Английская Википедия:Ancient Greek accent

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Шаблон:For Шаблон:Cleanup lang Шаблон:Ancient Greek grammar The Ancient Greek accent is believed to have been a melodic or pitch accent.

In Ancient Greek, one of the final three syllables of each word carries an accent. Each syllable contains a vowel with one or two vocalic morae, and one mora in a word is accented; the accented mora is pronounced at a higher pitch than other morae.

The accent cannot come more than three syllables from the end of the word. If the last syllable of a word has a long vowel, or is closed by two consonants, the accent usually cannot come on the antepenultimate syllable; but within those restrictions it is free.

In nouns the accent is largely unpredictable. Mostly the accent either comes as close to the beginning of the word as the rules allow, for example, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'war' (such words are said to have recessive accent), or it is placed on the last mora of the word, as in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'river' (such words are called oxytone). But in a few words, such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'maiden', the accent comes between these two extremes.

In verbs the accent is generally predictable and has a grammatical rather than a lexical function, that is, it differentiates different parts of the verb rather than distinguishing one verb from another. Finite parts of the verb usually have recessive accent, but in some tenses participles, infinitives, and imperatives are non-recessive.

In the classical period (5th–4th century BC) word accents were not indicated in writing, but from the 2nd century BC onwards various diacritic marks were invented, including an acute, circumflex, and grave accent, which indicated a high pitch, a falling pitch, and a low or semi-low pitch respectively. The written accents were used only sporadically at first, and did not come into common use until after 600 AD.

The fragments of ancient Greek music that survive, especially the two hymns inscribed on a stone in Delphi in the 2nd century BC, appear to follow the accents of the words very closely, and can be used to provide evidence for how the accent was pronounced.

Sometime between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD the distinction between acute, grave, and circumflex disappeared and all three accents came to be pronounced as a stress accent, generally heard on the same syllable as the pitch accent in ancient Greek.

Types of accent

The ancient Greek grammarians indicated the word-accent with three diacritic signs: the acute (ά), the circumflex (ᾶ), and the grave (ὰ). The acute was the most commonly used of these; it could be found on any of the last three syllables of a word. Some examples are:

The circumflex, which represented a falling tone, is found only on long vowels and diphthongs, and only on the last two syllables of the word:

When a circumflex appears on the final syllable of a polysyllabic word, it usually represents a contracted vowel:

The grave is found, as an alternative to an acute, only on the last syllable of a word. When a word such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'good' with final accent is followed by a pause (that is, whenever it comes at the end of a clause, sentence, or line of verse),Шаблон:Sfnp or by an enclitic word such as the weak form of Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'is' (see below), the accent is written as an acute:

However, when the word does not come before a pause or an enclitic, the acute accent is replaced by a grave:

It is generally assumed that when a word was written with a grave it indicates that there was no rise in pitch, or only a small one.Шаблон:Sfnp

Terminology

In all there are five different possibilities for placing an accent. The terms used by the ancient Greek grammarians were:Шаблон:Sfnp

The word barytone (Шаблон:Lang) refers to any word which has no accent (either acute or circumflex) on the final syllable, that is the 2nd, 3rd and 5th possibilities above.Шаблон:Sfnp

Placing the accent marks

In Greek, if an accent mark is written on a diphthong or vowel written with a digraph such as Шаблон:Lang, it is always written above the second vowel of the diphthong, not the first, for example:Шаблон:Sfnp

When a word such as a proper name starts with a capital vowel letter, the accent and breathing are usually written before the letter. If a name starts with a diphthong, the accent is written above the second letter. But in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'Hades', where the diphthong is the equivalent of an alpha with iota subscript (i.e. Шаблон:Lang), it is written in front:

When combined with a rough or smooth breathing, the circumflex goes on top of the breathing, while the acute or grave is written to the right of the breathing, as in the above examples. When an accent is combined with a diaeresis mark, as in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, the accent is written on top.

Tonal minimal pairs

Whether the accent on a particular syllable is an acute or circumflex is largely predictable, but there are a few examples where a change from an acute on a long vowel to a circumflex indicates a different meaning, for example

There are also examples where the meaning changes if the accent moves to a different syllable:

There is also a distinction between unaccented (or grave-accented) and fully accented forms in words such as:

History of the accent in Greek writing

Шаблон:See also The three marks used to indicate accent in ancient Greek, the acute (´), circumflex (῀), and grave (`) are said to have been invented by the scholar Aristophanes of Byzantium, who was head of the famous library of Alexandria in Egypt in the early 2nd century BC.Шаблон:Sfnp The first papyri with accent marks date from this time also. In the papyri, at first the accents were used only sporadically, specifically for helping readers to pronounce Greek poetry correctly, and the grave accent could be used on any non-accented syllable. Such accents were useful, since Greek at that time was written without gaps between the words. For example, in one papyrus, the word Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'to brass' is written with grave accents on the first two syllables, in case any reader should mistakenly read the first part of the word as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'to a mountain'.Шаблон:Sfnp

In subsequent centuries many other grammarians wrote about Greek accentuation. The most famous of these, Aelius Herodianus or Herodian, who lived and taught in Rome in the 2nd century AD, wrote a long treatise in twenty books, 19 of which were devoted to accentuation. Although Herodian's book does not survive in full, an epitome (abridgement) was made of it around AD 400 which still survives.Шаблон:Sfnp Another important authority was Apollonius Dyscolus,Шаблон:Sfnp the father of Herodian.

The names of these diacritics in English, and the term "accent", are based on Latin loan-translations of the Greek terms. Latin Шаблон:Lang corresponds to Greek Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl "song sung to instrumental music, pitch variation in voice"[1] (the word from which English prosody comes), Шаблон:Lang to Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl "sharp" or "high-pitched",[2] Шаблон:Lang to Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl "heavy" or "low-pitched",[3] and Шаблон:Lang to Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl "pulled around" or "bent".[4] The Greek terms for the diacritics are nominalized feminine adjectives that originally modified the feminine noun Шаблон:Lang and agreed with it in gender.

Diacritic signs were not used in the classical period (5th–4th century BC). They were gradually introduced from the 2nd century BC onwards, but did not become commonly used in manuscripts until after 600 AD.Шаблон:Sfnp

Origin of the accent

Шаблон:See also The ancient Greek accent, at least in nouns, appears to have been inherited to a large extent from the original parent language from which Greek and many other European and Indian languages derive, Proto-Indo-European. This can be seen by comparing the accent of Greek words with the accent of words in the Vedic hymns (the most ancient form of the Sanskrit language of India). Very often these are the same, for example:[5]

There are also other accentual correspondences between Greek and Vedic, for example:Шаблон:Sfnp

One difference between Greek and Vedic, however, is that in Greek words the accent is always found in one of the last three syllables, whereas in Vedic (and presumably in Proto-Indo-European) it could come anywhere in the word.

The distinction in Greek between circumflex and acute accent appears to be a Greek development, and does not go back to Proto-Indo-European.Шаблон:Sfnp

Pronunciation of the accent

General evidence

It is generally agreed that the ancient Greek accent was primarily one of pitch or melody rather than of stress.[6] Thus in a word like Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'man', the first syllable was pronounced on a higher pitch than the others, but not necessarily any louder. As long ago as the 19th century it was surmised that in a word with recessive accent the pitch may have fallen not suddenly but gradually in a sequence high–middle–low, with the final element always short.[7]

The evidence for this comes from various sources. The first is the statements of Greek grammarians, who consistently describe the accent in musical terms, using words such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'high-pitched' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'low-pitched'.

According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus (1st century BC), the melody of speech is confined to an interval 'of about a 5th'. This statement has been interpreted in different ways, but it is usually supposed that he meant not that it was always a fifth, but that this was the maximum normal difference between high and low syllables. It is thought probable that occasionally, especially at the end of a sentence, the interval was much smaller.[8] Dionysius also describes how a circumflex accent combines high and low pitch on the same syllable, whereas with an acute accent the high and low pitches are in separate syllables.Шаблон:Sfnp

Another indication that the accent was melodic or tonal is that in the classical period the accents of the words seem to have played no part at all in poetic metres, unlike in languages such as English which have stress-accents.Шаблон:Sfnp It was not until the 4th century AD that poems began to be written in which the accent played a role (see below).

Evidence from music

An important indication of the melodic nature of the Greek accent comes from the surviving pieces of Greek music, especially the two Delphic hymns (2nd century BC), the Seikilos epitaph (1st century AD), and the hymns of Mesomedes (2nd century AD). An example is the prayer to Calliope and Apollo written by Mesomedes, court musician to the Emperor Hadrian:

Файл:Mesomedes Kalliopeia sopha.png
Mesomedes' Prayer to Calliope and Apollo transcribed into modern musical notation; adapted from Landels, John G. 1999. Music in Ancient Greece and Rome, p. 255. The words read: "Wise Calliope, leader of the delightful Muses, and you, wise initiator into the mysteries, Leto's son, Delian Healer, favour me with your presence." (For a recording, see External links below.)

(Further examples of ancient Greek music can be found in the articles Delphic Hymns and Mesomedes.)

As can be seen, the accented syllable of a word generally has the highest note within that word, although sometimes the syllables preceding or following the accent are also high.

When the accent is a circumflex, the music often shows a fall from a higher note to a lower one within the syllable itself, exactly as described by Dionysius of Halicarnassus; examples are the words Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'of the Muses' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'favourable' in the prayer illustrated above. However, sometimes there is no fall within the accented syllable, but the circumflex is set to a single note, as in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'delightful' or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'of Leto' above.

If the accent is a grave, there is often no rise in pitch, or else only a small one, as in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl above.

In this practice of closely imitating the tones of word accents in the melodies of songs, Ancient Greek resembles many living Asian and African languages that have tonal accents. For this reason, the American scholars A.M. Devine and Laurence Stephens have argued that the rises and falls found in Greek music probably give a reasonably good indication of what happened when the words were spoken.Шаблон:Sfnp

It seems, however, that the music did not always follow the accent exactly. Dionysius of Halicarnassus gives an example from the music written by Euripides for his play Orestes. In the lines which in our modern editions are written as Шаблон:Lang (Шаблон:Grc-transl) 'Quietly, quietly! Place the tread of your shoe lightly, don't make a noise!',[9] Dionysius reports that in the first three words and the last there was no raised pitch, while in both Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'of the shoe' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'place' there was a low note followed by two high ones, despite the accent on the first syllable of Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl.[10]

However, although the fragments of earlier music sometimes show a mismatch, the Delphic hymns in particular appear to show a very close relationship between the music and the word accents, with all but three of the 180 analysable words matching.[11]

Some more details of the way in which accents were set to music are given below. Note that in the musical examples the pitch is conventional, dating back to a publication by Friedrich Bellermann in 1840. In performance the pitch would have been at least a minor third lower.Шаблон:Sfnp

Acute accent

When the signs for the notes in Greek music are transcribed into modern musical notation, it can be seen that an acute accent is generally followed by a fall, sometimes extending over two syllables. Usually the fall is only a slight one, as in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'daughters', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'Olympus' or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'she gave birth to' below. Sometimes, however, there is a sharp drop, as in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'you may sing' or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'windless':

A selection of five words from Greek music showing the fall after an acute accent
A selection of five words from Greek music showing the fall after an acute accent

Before the accent the rise on average is less than the fall afterwards.Шаблон:Sfnp There is sometimes a jump up from a lower note, as in the word Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'mingling' from the second hymn; more often there is a gradual rise, as in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'of Castalia', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'Cynthian', or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'spreads upwards':

Four words from ancient Greek music showing the rise before the accent
Four words from ancient Greek music showing the rise before the accent

In some cases, however, before the accent instead of a rise there is a 'plateau' of one or two notes the same height as the accent itself, as in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'of Parnassus', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'he visits', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'of the Romans', or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'ageless' from the Delphic hymns:

Four words from the Delphic hymns illustrating a plateau preceding the accent
Four words from the Delphic hymns illustrating a plateau preceding the accent

Anticipation of the high tone of an accent in this way is found in other pitch-accent languages, such as some varieties of Japanese,[12] Turkish,[13] or Serbian,[14] where for example the word papríka 'pepper' can be pronounced pápríka. It would not be surprising therefore to find that it was a feature of Greek speech also. Devine and Stephens, however, quoting Dionysius's statement that there is only one high tone per word, argue that the norm in Greek words was for unaccented syllables to be low-pitched.[15]

When an acute accent occurs on a long vowel or diphthong, it is generally assumed that the high pitch was on the second mora of the vowel, that is to say, that there was a rising pitch within the syllable.Шаблон:SfnpШаблон:Sfnp The Greek music sometimes shows exactly this, as with the word Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'it burns' in the 1st Delphic hymn, or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'shine!' in the Seikilos epitaph, or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'the Moon' in the Hymn to the Sun, in which the syllable with the acute is set to a melism of two or three notes rising gradually.

Three examples of a rising tone in Ancient Greek music
Three examples of a rising tone in Ancient Greek music

More frequently, however, on an accented long vowel in the music there is no rise in pitch, and the syllable is set to a level note, as in the words Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'Hephaestus' from the 1st Delphic hymn or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'those' or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'of the Romans' from the 2nd hymn:

Three examples of a level tone from Ancient Greek music
Three examples of a level tone from Ancient Greek music

Because this is so common, it is possible that at least sometimes the pitch did not rise on a long vowel with an acute accent but remained level. Another consideration is that although the ancient grammarians regularly describe the circumflex accent as 'two-toned' (Шаблон:Lang) or 'compound' (Шаблон:Lang) or 'double' (Шаблон:Lang), they usually do not make similar remarks about the acute. There are apparently some, however, who mention a 'reversed circumflex', presumably referring to this rising accent.Шаблон:Sfnp

Tonal assimilation

Devine and Stephens note that occasionally at the end of a word, the pitch rises again, as though leading up to or anticipating the accent in the following word. They refer to this as a "secondary rise". Examples are Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'you have a tripod' or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'sing the Pythian' in the 2nd Delphic hymn. According to Devine and Stephens, it "probably reflects a genuine process of pitch assimilation in fluent speech".Шаблон:Sfnp

Two phrases from the 2nd Delphic Hymn illustrating secondary upturn at the end of a word
Two phrases from the 2nd Delphic Hymn illustrating secondary upturn at the end of a word

In the great majority of cases in the music, the pitch falls on the syllable immediately following an acute accent. However, there are some exceptions. One situation where this can happen is when two words are joined in a plateau or near-plateau, as in the phrases Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'so that Phoebus' (1st Hymn) and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'in the city of Cecrops' in the 2nd Delphic Hymn:

Two phrases from the Delphic hymns illustrating a plateau between accents.
Two phrases from the Delphic hymns illustrating a plateau between accents.

Tonal assimilation or tone sandhi between neighbouring tones is commonly found in tonal languages. Devine and Stephens, citing a similar phenomenon in the music of the Nigerian language Hausa, comment: "This is not a mismatch but reflects a feature of phrase intonation in fluent speech."Шаблон:Sfnp

Circumflex accent

A circumflex was written only over a long vowel or diphthong. In the music, the circumflex is usually set to a melisma of two notes, the first higher than the second. Thus in the first Delphic Hymn the word Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'Phoebus' is set to the same musical notes as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'daughters' earlier in the same line, except that the first two notes fall within one syllable instead of across two syllables. Just as with the acute accent, a circumflex can be preceded either by a note on the same level, as in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'with songs', or by a rise, as in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'oracular':

Examples of circumflex accents from the 1st Delphic Hymn
Examples of circumflex accents from the 1st Delphic Hymn

The circumflex therefore appears to have been pronounced in exactly the same way as an acute, except that the fall usually took place within one syllable.Шаблон:Sfnp This is clear from the description of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (see above), who tells us that a circumflex accent was a blend of high and low pitch in a single syllable, and it is reflected in the word Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'high-low' (or 'acute-grave'), which is one of the names given to the circumflex in ancient times.Шаблон:Sfnp Another description was Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'two-toned'.Шаблон:Sfnp

Another piece of evidence for the pronunciation of the circumflex accent is the fact that when two vowels are contracted into one, if the first one has an acute, the result is a circumflex: e.g. Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I see' is contracted to Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl with a circumflex, combining the high and low pitches of the previous vowels.

In the majority of examples in the Delphic hymns, the circumflex is set to a melisma of two notes. However, in Mesomedes' hymns, especially the hymn to Nemesis, it is more common for the circumflex to be set to a single note. Devine and Stephens see in this the gradual loss over time of the distinction between acute and circumflex.[16]

One place where a circumflex can be a single note is in phrases where a noun is joined with a genitive or an adjective. Examples are Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl (1st Delphic Hymn) 'thighs of bulls', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'Leto's son' (Mesomedes' Prayer to Calliope and Apollo), Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'the whole world' (Mesomedes' Hymn to the Sun). In these phrases, the accent of the second word is higher than or on the same level as that of the first word, and just as with phrases such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl mentioned above, the lack of fall in pitch appears to represent some sort of assimilation or tone sandhi between the two accents:

Three phrases from Greek music illustrating circumflex tones
Three phrases from Greek music illustrating circumflex tones

When a circumflex occurs immediately before a comma, it also regularly has a single note in the music, as in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'delightful' in the Mesomedes' Invocation to Calliope illustrated above. Other examples are Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'famous', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'with arrows' in 2nd Delphic hymn, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'you live' in the Seikilos epitaph, and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl in Mesomedes' Hymn to Nemesis.Шаблон:Sfnp

Another place where a circumflex sometimes has a level note in the music is when it occurs in a penultimate syllable of a word, with the fall only coming in the following syllable. Examples are Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl (1st Delphic hymn), Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl (2nd Delphic hymn), and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl (Hymn to Nemesis).

Four words from the Delphic hymns showing a level note for a circumflex
Four words from the Delphic hymns showing a level note for a circumflex

Grave accent

The third accentual mark used in ancient Greek was the grave accent, which is only found on the last syllable of words e.g. Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'a good man'. Scholars are divided about how this was pronounced; whether it meant that the word was completely accentless or whether it meant a sort of intermediate accent is unclear.[17] In some early documents making use of written accents, a grave accent could often be added to any syllable with low pitch, not just the end of the word, e.g. Шаблон:Lang.Шаблон:Sfnp

Some scholars, such as the Russian linguist Nikolai Trubetzkoy, have suggested that because there is usually no fall after a grave accent, the rise in pitch which was heard at the end of a clause was phonologically not a true accent, but merely a default phrasal tone, such as is heard in languages like Luganda.[18] Other scholars, however, such as Devine and Stephens, argue that on the contrary the grave accent at the end of a word was a true accent, but that in certain contexts its pitch was suppressed.Шаблон:Sfnp

In the music, a word with a grave frequently has no accent at all, and is set to a single level note, as in these examples from the 2nd Delphic hymn, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'whom blessed Leto bore' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'then, leaving the Cynthian island', in which the words Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'Leto' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'having left' have no raised syllables:

Phrases from the 2nd Delphic hymn illustrating the grave accent
Phrases from the 2nd Delphic hymn illustrating the grave accent

However, occasionally the syllable with the grave can be slightly higher than the rest of the word. This usually occurs when the word with a grave forms part of a phrase in which the music is in any case rising to an accented word, as in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'and you, wise initiator into the mysteries' in the Mesomedes prayer illustrated above, or in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'and the pipe, sounding clearly, weaves a song with shimmering melodies' in the 1st Delphic hymn:

A line from the 1st Delphic Hymn showing the pronunciation of the grave accent.
A line from the 1st Delphic Hymn showing the pronunciation of the grave accent.

In the Delphic hymns, a grave accent is almost never followed by a note lower than itself. However, in the later music, there are several examples where a grave is followed by a fall in pitch,Шаблон:Sfnp as in the phrase below, 'the harsh fate of mortals turns' (Hymn to Nemesis), where the word Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'harsh, grey-eyed' has a fully developed accent:Шаблон:Sfnp

A phrase from Mesomedes' Hymn to Nemesis illustrating the grave accent
A phrase from Mesomedes' Hymn to Nemesis illustrating the grave accent

When an oxytone word such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'good' comes before a comma or full stop, the accent is written as an acute. Several examples in the music illustrate this rise in pitch before a comma, for example Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'wise Calliope' illustrated above, or in the first line of the Hymn to Nemesis ('Nemesis, winged tilter of the scales of life'):

Example from Mesomedes Hymn to Nemesis showing an accent at the end of a clause
Example from Mesomedes Hymn to Nemesis showing an accent at the end of a clause

There are almost no examples in the music of an oxytone word at the end of a sentence except the following, where the same phrase is repeated at the end of a stanza. Here the pitch drops and the accent appears to be retracted to the penultimate syllable:

Phrase from Mesomedes' Hymn to Nemesis illustrating an oxytone word at the end of a sentence
Phrase from Mesomedes' Hymn to Nemesis illustrating an oxytone word at the end of a sentence

This, however, contradicts the description of the ancient grammarians, according to whom a grave became an acute (implying that there was a rise in pitch) at the end of a sentence just as it does before a comma.[19]

General intonation

Devine and Stephens also note that it is also possible from the Delphic hymns to get some indication of the intonation of Ancient Greek. For example, in most languages there is a tendency for the pitch to gradually become lower as the clause proceeds.Шаблон:Sfnp This tendency, known as downtrend or downdrift, seems to have been characteristic of Greek too. For example, in the second line of the 1st Delphic Hymn, there is a gradual descent from a high pitch to a low one, followed by a jump up by an octave for the start of the next sentence. The words (Шаблон:Grc-transl) mean: 'Come, so that you may hymn with songs your brother Phoebus, the Golden-Haired':

A line of music from the 1st Delphic Hymn, showing how the accents gradually descend in pitch in the course of the sentence. The words read: 'Come, so that you may hymn with songs your brother Phoebus, the Golden-Haired.'
A line of music from the 1st Delphic Hymn, showing how the accents gradually descend in pitch in the course of the sentence. The words read: 'Come, so that you may hymn with songs your brother Phoebus, the Golden-Haired.'

However, not all sentences follow this rule, but some have an upwards trend, as in the clause below from the first Delphic hymn, which when restored reads Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'how you seized the prophetic tripod which the great snake was guarding'. Here the whole sentence rises up to the emphatic word Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'serpent':

A sentence from the 1st Delphic hymn illustrating a rising intonation
A sentence from the 1st Delphic hymn illustrating a rising intonation

In English before a comma, the voice tends to remain raised, to indicate that the sentence is not finished, and this appears to be true of Greek also. Immediately before a comma, a circumflex accent does not fall but is regularly set to a level note, as in the first line of the Seikilos epitaph, which reads 'As long as you live, shine! Do not grieve at all':

A transcription of the 1st half of the Seikilos epitaph
A transcription of the 1st half of the Seikilos epitaph

A higher pitch is also used for proper names and for emphatic words, especially in situations where a non-basic word-order indicates emphasis or focus.Шаблон:Sfnp An example occurs in the second half of the Seikilos epitaph, where the last two lines read 'It is for a short time only that life exists; as for the end, Time demands it'. In the second sentence, where the order is object – subject – verb, the word Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'time' has the highest pitch, as if emphasised:

A transcription of the second half of the Seikilos epitaph
A transcription of the second half of the Seikilos epitaph

Another circumstance in which no downtrend is evident is when a non-lexical word is involved, such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'so that' or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'this'. In the music the accent in the word following non-lexical words is usually on the same pitch as the non-lexical accent, not lower than it.Шаблон:Sfnp Thus there is no downtrend in phrases such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'this crag' or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'so that Phoebus', where in each case the second word is more important than the first:

Phrases from Greek music showing lack of downtrend
Phrases from Greek music showing lack of downtrend

Phrases containing a genitive, such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'Leto's son' quoted above, or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'thighs of bulls' in the illustration below from the first Delphic hymn, also have no downdrift, but in both of these the second word is slightly higher than the first:

A sentence from the 1st Delphic hymn illustrating the way music imitates the accents of words
A sentence from the 1st Delphic hymn illustrating the way music imitates the accents of words

Strophe and antistrophe

One problem which has been discussed concerning the relationship between music and word accent is what may have happened in choral music which was written in pairs of corresponding stanzas known as strophe and antistrophe. Rhythmically these always correspond exactly but the word accents in the antistrophe generally do not match those in the strophe.[20] Since none of the surviving music includes both a strophe and antistrophe, it is not clear whether the same music was written for both stanzas, ignoring the word accents in one or the other, or whether the music was similar but varied slightly to account for the accents. The following lines from Mesomedes' Hymn to the Sun,Шаблон:Sfnp which are very similar but with slight variations in the first five notes, show how this might have been possible:

Three examples from Mesomedes' Hymn to the Sun showing how melodies match the word accents
Three examples from Mesomedes' Hymn to the Sun showing how melodies match the word accents

Change to modern Greek

In modern Greek the accent is for the most part in the same syllable of the words as it was in ancient Greek, but is one of stress rather than pitch, so that an accented syllable, such as the first syllable in the word Шаблон:Lang, can be pronounced sometimes on a high pitch, and sometimes on a low pitch. It is believed that this change took place around 2nd–4th century AD, at around the same time that the distinction between long and short vowels was also lost.Шаблон:Sfnp One of the first writers to compose poetry based on a stress accent was the 4th-century Gregory of Nazianzus, who wrote two hymns in which syllable quantities play no part in the metre, but almost every line is accented on the penultimate syllable.[21]

In modern Greek there is no difference in pronunciation between the former acute, grave, and circumflex accents, and in the modern "monotonic" spelling introduced in Greek schools in 1982 only one accent is used, the acute, while monosyllables are left unaccented.[22]

Rules for the placement of the accent

Law of Limitation

The accent may not come more than three syllables from the end of a word.

If an accent comes on the antepenultimate syllable, it is always an acute, for example:

Exception: Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'of what sort of', in which the second part is an enclitic word.Шаблон:Sfnp

With a few exceptions, the accent can come on the antepenult only if the last syllable of the word is 'light'. The last syllable counts as light if it ends in a short vowel, or if it ends in a short vowel followed by no more than one consonant, or if the word ends in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, as in the above examples. But for words like the following, which have a heavy final syllable, the accent moves forward to the penultimate:

The ending Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl always counts as long, and in the optative mood, the endings Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl also count as long and cause the accent to move forward in the same way:

The accent also cannot come on the antepenultimate syllable when the word ends in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl,Шаблон:Sfnp hence the difference in pairs of words such as the following:

Exceptions, when the accent may remain on the antepenult even when the last vowel is long, are certain words ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, for example:Шаблон:Sfnp

Шаблон:Lang (Шаблон:Grc-transl) Law

If the accent comes on the penultimate syllable, it must be a circumflex if the last two vowels of the word are long–short. This applies even to words ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl:

This rule is known as the Шаблон:Lang (Шаблон:Grc-transl) Law, since in the accusative case the word Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'saviour' becomes Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl.

In most cases, a final Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl counts as a short vowel:

Otherwise the accent is an acute:

Exception 1: Certain compounds made from an ordinary word and an enclitic suffix have an acute even though they have long vowel–short vowel:Шаблон:Sfnp

Exception 2: In locative expressions and verbs in the optative mood a final Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl counts as a long vowel:

Law of Persistence

The third principle of Greek accentuation is that, after taking into account the Law of Limitation and the Шаблон:Lang (Шаблон:Grc-transl) Law, the accent in nouns, adjectives, and pronouns remains as far as possible on the same syllable (counting from the beginning of the word) in all the cases, numbers, and genders. For example:

But an extra syllable or a long ending causes accent shift:

Exceptions to the Law of Persistence

There are a number of exceptions to the Law of Persistence.

Exception 1: The following words have the accent on a different syllable in the plural:

The accusative singular and plural has the same accent as the nominative plural given above.

The name Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'Demeter' changes its accent to accusative Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, genitive Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, dative Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl.

Exception 2: Certain vocatives (mainly of the 3rd declension) have recessive accent:

Exception 3: All 1st declension nouns, and all 3rd declension neuter nouns ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, have a genitive plural ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl. This also applies to 1st declension adjectives, but only if the feminine genitive plural is different from the masculine:

Exception 4: Some 3rd declension nouns, including all monosyllables, place the accent on the ending in the genitive and dative singular, dual, and plural. (This also applies to the adjective Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'all' but only in the singular.) Further details are given below.

Exception 5: Some adjectives, but not all, move the accent to the antepenultimate when neuter:

Exception 6: The following adjective has an accent on the second syllable in the forms containing Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl:

Oxytone words

Oxytone words, that is, words with an acute on the final syllable, have their own rules.

Change to a grave

Normally in a sentence, whenever an oxytone word is followed by a non-enclitic word, the acute is changed to a grave; but before a pause (such as a comma, colon, full stop, or verse end), it remains an acute:

(Not all editors follow the rule about verse end.)Шаблон:Sfnp

The acute also remains before an enclitic word such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'is':

In the words Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'who?' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'what? why?', however, the accent always remains acute, even if another word follows:

Change to a circumflex

When a noun or adjective is used in different cases, a final acute often changes to a circumflex. In the 1st and 2nd declension, oxytone words change the accent to a circumflex in the genitive and dative. This also applies to the dual and plural, and to the definite article:

However, oxytone words in the 'Attic' declension keep their acute in the genitive and dative:[24]

3rd declension nouns like Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'king' change the acute to a circumflex in the vocative and dative singular and nominative plural:Шаблон:Sfnp

Adjectives of the type Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'true' change the acute to a circumflex in all the cases which have a long vowel ending:Шаблон:Sfnp

Adjectives of the type Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'pleasant' change the acute to a circumflex in the dative singular and nominative and accusative plural:Шаблон:Sfnp

Accentless words

The following words have no accent, only a breathing:Шаблон:Sfnp

However, some of these words can have an accent when they are used in emphatic position. Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl are written Шаблон:Lang when the meaning is 'who, which'; and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl is written Шаблон:Lang if it ends a sentence.

The definite article

The definite article in the nominative singular and plural masculine and feminine just has a rough breathing, and no accent:

Otherwise the nominative and accusative have an acute accent, which in the context of a sentence, is written as a grave:

The genitive and dative (singular, plural and dual), however, are accented with a circumflex:

1st and 2nd declension oxytones, such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, are accented the same way as the article, with a circumflex in the genitive and dative.

Nouns

1st declension

Types

Those ending in short Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl are all recessive:Шаблон:Sfnp

Of those which end in long Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, some have penultimate accent:

Others are oxytone:

A very few have a contracted ending with a circumflex on the last syllable:

Masculine 1st declension nouns usually have penultimate accent:

A few, especially agent nouns, are oxytone:

There are also some with a contracted final syllable:

Accent movement

In proparoxytone words like Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, with a short final vowel, the accent moves to the penultimate in the accusative plural, and in the genitive and dative singular, dual, and plural, when the final vowel becomes long:

In words with penultimate accent, the accent is persistent, that is, as far as possible it stays on the same syllable when the noun changes case. But if the last two vowels are long–short, it changes to a circumflex:

In oxytone words, the accent changes to a circumflex in the genitive and dative (also in the plural and dual), just as in the definite article:

All 1st declension nouns have a circumflex on the final syllable in the genitive plural:Шаблон:Sfnp

The vocative of 1st declension nouns usually has the accent on the same syllable as the nominative. But the word Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'master' has a vocative accented on the first syllable:

2nd declension

Types

The majority of 2nd declension nouns have recessive accent, but there are a few oxytones, and a very few with an accent in between (neither recessive nor oxytone) or contracted:

Words of the 'Attic' declension ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl can also be either recessive or oxytone:[25]

Neuter words are mostly recessive, but not all:

Words ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl often have penultimate accent, especially diminutive words:Шаблон:Sfnp

But some Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl words are recessive, especially those with a short antepenultimate:

Accent movement

As with the first declension, the accent on 2nd declension oxytone nouns such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'god' changes to a circumflex in the genitive and dative (singular, dual, and plural):Шаблон:Sfnp

But those in the Attic declension retain their acute:Шаблон:Sfnp

Unlike in the first declension, barytone words do not have a circumflex in the genitive plural:

3rd declension

Types

3rd declension masculine and feminine nouns can be recessive or oxytone:

Certain names resulting from a contraction are perispomenon:

Masculine and feminine monosyllables similarly can be recessive (with a circumflex) or oxytone (with an acute):

3rd declension neuter nouns are all recessive, and monosyllables have a circumflex (this includes letters of the alphabet):[26]

Accent movement

The accent in the nominative plural and in the accusative singular and plural is usually on the same syllable as the nominative singular, unless this would break the three-syllable rule. Thus:

But, in accordance with the 3-syllable rule:

The following are exceptions and have the accent on a different syllable in the nominative and accusative plural or the accusative singular:

But the following is recessive:

Words ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl are all oxytone, but only in the nominative singular. In all other cases the accent is on the Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl:

Accent shift in genitive and dative

In 3rd declension monosyllables the accent usually shifts to the final syllable in the genitive and dative. The genitive dual and plural have a circumflex:

The following are irregular in formation, but the accent moves in the same way:

The numbers for 'one', 'two', and 'three' also follow this pattern (see below).

Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'woman' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'dog' despite not being monosyllables, follow the same pattern:

There are some irregularities. The nouns Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'boy' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'Trojans' follow this pattern except in the genitive dual and plural:

The adjective Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'all' has a mobile accent only in the singular:

plural Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl.

Monosyllabic participles, such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'being', and the interrogative pronoun Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'who? what?' have a fixed accent.Шаблон:Sfnp

plural Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl.

The words Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'father', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'mother', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'daughter', have the following accentuation:

Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'stomach' is similar:

The word Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'man' has the following pattern, with accent shift in the genitive singular and plural:

3rd declension neuter words ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl have a circumflex in the genitive plural, but are otherwise recessive:

Concerning the genitive plural of the word Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'trireme', there was uncertainty. 'Some people pronounce it barytone, others perispomenon,' wrote one grammarian.Шаблон:Sfnp

Nouns such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'city' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'town' with genitive singular Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'city' keep their accent on the first syllable in the genitive singular and plural, despite the long vowel ending:Шаблон:Sfnp

3rd declension neuter nouns ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl have a circumflex in the genitive plural, but are otherwise recessive:

Vocative

Usually in 3rd declension nouns the accent becomes recessive in the vocative:

However, the following have a circumflex on the final syllable:

Adjectives

Types

Adjectives frequently have oxytone accentuation, but there are also barytone ones, and some with a contracted final syllable. Oxytone examples are:

Recessive:

Paroxytone:

Properispomenon:

Perispomenon:

Comparative and superlative adjectives all have recessive accent:

Adjectives ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl have a circumflex in most of the endings, since these are contracted:Шаблон:Sfnp

Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'foolish' is oxytone in the New Testament:

Personal names derived from adjectives are usually recessive, even if the adjective is not:

Accent movement

Unlike in modern Greek, which has fixed accent in adjectives, an antepenultimate accent moves forward when the last vowel is long:

The genitive plural of feminine adjectives is accented Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, but only in those adjectives where the masculine and feminine forms of the genitive plural are different:

But:

In a barytone adjective, in the neuter, when the last vowel becomes short, the accent usually recedes:

However, when the final Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl was formerly *Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, the accent does not recede (this includes neuter participles):Шаблон:SfnpШаблон:Sfnp

The adjective Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'great' shifts its accent to the penultimate in forms of the word that contain lambda (Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl):

The masculine Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'all' and neuter Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl have their accent on the ending in genitive and dative, but only in the singular:

The participle Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'being', genitive Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, has fixed accent.

Elided vowels

When the last vowel of an oxytone adjective is elided, an acute (not a circumflex) appears on the penultimate syllable instead:Шаблон:Sfnp

This rule also applies to verbs and nouns:

But it does not apply to minor words such as prepositions or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'but':

The retracted accent was always an acute. The story was told of an actor who, in a performance of Euripides' play Orestes, instead of pronouncing Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I see a calm sea', accidentally said Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I see a weasel', provoking laughter in the audience and mockery the following year in Aristophanes' Frogs.[27]

Compound nouns and adjectives

Ordinary compounds, that is, those which are not of the type 'object+verb', usually have recessive accent:

But there are some which are oxytone:

Compounds of the type 'object–verb', if the penultimate syllable is long or heavy, are usually oxytone:

But 1st declension nouns tend to be recessive even when the penultimate is long:

Compounds of the type 'object+verb' when the penultimate syllable is short are usually paroxytone:

But the following, formed from Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I hold', are recessive:

Adverbs

Adverbs formed from barytone adjectives are accented on the penultimate, as are those formed from adjectives ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl; but those formed from other oxytone adjectives are perispomenon:Шаблон:Sfnp

Adverbs ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl have penultimate accent:Шаблон:Sfnp

Numbers

The first three numbers have mobile accent in the genitive and dative:Шаблон:Sfnp

Despite the circumflex in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, the negative Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'no one (m.)' has an acute. It also has mobile accent in the genitive and dative:

The remaining numbers to twelve are:Шаблон:Sfnp

Also commonly found are:

Ordinals all have recessive accent, except those ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl:

Pronouns

The personal pronouns are the following:[28]

The genitive and dative of all these personal pronouns has a circumflex, except for the datives Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl:

The oblique cases of Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'you (sg.)', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl can also be used enclitically when they are unemphatic (see below under Enclitics), in which case they are written without accents. When enclitic, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl are shortened to Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl:

The accented form is usually used after a preposition:

The pronouns Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'he himself', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'himself (reflexive)', and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'who, which' change the accent to a circumflex in the genitive and dative:

Pronouns compounded with Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'this' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl are accented as if the second part was an enclitic word. Thus the accent of Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl does not change to a circumflex even though the vowels are long–short:

The demonstratives Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'this' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'that' are both accented on the penultimate syllable. But Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'this man here' is oxytone.

When Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl means 'who?' is it always accented, even when not before a pause. When it means 'someone' or 'a certain', it is enclitic (see below under Enclitics):

The accent on Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl is fixed and does not move to the ending in the genitive or dative.

Prepositions

Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'in', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'to, into', and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'from, out of' have no accent, only a breathing.

Most other prepositions have an acute on the final when quoted in isolation (e.g. Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'from', but in the context of a sentence this becomes a grave. When elided this accent does not retract and it is presumed that they were usually pronounced accentlessly:

When a preposition follows its noun, it is accented on the first syllable (except for Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'around' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'instead of'):Шаблон:Sfnp

The following prepositions were always accented on the first syllable in every context:

Interrogative words

Interrogative words are almost all accented recessively. In accordance with the principle that in a monosyllable the equivalent of a recessive accent is a circumflex, a circumflex is used on a long-vowel monosyllable:

Two exceptions, with paroxytone accent, are the following:

The words Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl always keep their acute accent even when followed by another word.[30] Unlike other monosyllables, they do not move the accent to the ending in the genitive or dative:

Some of these words, when accentless or accented on the final, have an indefinite meaning:

When used in indirect questions, interrogative words are usually prefixed by Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl. The accentuation differs. The following are accented on the second syllable:

But the following are accented on the first:

Enclitics

Types of enclitic

Enclitics are words which have no accent themselves, but place an accent on the word they follow. Examples in Greek are the following:Шаблон:Sfnp

(a) The connective Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'also', 'and':

(b) The emphatic particles:

The pronouns Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'to me' can combine with Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl to make a single word accented on the first syllable:Шаблон:Sfnp

(c) Indefinite adverbs:

(d) Indefinite pronouns:

But Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl can also sometimes begin a sentence, in which case it is non-enclitic and has an accent on the final.

(e) The present tense (except for the 2nd person singular) of Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I am' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I say':

These verbs can also have non-enclitic forms which are used, for example, to begin a sentence or after an elision. The verb Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'is' has an emphatic form Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl. Judging from parallel forms in Sanskrit it is possible that originally when non-enclitic the other persons also were accented on the first syllable: *Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, *Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl etc.; but the usual convention, among most modern editors as well as the ancient Greek grammarians, is to write Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl even at the beginning of a sentence.Шаблон:SfnpШаблон:Sfnp

When negative, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl is customarily written with its strong form, but Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl is enclitic:

The strong form Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl is also written after Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'if', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'since', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'but', Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'this', according to Herodian.Шаблон:Sfnp

(f) Certain personal pronouns in oblique cases when non-emphatic:

In classical writers, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'him' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'them' tend to be used in indirect speech referring to the speaker:

Some of these pronouns also have non-enclitic forms which are accented. The non-enclitic form of Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'me', 'of me', 'to me' is Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl.Шаблон:Sfnp The accented forms are used at the beginning of a sentence and (usually)Шаблон:Sfnp after prepositions:

Enclitic rules

When an enclitic follows a proparoxytone or a properispomenon word, the main word has two accents:

When it follows an oxytone word or an accentless word, there is an acute on the final syllable:

When it follows perispomenon or paroxytone word, there is no additional accent, and a monosyllabic enclitic remains accentless:

A two-syllable enclitic has no accent after a perispomenon:[31]

But a two-syllabled enclitic has one after a paroxytone word (otherwise the accent would come more than three syllables from the end of the combined word).[32] After a paroxytone Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl has a circumflex:

A word ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl behaves as if it was paroxytone and does not take an additional accent:[34]

A two-syllable enclitic is also accented after an elision:Шаблон:Sfnp

When two or three enclitics come in a row, according to Apollonius and Herodian, each passes its accent to the preceding word (although some modern editors have queried this):Шаблон:Sfnp[35]

It appears that with certain long-vowelled enclitics, such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, Herodian recommended that they should be left unaccented when another enclitic followed. However, most modern editors ignore this second rule, and print Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'if anyone anywhere' rather than Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl.

Verbs

In verbs, the accent is grammatical rather than lexical; that is to say, it distinguishes different parts of the verb rather than one verb from another. In the indicative mood it is usually recessive, but in other parts of the verb it is often non-recessive.

Except for the nominative singular of certain participles (e.g., masculine Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, neuter Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'after taking'), a few imperatives (such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'say'), and the irregular present tenses (Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I say' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I am'), no parts of the verb are oxytone.

Indicative

In the indicative of most verbs, other than contracting verbs, the accent is recessive, meaning it moves as far back towards the beginning of the word as allowed by the length of the last vowel.Шаблон:Sfnp Thus, verbs of three or more syllables often have an acute accent on the penult or antepenult, depending on whether the last vowel is long or short (with final Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl counted as short):

Monosyllabic verbs, such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'he went' (poetic) and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'you are', because they are recessive, have a circumflex. An exception is Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'you say'.

A few 3rd person plurals have a contracted ending (the other persons are recessive):Шаблон:Sfnp

When a verb is preceded by an augment, the accent goes no further back than the augment itself:

Contracting verbs

Contracting verbs are underlyingly recessive, that is, the accent is in the same place it had been before the vowels contracted. When an acute and a non-accented vowel merge, the result is a circumflex. In practice therefore, several parts of contracting verbs are non-recessive:

Contracting futures such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I will announce' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I will say' are accented like Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl.

Imperative

The accent is recessive in the imperative of most verbs:

In compounded monosyllabic verbs, however, the imperative is paroxytone:

The strong aorist imperative active (2nd person singular only) of the following five verbs (provided they are not prefixed) is oxytone:Шаблон:Sfnp

However, if plural or prefixed, these imperatives are recessive:

The strong aorist imperative middle of all verbs (2nd person singular only) is perispomenon:Шаблон:Sfnp

But the following is usually printed with an acute:

As with the active imperative, the plurals always have a recessive accent:

Subjunctive

The subjunctive of regular thematic verbs in the present tense or the weak or strong aorist tense is recessive, except for the aorist passive:

It is also recessive in the verb Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I go' and verbs ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl:Шаблон:Sfnp

But in the aorist passive, in the compounded aorist active of Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I go', and in all tenses of other athematic verbs, it is non-recessive:

Optative

The optative similarly is recessive in regular verbs in the same tenses. The optative endings Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl count as long vowels for the purpose of accentuation:

But in the aorist passive, in the compounded aorist active of Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I go', and in all tenses of athematic verbs (other than Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I go' and verbs ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl), it is non-recessive:

But Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'he might go away' is accented recessively like a regular verb.

Infinitive

The present and future infinitive of regular thematic verbs is recessive:

But all other infinitives are non-recessive, for example the weak aorist active:

Strong aorist active and middle:

Weak and strong aorist passive:

The aorist active of Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I go' when compounded:

The present and aorist infinitives of all athematic verbs:

But the Homeric Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'to be' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'to give' are recessive.

The perfect active, middle, and passive:

Participles

The present, future and weak aorist participles of regular thematic verbs are recessive:

But all other participles are non-recessive. These include the strong aorist active:

The weak and strong aorist passive:

The compounded aorist active of Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I go':

The present and aorist participles of athematic verbs:

The perfect active, middle, and passive:

'I am' and 'I say'

Two athematic verbs, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I am' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I say', are exceptional in that in the present indicative they are usually enclitic. When this happens they put an accent on the word before them and lose their own accent:

But both verbs can also begin a sentence, or follow a comma, or an elision, in which case they are not enclitic. In this case the accent is usually on the final syllable (e.g. Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl).Шаблон:Sfnp When it follows an elision, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl is also accented on the final:

However, the 3rd person singular Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl also has a strong form, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, which is used 'when the word expresses existence or possibility (i.e. when it is translatable with expressions such as 'exists', 'there is', or 'it is possible').'[37] This form is used among other places in the phrase Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'it is not' and at the beginning of sentences, such as:

The 2nd person singular Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'you are' and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'you say' are not enclitic.Шаблон:Sfnp

The future of the verb 'to be' has its accent on the verb itself even when prefixed:Шаблон:Sfnp

Verbal adjectives

The verbal adjectives ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl are always paroxytone:

The adjective ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl is usually oxytone, especially when it refers to something which is capable of happening:

Accent shift laws

Comparison with Sanskrit as well as the statements of grammarians shows that the accent in some Greek words has shifted from its position in Proto-Indo-European.

Wheeler's Law

Wheeler's Law, suggested in 1885, refers to a process whereby words with a dactylic ending (Файл:Long-foot-meter.svg Файл:Short-foot-meter.svg Файл:Short-foot-meter.svg) (counting endings such as -on, -os, -oi as short), if they were oxytone in Proto-Indo-European, became paroxytone in Greek. It is also known as the "law of dactylic retraction".[41]

This law is used to explain the paroxytone accent in words such as the following:

Similar words and endings in Sanskrit are regularly accented on the final syllable, and active compounds which do not have a dactylic rhythm often have final accent, e.g. Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'soul-escorting'.

There are numerous exceptions to Wheeler's Law, especially words ending in Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl (for example, Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'fleet'), which are always oxytone. There are also participles such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl or feminine Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'given', which have penultimate accent despite not being dactylic. These exceptions are usually explained as being due to analogical processes.

Bartoli's Law

Bartoli's Law (pronunciation /'bartoli/), proposed in 1930, aims to explain how some oxytone words ending in the rhythm Файл:Short-foot-meter.svg Файл:Long-foot-meter.svg (short–long) have become proparoxytone.[42] Another name is the "law of iambic retraction". Examples are:

The existence of such a law has been called into question, however, and it is argued that most or all of the words proposed as examples have other explanations.Шаблон:Sfnp

Vendryes's Law

Vendryes's Law (pronunciation /vɑ̃dʁi'jɛs]/), proposed in 1945, describes how words of the rhythm Файл:Short-foot-meter.svg Файл:Long-foot-meter.svg Файл:Short-foot-meter.svg, which had penultimate accent in other dialects, came to be pronounced proparoxytone in Attic (that is, the dialect of Athens).[43] This change appears to have taken place about 400 BC, and was known to the Greek grammarians who wrote on accentuation. One ancient commentator on Aristophanes wrote: Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl ('trophy') should be read as properispomenon in Aristophanes and Thucydides, but as proparoxytone Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl in later poets.᾽Шаблон:Sfnp

The law affected words like the following:

The accent shift described by Vendryes's Law seems to have affected mainly adjectives. Verbs such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'I went away' and participles such as Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'having taken' were unaffected.

Dialect variations

The ancient grammarians were aware that there were sometimes differences between their own accentuation and that of other dialects, for example that of the Homeric poems, which they could presumably learn from the traditional sung recitation.

Attic

Some peculiarities of Attic, the dialect of Athens, have been noted above under Vendryes's Law.

Aeolic

The Aeolic pronunciation, exemplified in the dialect of the 7th-century BC poets Sappho and Alcaeus from the island of Lesbos, differed in that every major word (but not prepositions or conjunctions) was pronounced recessively, thus:Шаблон:Sfnp

But Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'Alcaeus' was apparently pronounced Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl in Lesbian.Шаблон:Sfnp

The Boeotian dialect, although from the same dialect group as Lesbian, did not have this recessive accentuation, and appears not to have differed accentually from common (koine) Greek.[44]

The grammarians give no details of the Thessalian dialect (another variety of Aeolic) but it has been suggested that the dropping of certain vowels in words on inscriptions indicates that it had a stress accent at the beginning of each word.Шаблон:Sfnp

Doric

The Doric dialect also had certain peculiarities. One was that (some) properispomenon words were pronounced paroxytone. The examples given are 3rd declension nominative plural:[45]

On the other hand, it is reported that the 1st and 2nd declension accusative plural in Doric had a short vowel (-ăs, -ŏs), leading to accentuations such as:Шаблон:Sfnp

Another characteristic of Doric was that the endings Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl and perhaps Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl, and in verbs 3rd pl. Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl and Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl (derived from an earlier *-ont and *-ant) counted as long, leading to a paroxytone accent in:[46]

Doric speakers also apparently pronounced a circumflex on certain genitive plurals, which were paroxytone in other dialects:Шаблон:Sfnp

In Doric the future was also accented non-recessively in all verbs:Шаблон:Sfnp

See also

References

Notes

Шаблон:Reflist

Bibliography

External links

Шаблон:Ancient Greek grammar

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  1. ↑ Шаблон:LSJ
  2. ↑ Шаблон:LSJ
  3. ↑ Шаблон:LSJ
  4. ↑ Шаблон:LSJ
  5. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; cf. Шаблон:Harvp.
  6. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp.
  7. ↑ Hadley (1869–70). Hadley attributes the idea to Franz Misteli. Cf. Miller (1976); Шаблон:Harvp.
  8. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp
  9. ↑ Euripides Orestes, 140–1.
  10. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp. (Dionysius's text has some small differences from the modern one, such as Шаблон:Lang, contrary to the metre.)
  11. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp. One word which breaks the rules is Шаблон:Lang Шаблон:Grc-transl 'twin-peaked' in the 2nd Delphic Hymn, in which the fourth syllable is higher than the 2nd.
  12. ↑ Devine & Stephens (1994), p. 212.
  13. ↑ Levi, Susannah V. (2005). "Acoustic correlates of lexical accent in Turkish" Journal of the International Phonetic Association, vol. 35.1, pp. 73-97. DOI: [1]; see p. 95
  14. ↑ Inkelas, Sharon & Draga Zec (1988). "Serbo-Croatian pitch accent". Language 64.227–248, pp. 230–1.
  15. ↑ Devine & Stephens (1994), p. 172.
  16. ↑ Devine & Stephens (1994), p. 223.
  17. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp.
  18. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp, quoting N.S. Trubetzkoy (1939); cf. also Blumenfeld (2003).
  19. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp
  20. ↑ The question is discussed by Шаблон:Harvp.
  21. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp.
  22. ↑ David Holton, Peter Mackridge, Vassilios Spyropoulos (2012), Greek: A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Language, p. 38.
  23. ↑ Homer, Odyssey 9.365.
  24. ↑ Шаблон:Harvnb.
  25. ↑ Шаблон:Harvnb.
  26. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp.
  27. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; Frogs 302.
  28. ↑ Шаблон:Harvnb.
  29. ↑ Aristophanes, Birds 110.
  30. ↑ Шаблон:Harvnb.
  31. ↑ See discussion in Шаблон:Harvp.
  32. ↑ Discussion in Miller (1976).
  33. ↑ Thucydides 8.71.2
  34. ↑ There is apparently some uncertainty about monosyllabic enclitics. Шаблон:Harvp.
  35. ↑ See discussion in Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp.
  36. ↑ So usually in our texts; but cf. Шаблон:Harvp.
  37. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; cf. Шаблон:Harvp.
  38. ↑ Aeschylus, Agamemenon, line 955.
  39. ↑ Plato, Gorgias 527b.
  40. ↑ Xenophon, Hiero 8.9.
  41. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp.
  42. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp.
  43. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp
  44. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp.
  45. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp; Шаблон:Harvp.
  46. ↑ Шаблон:Harvp.; Шаблон:Harvp.
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