Accentuation Rules(was Basic Pronunciation)

Daniel dlc at multnomah.edu
Mon Jul 22 19:23:12 EDT 2002


    Well, no, Erik, you are not just being stupid.  Obviously, this word does not
conform to both the "rules" as stated and the given pronunciation.
    This is not the only word to follow this pattern: ARNION, COIRION, and hWSTE are
three that immediately come to mind.  The first two (along with BIBLION) are
diminutives, and we might assume that the -ION ending does not conform to the
general rules of accentuation.  hWSTE is clearly a compound word, and we might argue
that the accentuation of hWS is unaffected by the addition of TE.  I believe that
the compound idea is correct with reference to hWSTE; however, I don't think that we
need to argue along the diminutive line for BIBLION, K.T.L.
    There may be a simpler explanation: a confusion with regard to the terms "short"
and "long."  Pronunciation of I as "ee" or "ih" may not have any direct correlation
to the vowel's Greek length.  There seems to be a fair amount of agreement on the
matter, that vocalic length in Cl Gk was just that--length.  That is to say, the
long I was pronounced in a more sustained manner than was the short I.  So, even if
one pronounces BIBLION as "bib-LEE-on," the word may still be affirmed as having
three short vowels.  And, if the second I is indeed short (even though pronounced as
a long ENGLISH i), the accentuation conforms perfectly to the general rules.

Daniel
--
Daniel L. Christiansen
Professor, Bible & Theology, Biblical Languages
Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary
(503) 445-5295





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