On the History and Modern Condition of the Erasmian Pronunciation of Ancient Greek

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study of some aspects of the formation and use of Erasmian pronunciation of the Ancient Greek language (in particular, the vagueness of the concept, lack of standardization and certain linguistic inconsistencies), based on analysis of the original work of Erasmus of Rotterdam "Dē rēctā latīnī graecīque sermōnis prōnūntiātiōne dialogus" and works devoted to the analysis of Ancient Greek pronunciation and the history of the Greek language in general. Attention is paid to the non grata status that Erasmian pronunciation has in Greece, as well as to alternative views on the origins of the mentioned work of Erasmus, to which, from the 16th century to the present day, opponents of both the Erasmian pronunciation and the reconstructed systems in general refer. Some important facts from the history of Erasmian pronunciation are outlined, in particular that Erasmus was not the pioneer in the search for the "true" pronunciation of Classical Greek (a Spanish humanist Antonio de Nebrija researched this issue at least a quarter of a century before the publication of Erasmus's work); in writing the Dialogue, Erasmus relied on the work of his predecessors, with whom he was maintaining friendly communication; Erasmus's work was not a clear enough proposal for a new reformed system, and the scholar himself continued to use the Byzantine pronunciation and recognized its status. The article gives examples of some differences between variants of Erasmian pronunciation. It is concluded that the Erasmian pronunciation from its inception was not a clearly defined system, and, despite the revolutionary and impressive breakthrough of this linguistic initiative, had some errors, which were compensated by later attempts in the Ancient Greek pronunciation reconstruction in the 19th–21st centuries. It is suggested that, given the significant non-uniformity of present-day Erasmian pronunciation variants (which sometimes leads to complications in international communication between specialists), it is advisable to use, or at least be familiar with modern, more clearly defined and scientifically sound reconstructions, and / or Modern Greek pronunciation which is especially important for rapport with Greek colleagues in classical studies.