuē a meat-dessert of Macedonian or Thessalian origin (in Athenaeus)[32] Cf. Macedonian mattuēs 'a kind of bird'.
  • ἀβρεμής abremēs (Attic ἀβλεπής ablepēs ἀνάξιος του βλέπεσθαι unworthy seeing, despicable (Cypriotic also) (Hes. text ἀβλεπής Κύπριοι καὶ Θετταλοί
  • ἀγορά agora (Attic λιμήν limen port, harbour) (Hes. text Θετταλοὶ δὲ καὶ τὸν λιμένα ἀγορὰν καλοῦσιν Κρῆτες δὲ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν
  • ἀλφινία alphinia
    PIE
    *albho- 'white') (Attic leukē, PIE *leuk- 'bright, light') (Macedonian aliza)
  • ἀσπάλεια aspaleia safeness (Attic asphaleia)[33]
  • ἀστραλός astralos (Attic ψάρ -ος psar Starling)
  • βεβυκῶσθαι bebukousthai to be
    swollen
    (Homeric βυκτάων buktaon blowing)
  • βουσία bousia (Attic γογγυλίδι gongylidi turnip)
  • δάρατος daratos Thessalian bread (Macedonian dramis) (Athamanian dramix) (PIE *der- 'cut, split')
  • ἔνορμος enormos (agora, assembly, market and chōra) (Attic enormeō get in a harbour, hormos bay, anchorage
  • ἐρέας ereas children (Hsch.Attic τέκνα tekna) (Homeric ernos young sprout, scion) (Neo-Phrygian eiroi children)
  • θεανῶσται theanoustai (Attic ξυστῆρες xysters)
  • ἰθείη itheiē (Attic ἁμαξιτός hamaxitos chariot-road) (Homeric ἰθεῖα ὀρθή Ψ 580) (Attic ithys, eytheia straight line)
  • ἴμψας impsas past participle of impto (Attic ζεύξας zeuxas zeugnymi join together) (Ἴμψιος Impsios Ποσειδῶν ὁ ζύγιος Poseidon Zygius on horses)
  • κάλαφος kalaphos (Attic ἀσκάλαφος, Ascalaphus a bird (Magnesian)
  • καπάνη kapanē chariot (Attic ἀπήνη apēnē) also, a helmet(kapanikos plenteous
  • καρπαία karpaia Thessalo-Macedonian mimic military dance (see also Carpaea) Homeric karpalimos swift (for foot) eager,ravenous.
  • νεαλεῖς nealeis new-comers, newly caught ones (Cf. nealeis, neēludes)
  • νεβεύω[34] nebeuō pray (Macedonian neuō) (Attic euchomai, neuō 'wink')
  • ὀνάλα onala, ὀνάλουμα onalouma (Attic analōma expense cost) ( on- in the place of Attic prefix ana-, ongrapsantas SEG 27:202
  • Πέτθαλος Pétthalos and Πεθθάλειος (Boeotian Φέτταλος Phéttalos) (Attic Θετταλός Thettalós) (
    Koine Θεσσαλός Thessalós) 'Thesalian man' (Πετθαλια Petthalia Thessalia) (Petthaloi Thessalians) (Koine thessalisti the thessalian way) ( Attic ἐντεθετταλίζομαι entethettalizomai become a Thessalian, i.e. wear the large Thessalian cloak ( Thettalika ptera feathers ), Eupolis
    .201. )
  • ταγεύω tageuō to be tagos archon in Thessaly ταγευόντουν τοῦμ Πετθαλοῦν

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Roger D. Woodard (2008), "Greek dialects", in: The Ancient Languages of Europe, ed. R. D. Woodard, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 51.
  2. ^ Protagoras by Plato - Greek text
  3. ^ James A. Towle, Commentary on Plato: Protagoras 341c
  4. ^ V = vowel, R = sonorant, s is itself. VV = long vowel, RR = doubled or long sonorant.
  5. ^ Smyth, Greek Grammar, par. 30 and note, 31: Attic long e, long a
  6. ^ Smyth, par. 162 note: (Lesbian) Aeolic recessive accent
  7. ^ Smyth, Greek Grammar, par. 656: contract verbs in Aeolic
  8. ^ Smyth, par. 214 note 9: first declension in dialects
  9. ^ Smyth, par. 230 note: second declension in dialects
  10. ^ Smyth, par. 305 note
  11. ^ Beekes 2009, p. 516
  12. ^ Beekes 2009, pp. 1289–1290
  13. ^ Beekes 2009, pp. 313–314
  14. ^ Beekes 2009, p. 1270
  15. ^ Beekes 2009, pp. 1289–1290
  16. ^ Beekes 2009, p. 487
  17. ^ Beekes 2009, p. 580
  18. ^ Beekes 2009, p. 1161
  19. ^ Beekes 2009, p. 1471
  20. ^ Beekes 2009, p. 1050
  21. ^ Beekes 2009, p. 547
  22. ^ Beekes 2009, pp. 291–292
  23. ^ Beekes 2009, p. 498
  24. ^ Athenaeus Deipnosophists -9.369
  25. ^ Boiotia —Anthedon
  26. ^ Boiotia — Orchomenos — early 1st century BC
  27. ^ Beekes 2009, p. 118
  28. ^ Selected Papers in Greek and Near Eastern History [1] by David Malcolm Lewis, Peter John Rhodes
  29. ^ Skotoussa — 197-185 BC SEG 43:311
  30. ^ Beekes 2009, p. 1487
  31. ^ Thessalia — Larisa — 220-210 BC - SEG 27:202
  32. ^ Deipnosophists 14.663-4 (pp.1059-1062)
  33. ^ Krannon — c. 250 - 215 BC SEG 23:437, 7
  34. ^ Magnesia — Demetrias — late 2nd century BC [2]

General references

  • Beekes, Robert S. P. (2009). Etymological Dictionary of Greek. Brill Academic Publishers.
    ISBN 978-90-04-17418-4
    .

Further reading

Library resources about
Aeolic Greek

General studies

On the Boeotian dialect

On the Lesbian dialect

On the Thessalian dialect
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