Greek Compound Adjectives with a Verbal Element in Tragedy

Abstract

A General treatment of Greek compounds seems much to be desired. It would have to be undertaken by one who had an up-to-date philological equipment, to which I cannot lay claim. But rather with the hope of eliciting discussion on the subject and learning from others I offer the following observations, and in further study of the subject should be grateful to anyone who would advise as to the exact statistics that may be desirable over and above what I give below. I was led to the subject by a feeling that the treatment of many individual compounds by editors was far from satisfactory, and that possibly a collection of the material might help to bring out the exact meaning of some of the well-known difficulties in the Tragedians. One is dealing here with a highly developed and somewhat arbitrary poetic idiom, and it may perhaps be impossible, as one must admit from the outset, always to make precise the poet's meaning, but it is worth while to make the attempt.

Nominal composition in Mycenaean Greek

“…3 Turning to earlier, author-speci®c works on NC: for the Archaic and Classical periods, in addition to the above, the following are of particular importance. Homer: van Strien-Gerritsen 1973, Magnien 1927, Stolz 1874Hesiod: Troxler 1964, Stolz 1874Pindar: Glaser 1898, Tessing 1884tragedy: Williger 1928, Richards 1918, Bielecki 1899, Tessing 1884, Schultz 1882, Rieck 1877, Roemheld 1877Aristophanes: da Costa Ramalho 1952, Bielecki 1899Herodotus: Karassek 1880;Thucydides: Holmes 1893. For the study of compositional types, the following are particularly noteworthy: Dunkel 1999 (Bahuvrõ Åhis), Dunkel 1992 (type terci3 mbrotow), Schindler 1986 (r2 ododa3 ktylow), Frei-Lu È thy 1978 (verbal governing compounds (VGCs) with verbal ®rst member), Ru È edi 1969 (VGCs in -aw/-hw), (dhmioyrgo3 w), Forster 1950 (e1 pi3 xrysow), Knecht 1946 (terci3 mbrotow), Risch 1945 (`derived compounds', type mesony3 ktiow), Risch 1944, 1949 ), Frisk 1934 (a1 kro3 poliw), Christ 1890 (VGCs), Clemm 1875 (overview), Clemm 1867 (VGCs).…”

La léxis de la tragedia según la Poética de Aristóteles

“…En general, según estadísticas llevadas a cabo por G.C. Richards, en Esquilo son más frecuentes que en Sófocles y en éste menos que en Eurípides, que los emplea con mayor frecuencia que su predecesor y además los introduce con profusión en las partes dialogadas 208 . Pero aún hay más: Aristóteles sabe muy bien que esos adjetivos compuestos 209 sirven frecuentemente como epítetos 210 y que en prosa resultan fríos, ridículos y oscuros porque «embuten» de datos al que ya va «percatándose» 211 de Io que se Ie dice, y eso en virtud de una especie de «garrulidad» 212 que se detiene en afirmar de Ia «leche» que es «blanca» 2 ".…”