Donald Blythe Durham

“ It is so in every age, and in every nation. Before a word is considered "good", we commonly search "good" writers for it. When we find it used by an approved author, we regard it as a "good" word. This was the process also of the Atticists. The great difference lies in the fact that their limits were far too narrow, and, set far back in the past, prevented the language from growing. Many words of Menander they failed to find among the representative authors who formed their canon, and hence they were especially severe in their criticism of him. ”

“ Even the casual reader of Menander will notice that such words are rarely employed by him. It is hardly fair to regard this last group of words as of very great authority in determining Menander's relation to the Koine, if only for the reason that Aristophanes is even more liable to censure than Menander if they are barred out as bad Greek. ”

“ In distinguishing "good" words from "bad", Moeris and other grammarians frequently employ the terms Ἀττικῶς, Ἑλληνικῶς and κοινῶς. The exact distinction between the last two terms, which was for a long time unsettled, has been recently decided by A. Maidhof, who shows [11] that Ἑλληνικῶς refers to the Hellenistic literary language, while κοινῶς means the speech of everyday life, especially of the lower classes. Since either word brands an expression as un-Attic, it is unnecessary for the purposes of this dissertation to regard the distinction. ”

“ A statement is necessary about the authors whose use of a word has been considered sufficient to mark it as good Attic. All the Atticists agree in accepting as standard Attic (δόκιμοι) the orators, Thucydides, [5] and Aristophanes and the other writers of old comedy. As regards tragedy, the practical difficulty is much slighter than the theoretical. It is difficult, indeed almost impossible, to separate the "good" [6] words in tragedy from the "bad". ”

“ For nearly two thousand years Menander's reputation as a writer of pure Attic has been somewhat tarnished through the attacks made upon him by the atticizing grammarians of the first centuries of our era. ”

“ On the other hand we also find in Menander many words which are specifically mentioned by grammarians as Attic and are contrasted with others called "Hellenic" or "Koine". This has been noticed by Bruhn, [14] but he seems to attach too much importance to the fact. For "even Menander", though guilty of sacrilege against the holy Attic dialect, would not always use the word which was later put under the ban. ”

“ In Moeris the phrasing would seem to indicate disapproval of the word προσποίησις, yet this disapproval is not reproduced in Hesychius. Further, note the following examples: Phot. p. 257 N. ἡκόντων· ἀντὶ τοῦ ἡκέτωσαν.—Id. p. 309 N. καλοῦμεν· ἀντὶ τοῦ καλέσομεν, where ἡκόντων and καλοῦμεν are the regular Attic forms, as Photius must have known. Clearly the use of ἀντί cannot be regarded as expressing either approval or disapproval. I shall therefore merely mention the additional instances of this use of ἀντί in connection with words which appear in Menander but not in good Attic. ”

“ Good writers avoid the adverb, even in the sense permitted in by Phryn.; no instance of which is known except in Xen. An. 2.6.1 ἐσχάτως φιλοπόλεμος. As we found him employing even the superlative ἐσχατώτατα (see p. 144) his authority will not count against the absence of the adverb from Plato, and the orators, and all comedy except Menander. ”

“ But ἁλύσιον in this sense is used by Philippides; also κερμάτιον; νεόττιον in this sense by Diphilus; and σακ (κ) ίον with a different meaning by Aristophanes and Xenophon. The rest seem to have been introduced into literature by Menander. Nearly all are uncommon in all periods.
Variations in accent and gender.
It is not strictly within the scope of our work to discuss discrepancies in accent and gender, but we may simply mention μωρός for μῶρος and τρόπαιον for τροπαῖον of which grammarians do not approve. They occur, however, in the modern editions of the orators. ”

“ The canon of good writers, then, in following discussion contains the ten orators, Plato, Thucydides, Aristophanes and the fragments of old comedy, the dialogue of tragedy, Attic inscriptions previous to the death of Alexander, and the Xenophontic Ἀθηναίων Πολιτεία. [10] This is the standard adopted in the selection of the words in the third chapter, which represents the bulk of my work. In chapter II are contained special studies, involving a comparison of Menander with certain of these classical writers taken as representative, and certain later authors in addition. ”

“ To these Atticists, whose literary souls lived in the glorious age of Athenian ascendancy, the speech of their contemporaries was barbarous and unfit for the purposes of literature, composed as it was of words from every dialect spoken in Greece, with the addition of Hebrew, Egyptian and other foreign elements. ”

“ The significance of these figures may be seen by a comparison with the use of all words by the same group of authors, in relation to their use by later writers: The total number of words on 72 pages of the lexicon, chosen at random, is 3730, of which 858 are found in the classical authors; the ratio being 1:4.347. Since about 1 in 8 of the double compounds is found in classical authors, and about 1 in 41⁄3 of all words, the use of the double compounds must have increased nearly a hundred fold in later writers. ”

“ Since the educated classes, trained by the new teachers, used them frequently, it began to be the fashion to employ them to give a tone of culture to one's conversation, and the suffix became a favorite. Hence these words are common in later writers, and also in modern Greek. [18]
Menander's position in the use of this suffix is shown in the following table:
The following adjectives in -ικός do not appear in the Attic writers with the exceptions noted: ἀσθενικός, εὑρετικός (Plato) , θεραπευτικός (Plato) , λογιστικός (Plato) , προνοητικός, ταρακτικός, τοπαστικός, φθισικός. ”

“ Each of the phrases criticized contains a word in -μα with one exception; and that one has a word in -μός, the use of which also increased in later Greek. It is apparently this aspect of the diction of Epicurus that Cleomedes is censuring. [12] We seem therefore to have the direct testimony of an ancient Greek in condemnation of this formation. ”

“ For the Attic writers accepted as standard in this work see above, pp. 9ff. As was explained there, I at first included in this list words used by Plato but not by the other writers of the selected list. Although Plato stands approved by the tests in chapter II, it has seemed best to retain these words, and it is hoped that the collections of instances may prove useful. However, from the strict point of view of the non-Attic elements in Menander's vocabulary, these words should be left out of consideration ”

“ But after a good deal of deliberation it was decided that in this kind of work such a system is incorrect, inasmuch as an increase in the bulk of an author does not bring with it a corresponding increase of different words of a given type. Thus, the more prolific a writer was, the smaller his proportion per 100 pages of different words of a certain formation is likely to be. ”

“ Verbal adjectives in -τος were included in this investigation because they appear to be very common in the pages of Menander, rather than because they are frequent in the Koine. [21] The statistics here collected bear out in general the statement of Jannaris, to the effect that it became far more popular since Graeco-Roman times; except that perhaps their popularity began slightly earlier than he asserts. The fact that they were so late in coming into favor seems to show that it is a mere personal pecularity in Menander. ”

“ Thr. p. 85.32 Hilgard says μέθυσος μεθύση μέθυσον; and [Hdn.] Philet p. 431 Piers. says ἡ μεθύση ἐπὶ γυναικὸς λέγε, and cites Aristophanes to support his contention. Phryn. Epit. ap. Schöll, Sitzber. d. bayr. Akad. 1893 II p. 527 has the reading μεθυστικὸς οὐ μέθυσος· ἐπὶ δὲ γυναικὸς μέθυσος οὐ μεθύση.
There is enough confusion in the above quotations to throw doubt upon Rutherford's statement (l. c.) "Grammarians are in accord upon this point" (i.e. that μέθυσος is not correctly used of men) . The authority of Phrynichus, however, is sufficient to outweigh that of his opponents. ”

“ Πάνακτος ἀρρενικῶς Μένανδρος ἐν Ψοφοδεεῖ. Phot. and Suid. Θουκυδίδης δὲ καὶ οὐδετέρως καλεῖ τὸ χωρίον (i. e. τὸ Πάνακτον) , Μένανδρος δὲ ἀρρενικῶς. No other author uses the word as masculine. It is feminine in Plut. Vit. 529 D.
παντοπωλέω Perik. ”

“ Hist. Eccl. 3.7 p. 179 B Εἰρηναῖος ὁ γραμματικὸς ἐν τῷ κατὰ στοιχεῖον Ἀττικιστῇ καὶ βάρβαρον ἀποκαλεῖ τὴν λέξιν (ὑπόστασις) · μηδὲ γὰρ παρά τισι τῶν παλαιῶν εὑρῆσθαι· εἰ δέ του καὶ εὕρηται, μὴ ταῦτα σημαῖνειν, ἐφ ̓ ὧν νῦν παραλαμβάνεται· παρὰ μὲν γὰρ Σοφοκλεῖ ἐν τῷ Φοίνικι ἔνεδραν σημαίνειν τὴν ὑπόστασιν· παρὰ δὲ Μενάνδρῳ τὰ καρυκεύματα, ὡς εἴ τις λέγοι τὴν ἐν πίθῳ τοῦ οἴνου τρύγα ὑπόστασιν. To which Valesius adds this note: Ego vero alium esse sensum existimo horum verborum, ut scilicet Menander condimentum vocarit ὑπόστασιν, eo quod subsidet in fundo patinae, perinde ac faex in dolio. ”

“ Phryn. 86 L., 159 R. ῥοΐδιον διαιροῦντες λέγουσιν οἱ ἀμαθεῖς. ἡμεῖς δὲ ῥοίδιον.
ῥύτισμα 1059 K.⁠ Phot. αἱ ἀκέστριαι τῶν διερρυηκότων ἱματίων τὰ ἀναπληρώματα ῥυτίσματα ἐκάλουν. οὕτως Μένανδρος.
σακίον sackcloth 544.4 K.⁠ Correctly spelled with one κ, according to Phryn. and others, who say nothing about the meaning. The word is classical in the sense of sack, bag: Ar. fr. 328 K. As in Menander: Lxx freq. e. g. Gen. 37.34; Ps. 68 (69) . 12. Joseph Ant. Jud. 2.38. Plut. Mor. ”

“ Lehrs em. κύριον, καὶ ψόφος, ἣν οἶδεν Ἡσίοδος ἐν τρίτῳ· "νοῦθος δὲ ποδῶν ὑπόδουπος ὀρώρει." Probably not a word of Menander.
νουνεχόντως 1043 K.⁠ Apollon. Alex, ap. B.A. 587.15 τὸ παρὰ Μενάνδρῳ νουνεχόντως δοκεῖ ἀσύστατον εἶναι. Cf. Antiatt. ib. 109.10 νουνεχόντως· Ἰσοκράτης Ἀντιδόσει. Etym. Magn. 606.35 νουνεχόντως· ὑφ ̓ ἓν ἀναγνωστέον . . . οὕτω νοῦν ἔχων, σύνθετον νουνεχόντως. Etym. Gud. 411.48. When this combination occurs in the works of writers of the classical period, it is customary to write is as two words; e. g. Isocr. 5.7; 7.60. It is left as a compound, however, in: Cass. ”

“ Etym. Gud. 100.51 ἄχρι καὶ ἄχρις διαφέρει. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἄχρι χωρὶς τοῦ σ, χρονικόν ἐστιν ἐπιρρημα. ἄχρις δὲ μετὰ τοῦ σ ἀντὶ τοῦ σ (sic) ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀκριβῶς κτλ. See Ammon. 27 Valck. The distinction is not borne out by the examples. Rutherford, Phryn. pp. 64 f. says: "The question has been settled by Wecklein in Curae Epigraphicae, p. 51, where he quotes from Attic inscriptions, μἐχρι ἑξακοσίων (bis) , μέχρι ἀνδρῶν, μέχρι τοῦ τεταγμένου, and ἄχρι τῆς συναγωγῆς. Stone records exhibit no instances of the forms with sigma even before a vowel, and the same lesson is taught by metre. . . . ”

“ See esp. pp. 54, 61. ↑ Note that Pollux's standard of good usage seems to be τὸ ἀκριβῶς Ἑλληνικόν, as distinguished from that of Phrynichus, who demands τὸ ἀκριβῶς Ἀττικόν. ↑ 13.0 13.1 The word κοιτών was clearly used by Menander, but apparently only to condemn it; see Poll. 1.79: εἰ γὰρ καὶ Μένανδρος αὐτὸ βαρβαρικὸν οἴεται, ἀλλ ̓ Ἀριστοφάνης ὁ κωμῳδοδιδάσκαλος (=fr. 6K.) τὰ τοιαῦτα πιστότερος εἰπὼν αὐτοῦ ἐν Αἰολοσίκωνι. ↑ L. c. p. ”

“ The grammarians agree in denying to this word the meaning "highly honored"; see Ammon. 118, Lex. Vind. 154.4, Th. M. 297.5, Bachmann Anecd. Paris. II 379.21. No instance of the use appears in the literature to support the conjecture of Sylburg. Pap. Ox. III 412.28 shows this use, and also Epigr. Or. 1027.30 Kaibel (c. 200 A.D.) . The papyrus is called by the editors a fragment of the Κεστοί of Julius Africanus (IIIp) . πολυτίμητος is good Attic: Ar. Nub. 269; al. Cf. F. W. Wright, Studies in Menander, 1911, pp. ”

“ Most editors use the rough breathing. But the smooth is to be preferred if Hesych. and the Etym. Gud. are to be trusted. The other lexicographers seem not to enter into the question.
ἀγαπησμός 453 K.⁠ Phot. Berol. ἀγαπησμόν· λέγουσιν Ἀττικοί. καὶ ἀγάπησιν τὴν φιλοφρόνησιν. So Συν. λεξ. χρησ. ”

“ This is a development from the usage of the medical writers.
ἀμβλυωπέω 908 K.⁠ Harp. p. VII (ed. Dind.) ex Ms. K (= Venet. Marc. ἀμβλυώττειν· Ἀττικῶς τὸ μὴ σφόδρα ὁρᾶν. γράφεται δὲ κοινῶς ἀμβλυωπεῖν, ὡς Μένανδρος. Th. M. 12.3 also condemns the word. Pollux is inclined to favor it: 2.51 . . . ἀμβλυωπὸς παρ ̓ Εὐριπίδῃ· ἀλλ ̓ ἔστι ποιητικώτερον. βέλτιον δὲ ὁ ἀμβλυωπῶν. But in 4.185 and 5.69 he mentions ἀμβλυώττω, which is the only form mentioned in Etym. Magn. (80.1, 5; 766.35) and Etym. Gud. (43.11) . Zonar. Lex. 158 has ἀμβλυώττω and ἀμβλυώσκω. Hesych. has both: ἀμβλυωπεῖ· τυφλώττει. ”

“ Professor Smith also compares πληγέντες, Thuc. 3.18.2, al. ( = μεγάλως νικηθέντες Schol.) with Men. 1053 K. πέπλεκται = ἥττηται (Phot.) . Of these twelve (or possibly fourteen) , all except οἱ πέλας and πέπλεκται or πληγέντες appear either in old comedy or the orators, as noted above. ↑ "Good" words are of course the words which might properly appear in the works of an author who wrote correct Attic prose; "bad" words, those which would not be used by such writers. ”

“ M. 230.17 . . . μέθυσος δὲ ἐπὶ μὲν ἀρσενικοῦ οὐδεὶς τῶν δοκίμων εἶπεν . . . σὺ τοίνυν Ἀττικοῖς ἑπόμενος ἐπὶ μὲν ἀρσενικοῦ μεθύων λέγε καὶ μεθυστικός· . . . ἐπὶ δὲ θηλυκοῦ μεθύουσα καὶ μεθίση. κτλ. On the contrary, Lex. Vind. p. 123.5 μέθυσος· ἐπὶ ἀρσενικοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ θηλυκοῦ. κτλ. And Suid. uses the word masc. s. vv. παρῳνήθη and παροίνιος. Moeris 260 is inclined to object to the use of the form μεθύση, as well as the use of the word in the masc. Antiatt. ap. B. A. 107.7 μέθυσον οὔ φασι δεῖν λέγειν, ἀλλὰ μεθύσην τὴν γυναῖκα ”

“ Γαστρίζειν is one of a large class of Greek verbs which have their meaning defined by the context." γαστρίζω = ἐμπίπλαναι Theopomp. Hist. 213. Posidon. ap. Ath. 210 F; 527 F. Dio. Chr. 66.11 p. 607 M. Luc. Ep. Sat. 38; al. Max. Tyr. 36.2. Alciphr. 3.9.3; 3.10.4. Ath. 685 F; 96 F. Philostr. Mai. Vit. Ap. 4.3; 5.23; al. Themist. Or. 22 p. 276 C Petavius. = τὴν γαστέρα τύπτειν Ar. Eq. 273, 454; al.
γίγγρος 259 K.⁠ Ath. 175 A μνημονεύει τῶν γίγγρων αὐλῶν Ἀντιφάνης ἐν Ἰατρῷ (108 K.) καὶ Μένανδρος ἐν Καρίνῃ κτλ. Hesych. γίγγρος· αὔλημά τι, ὅπερ ἔνιοι γίγγρον· οἱ δὲ αὐλοῦ γένος. γίγγρας Poll. ”

“ Ἀθηναῖοι γὰρ διὰ τοῦ α, κακοδαιμονᾶν λέγουσιν. Nuñez, followed by Lobeck and Rutherford, says: κακοδαιμονεῖν = infortunatum esse; κακοδαιμονᾶν = insanire. See the full discussion of Rutherford. Cf. Th. ”

“ Total 63, of which 2 (ἀπόδημος and κοιτών) are approved elsewhere.
It is difficult to classify accurately such cases as Συν. λεξ. χρησ. ap. Bekk. Anecd. 423.9 and Suid. s. v. ἀπέφησεν· ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀντεῖπε. Μένανδρος. The use of ἀντί may be taken to imply that Menander employed ἀπέφησε where he should have had ἀντεῖπε; i.e. where ἀντεῖπε was the correct Attic word, and hence ἀπέφησε was not strictly correct. Obscure as this instance is, the problem is still further complicated by instances like Eust. 809.42 παρὰ Αἰλίῳ Διονυσίῳ κεῖται τὸ λυκοφιλίως ἀντὶ τοῦ ὑπόπτως, ὑπούλως κτλ., and Phot. ”

“ My chief helps have been the Greek-English lexicon of Liddell and Scott, the Paris edition of the Thesaurus, and the indices listed in H. Schöne's "Repertorium griechischer Wörterverzeichnisse uiid Speziallexika", Leipzig, 1907, with the following important exceptions:
Aesopus: fabulae Planudeae ed. Schaefer. Lips. 1818.
Agapetus: scheda regia ed. Groebel. Lips. 1733.
Anthologia Graeca: Fr. Jacobs animadvers. in epigr. Anth. Gr. Brunckii. vol. III. pars. III. tom. XIII. Lips. 1814.
Democritus: Ethica ed. Natorp. Marburg 1893.
Ioannes Glycas: de vera syntaxeos ratione ed. Alb. Jahn. ”

“ The reading of the Ed. pr. was τὸν λιβανωτόν; see Lobeck's crit. n. The evidence for the feminine in Menander is too slight to have great weight. No other instances occur.
λιτανεύω 49 K.⁠ Doubtful. Etym. Magn. Etym. Gud. Suid. Homer freq. e. g. Il. ”