1
2
The Aeolic dialect was spoken on Lesbos, the coast of Asia Minor, Thessaly, and Boeotia. Sappho and the poet Alcaeus, her direct contemporary, are its primary literary representatives. Some of these forms may be familiar from reading Homeric epic, which borrowed many Aeolisms.
Features of the Aeolic dialect
| Differences between… |
Aeolic |
Attic & Ionic |
| No rough breathings (psilosis).
3
NB: This affects the aspirated letters (θ, φ). |
ἴππος
4
κατεύδω |
ἵππος
5
καθεύδω |
| Recession of the accent, as far back as it can go (barytonesis) |
θέος, θέων |
θεός, θεῶν |
| Vowel changes
6
Primarily, long α instead of η
7
Οther vowel shifts
|
8
α (λάθα)
9
ε (κρέτος)
10
η (γένηον)
11
ο (στρότος)
12
υ (ὐπίσσω)
13
ω
14
αι (παῖσι)
15
οι (ὔμοι)
16
-τα (ὄτα) |
16
η (λήθη)
17
α (κράτος)
18
ει (γένειον)
19
α (στρατός) or ου
20
ο (ὀπισω)
21
ου
22
α (πᾶσι) or η
23
ου (ὁμοῦ)
24
-τε (ὅτε) |
| Consonant changes |
π (πήλοι)
25
σδ (φροντίσδην)
26
σπ (σπόλα)
27
βρ (βράκος) |
τ (τηλοῦ)
28
ζ (φροντίζην)
29
στ (στολή)
30
ρ (ῥάκος) |
| Double letters |
μμ (ὔμμες)
31
νν (σελάννα)
32
ρρ (χέρρες) |
μ (ὑμεῖς)
33
ν (σελήνη)
34
ειρ (χεῖρες) |
| Article (fem. sg.) |
ἀ
35
τάν |
ἡ
36
τήν |
| Pronouns
37
his/her (gen.)
38
to him/her (dat.)
39
him/her (acc.)
|
40
ϝεθεν
41
ϝοι
42
ϝε |
|
|
We (nom.)
43
of us (gen.)
44
to us (dat.)
45
us (acc.)
|
ἄμμες
46
ἀμμέων
47
ἄμμι(ν)
48
ἄμμε |
ἡμεῖς
49
ἡμέων
50
ἡμῖν
51
ἡμέας |
|
You all (nom.)
52
to you all (dat.)
53
you all (acc.)
|
ὔμμες
54
ὔμμι(ν)
55
ὔμμε |
ὑμεῖς
56
ὑμῖν
57
ὑμέας |
| Nouns and Adjectives |
|
|
| Gen. Sg. |
-ας
58
-ω |
-ης
59
-ου |
| Gen. Pl. Fem. |
-αν |
-ων |
| Dat. Pl. Masc. |
-οισι |
-οις |
| Dat. Pl. Fem. |
-αισι |
-αις |
| Acc. Pl. Masc. |
-οις |
-ους |
| Acc. Pl. Fem. |
-αις |
-ας |
| Verbs |
|
|
| 3rd pl. pres. act. indic. |
-οισι(ν) |
– ουσι(ν) |
|
Infinitives
|
-ην
60
ἔμμεναι |
-ειν
61
-ναι
62
-κεναι
63
εἶναι |
| Contract verbs |
τίμαιμι
64
φίλημι
65
δήλωμι
66
τιμαισα (pres. partic) |
τιμάω
67
φιλέω
68
δηλόω
69
τιμῶσα |
| Participles (fem. pres. act.) |
-οισα (λάβοισα) |
– ουσα (λαβοῦσα) |
|
|
|
| Prepositions |
ἀπύ |
ἀπό |
|
ζά |
διά |
|
κάτ |
κατά |
|
ὄν(ν) |
ἀνά |
|
παρ |
παρά |
|
πεδά |
μετά |
|
ὐπά |
ὑπό |
|
|
|
| Particles |
κε(ν) |
ἄν |
For more information, see:
Annis, William A. 2002-2007. “Lesbian Aeolic.” Aoidoi.org.
Page, Denys Lionel. 1955. Sappho and Alcaeus: An Introduction to the Study of Ancient Lesbian Poetry, 327-29. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
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