The Peculiarities of the Ancient Greek Proverbs’ Phonetic Variation: the Vocalism

←2017. – Vol.10

Lazer-Pan’kiv O. V.

PhD., Associate Professor

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Philology

FULL TEXT PDF (UKRAINIAN)

ABSTRACT

The main phonetic tendencies and processes in different periods of the ancient Greek language history (vocalism in particular) were specifically represented in the phonetic variants of proverbs. The article analyzes the key factors of the vocalism system development and the successive growing number of the proverbial phonetic variants subsequently defined as spelling variants in the paremiological sources. The research defines the system of the ancient Greek proverbs phonetic variation. The study provides multiple examples of the proverbs phonetic variants (monophthongization of the diphthongs ει, ου, αι, loss of the syllabic -ι- in the diphthongs υι and αι, different means for hiatus avoidance (apocope, contraction of vowels), iotacism (the reason the letters ι, η, υ became identically pronounced as well as the diphthongs ει and οι after monophthongization), fading phonetic difference between the long and the short vowels, etc.). The article exposes certain models of the proverbs phonetic variants that emerged due to the hypercorrect use of the classical Attic dialect. In some cases, the phonetic variants developed into separate proverbs as a result of semantic shifts and therefore divergence provoked by the phonetic variation.

Key words: ancient Greek proverbs, phonetic variants, monophthongization of diphthongs, apocope, contraction, iotacism, hypercorrectness.

REFERENCES

  1. Borovskij Ja. M. Kratkij ocherk grecheskoj fonetiki [A brief outline of Greek phonetics]. P. Shantren. Istoricheskaja morfologija grecheskogo jazyka [Historical morphology of the Greek language]. Moscow, Editorial URSS, 2001, pp. 277-318. (In Russ).
  2. Zvons’ka-Denysjuk L. L. Davn’ogrec’ka mova [Ancient Greek language]. Kyiv, Tomiris, 1997, 590 p. (In Ukr.).
  3. Kozarzhevskij A. Ch. Uchebnik drevnegrecheskogo jazyka [A manual of Ancient Greek language]. Moscow, Greko-latinskij kabinet Ju. A. Shichalina, 2002, 456 p. (In Russ).
  4. Lazer-Pan’kіv O. V. Arhayizators’kі tendencіyi u movі grec’koyi іstorіografіyi ІІ-ІІІ st. (na materіalі tvoru Ἀλεξάνδρου ἀνάβασις Arrіana) [Archaisating tendencies in the language of Greek historiography of II-III c. (based on the Arrian’s Ἀλεξάνδρου ἀνάβασις). Thesis for a Ph.D. (Candidate Degree) in philology, research specialization 10.02.14 classical Languages. Particular Indo-European Languages. Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, 2007, 244 p. (In Ukr.).
  5. Slavjatinskaja M. N. Uchebnik drevnegrecheskogo jazyka [A manual of Ancient Greek language]. Moscow, Filomatis, 2003, 622 p. (In Russ).
  6. Shantren P. Istoricheskaja morfologija grecheskogo jazyka [Historical morphology of the Greek language]. Moscow, Editorial URSS, 2001, 344 p. (In Russ).
  7. Shirokov O. S. Istorija grecheskogo jazyka [History of Greek language]. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Moskovskogo universiteta, 1983, 148 p. (In Russ).
  8. Hoffman O., Debrunner A., Scherer A. Ἱστορία τῆς ἑλληνικῆς γλώσσας [History of Greek language]. T. 1-2. Θεσσαλονίκη, Εκδοτικός οίκος Αδελφών Κυριακίδη, 1994, 348 σ. (In Greek).
  9. Tucker R. W. Chronology of Greek sound changes. American journal of philology, 1969, vol. 90, № 1, pp. 36-47.
  10. Dvoreckij I. H. Drevnegrechesko-russkij slovar’ [Ancient Greek – Russian vocabulary]. V 1-2. Moscow, Gosudarstvennoe izdatel’stvo inostrannyh i nacional’nyh slovarej, 1958, 1904 p. (In Russ).
  11. Lazer-Pan’kiv O. ΠΑΡΟΙΜΙΑΙ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑΙ : Davn’ogrec’ki prysliv’ja ta prykazky : slovnyk-dovidnyk [ΠΑΡΟΙΜΙΑΙ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑΙ : Ancient Greek proverbs and sayings]. Kyiv, VPC “Kyi’vs’kyj universytet”, 2015, 447 p. (In Ukr.).
  12. Mihel’son M. I. Russkaja mysl’ i rech’. Svoe i chuzhoe. Opyt russkoj frazeologii : Sbornik obraznyh slov i inoskazanij [Russian thought and speech]. V. 1-2, St. Petersburg, Tip. AN, 1896-1912, 2208 p. (In Russ).
  13. Bestiaria Latina [Електронний ресурс]. – Режим доступу : http://schoolhousewidgets.blogspot.com/2011/12/greek-proverbs-reference-page.html.
  14. Corpus paroemiographorum graecorum. Ed. E. L. a Leutsch, F. G. Schneidewin.T. I-II. Gottingae, 18391851.
  15. Index adagiorum Graecorum [Електронний ресурс]. – Режим доступу : http://jvpoll.home.xs4all.nl/back/Web/erasmusa.htm
  16. Liste griechischer Phrasen [Електронний ресурс]. – Режим доступу : http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_griechischer_Phrasen.