[B-Greek] Crasis or aphaeresis?

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Wed Feb 2 13:26:55 EST 2011


On Feb 2, 2011, at 10:40 AM, Nikolaos Adamou wrote:

> Goodwin om paragraph 119 indicates a crasis between omega and OI.

Yes, what's cited is ἐγὦδα [EGWiDA]. This is certainly crasis, not aphaeresis, 
since the I of OIDA is clearly represented in the subscript. This is not, therefore,
an instance of loss of the initial diphthong of OIDA but a fusion of the W of 
EGW and the OI of OIDA.

> On web bublication as well as on other printed material by non Greeks
> I saw similar cases, not only omega with OI but also with EI.
> in paragraph 41 there is no such crasis.
> Those who print such combinations in Greece put aphaeresis.

§41 does not concern either crasis (mingling of vocalic ending of one word
with vocalic beginning of another nor does it concern aphaeresis, omission
of the vocalic beginning of a second word after a vocalic ending of a first word.

Rather, §41 concerns vowel conractions WITHIN a single word.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)






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