Homer's winged words : : the evolution of early Greek epic diction in the light of oral theory / / by Steve Reece.

• Author: Reece, Steve, 1959-
• Place / Publishing House: Boston : : Brill,, 2009.
• Year of Publication: 2009
• Language: English
• Series: Mnemosyne, Supplements 313.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (428 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

For over 2500 years many of the most learned scholars of the Greek language have concerned themselves with the topic of etymology. The most productive source of difficult, even inexplicable, words was Homer’s 28,000 verses of epic poetry. Steve Reece proposes an approach to elucidating the meanings of some of these difficult words that finds its inspiration primarily in Milman Parry’s oral-formulaic theory. He proposes that during the long period of oral transmission acoustic uncertainties, especially regarding word boundaries, were continually occurring: a bard uttered one collocation of words, but his audience thought it heard another. The consequent resegmentation of words and phrases is the probable cause of some of the etymologically inexplicable words in our Homeric texts.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Materials / S. Reece -- Chapter One. Introduction / S. Reece -- Chapter Two. Junctural Metanalysis In Middle English / S. Reece -- Chapter Three. Junctural Metanalysis In Homeric Greek / S. Reece -- Chapter Four. Junctural Metanalysis In Home Rowing To Nu-Ephelkystikon And Final Nu / S. Reece -- Chapter Five. Junctural Metanalysis In Homer Owing To Movable And Final Sigma / S. Reece -- Chapter Six. Junctural Metanalysis In Homer Owing To Movable And Final Kappa / S. Reece -- Chapter Seven. Junctural Metanalysis In Homer Owing To Vocal Elision / S. Reece -- Chapter Eight. Junctural Metanalysis Of Homeric Toponyms / S. Reece -- Chapter Nine. An Homeric Problem / An Aeschylean Solution / Ἄbioi / Γάbioi / S. Reece -- Chapter Ten. Whence The Selloi Of Dodona? Σeλλoί / Ἑλλoί / S. Reece -- Chapter Eleven. A Peculiar Particle Tap / Ἄp(᾿) / S. Reece -- Chapter Twelve. Folksy Thersites Φολκόσ / (Εφ)Όλκόσ / S. Reece -- Chapter Thirteen. Epic Knees / Ep’ Icknees Γνυ- / Ἰγνυ- / S. Reece -- Chapter Fourteen. Homeric headdresses and citadels κατὰ κρhθεν / κατ᾿ ἄκρησ / S. Reece -- Chapter Fifteen. Homer’s Asphodel Meadow Ἀσφοδελόσ / Σφοδελόσ / S. Reece -- Chapter Sixteen. The Homeric And Mycenaean Bath Ἀσάμινθοσ / Νασάμινθοσ / S. Reece -- Chapter Seventeen. Swift-Running Hermes Σωκοσ / Ὠκύσ / S. Reece -- Chapter Eighteen. Homer s Bridges Of War Πτολéμοιο Γéφυραι / Πτόλéμιο Γ’ Ἔφυραι / S. Reece -- Chapter Nineteen. Homer s Winged And Wingless Words Πτερόεισ / Ἄπτεροσ / S. Reece -- Illustrations And Maps / S. Reece -- Appendices / S. Reece -- Bibliography / S. Reece -- Index Locorum / S. Reece -- Index Nominum / S. Reece -- Index Verborum / S. Reece.