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G. NAGY, Greek Dialects and the Transformation of an Indo-European Process (Loeb Classical Monographs). Cambridge (Mass.), Harvard University Press, 1970. XII, 200 p. Pr. D. 6.00

G. NAGY, Greek Dialects and the Transformation of an Indo-European Process (Loeb Classical... 182 languages and in the historical period are explicable without a laryngeal theory and although many scholars would hesitate to draw conclusions with regard to Proto-Indo-European from phenom- ena occurring only in Greek and Armenian, Dr. Beekes' discussions of the prothetic vowels and subjects allied with prothesis are worth studying. In general, it is a great merit of his sagacious book that it includes and competently discusses all Greek material that may be examined in the light of the laryngeal theory and that it gives a clear idea of the nature of the problems and of the applicability of the method adopted. UTRECHT, van Hogendorpstraat 13 J. GONDA DE NOVIS LIBRIS IUDICIA G. NAGY, Greek Dialects and the Transformation of an Indo-European Process (Loeb Classical Monographs). Cambridge (Mass.), Harvard University Press, 1970. XII, 200 p. Pr. D. 6.00. In this monograph the author brings an important problem nearer to a solution. Reformulating the Indo-European grammatical process known as Sievers' Rule (Paul und Braune's Beitrage 5 (1878), 129 ff.: accentless y and v after a rhythmically short syllable alternate with iy, uv after a long syllable), he achieves a new synthesis of attested evidence on the distribution of the inherited variants -i- and -i-. Working out his attempt at solving the problem phonologically as well as morphologically he applies his new formu- lation to the thematized i-stem nominal or verbal system of those I.E. languages in which these are represented, to put his formula to further tests in Baltic and especially in Greek. He arrives at the conclusion, which seems correct, that his solution sheds some light on the problem of Greek palatalization and assibilation and on the dialectal differentiation of the Greek language in general. He does not however succeed in discovering an answer to all questions and puzzling details relative to the matter under examination. Space forbids me to enter into particulars, but special mention may be made of Mr. Nagy's views of the relations between Sievers' Rule and the metrical license of the type 7tóÀwç in 0 567 (p. To7), of the absence of depalatalization in the Aeolian dialects (p. 108 ff.), and of the question as to whether the replacement of e.g. -ia by -ia in later Ionian is a purely phonological change (p. 112 f.). My chief objec- tion, and a strong one, to this book is the cumbrous and far from attractive presentation of the subject-matter. The continual and often unnecessary use of many graphic symbols will hardly contri- bute to eradicating the aversion of many classical scholars to comparative linguistic studies. UTRECHT, van Hogendorpstraat 13 J. GONDA http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Mnemosyne Brill

G. NAGY, Greek Dialects and the Transformation of an Indo-European Process (Loeb Classical Monographs). Cambridge (Mass.), Harvard University Press, 1970. XII, 200 p. Pr. D. 6.00

Mnemosyne , Volume 26 (2): 182 – Jan 1, 1973

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1973 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0026-7074
eISSN
1568-525X
DOI
10.1163/156852573X00459
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

182 languages and in the historical period are explicable without a laryngeal theory and although many scholars would hesitate to draw conclusions with regard to Proto-Indo-European from phenom- ena occurring only in Greek and Armenian, Dr. Beekes' discussions of the prothetic vowels and subjects allied with prothesis are worth studying. In general, it is a great merit of his sagacious book that it includes and competently discusses all Greek material that may be examined in the light of the laryngeal theory and that it gives a clear idea of the nature of the problems and of the applicability of the method adopted. UTRECHT, van Hogendorpstraat 13 J. GONDA DE NOVIS LIBRIS IUDICIA G. NAGY, Greek Dialects and the Transformation of an Indo-European Process (Loeb Classical Monographs). Cambridge (Mass.), Harvard University Press, 1970. XII, 200 p. Pr. D. 6.00. In this monograph the author brings an important problem nearer to a solution. Reformulating the Indo-European grammatical process known as Sievers' Rule (Paul und Braune's Beitrage 5 (1878), 129 ff.: accentless y and v after a rhythmically short syllable alternate with iy, uv after a long syllable), he achieves a new synthesis of attested evidence on the distribution of the inherited variants -i- and -i-. Working out his attempt at solving the problem phonologically as well as morphologically he applies his new formu- lation to the thematized i-stem nominal or verbal system of those I.E. languages in which these are represented, to put his formula to further tests in Baltic and especially in Greek. He arrives at the conclusion, which seems correct, that his solution sheds some light on the problem of Greek palatalization and assibilation and on the dialectal differentiation of the Greek language in general. He does not however succeed in discovering an answer to all questions and puzzling details relative to the matter under examination. Space forbids me to enter into particulars, but special mention may be made of Mr. Nagy's views of the relations between Sievers' Rule and the metrical license of the type 7tóÀwç in 0 567 (p. To7), of the absence of depalatalization in the Aeolian dialects (p. 108 ff.), and of the question as to whether the replacement of e.g. -ia by -ia in later Ionian is a purely phonological change (p. 112 f.). My chief objec- tion, and a strong one, to this book is the cumbrous and far from attractive presentation of the subject-matter. The continual and often unnecessary use of many graphic symbols will hardly contri- bute to eradicating the aversion of many classical scholars to comparative linguistic studies. UTRECHT, van Hogendorpstraat 13 J. GONDA

Journal

MnemosyneBrill

Published: Jan 1, 1973

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