scholarly journals Greek alphabet

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Bell
Keyword(s):  
Greek Alphabet

Is ϝ-shaped digamma attested as a numerical sign in Greek papyri? Once more on P.Herc. 1669 and P.Oxy. 1176

2020 ◽  
Vol 140 ◽  
pp. 199-205
Author(s):  
Graziano Ranocchia
Keyword(s):  
Historical Evolution ◽  
Functional Evolution ◽  
Greek Alphabet

Abstract:T. Dorandi, who has previously proposed to read the book number included in the end-title of P.Herc. 1669 (Philodemus’ On Rhetoric) as a numerical ϝ-shaped digamma (= 6), has now advanced the same reading in the subscriptio of P.Oxy. 1176 (Satyrus, Lives book 6), where the editor princeps and all subsequent editors had unanimously read a stigma before. In this article, I argue not only that both readings are palaeographically untenable, but also that they historically contradict the graphic and functional evolution of digamma within the Greek alphabet. In particular, in both Graeco-Egyptian and Herculaneum papyri, ϝ-shaped digamma is always attested as a merely phonetic element (/w/ or waw) – never as a numeral symbol – whereas stigma, which represents the historical evolution of a variant of Archaic and Classical digamma, is the only form used as a numerical sign (= 6).

Retiring the Greek Alphabet

2006 ◽  
Vol 87 (6) ◽  
pp. 760-761
Author(s):  
Howard I. Epstein
Keyword(s):  
Greek Alphabet

Sui testi romanzi medievali in grafia greca come fonte di informazione linguistica

2017 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Maggiore
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Romance Languages ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
Medieval Romance ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
Reliable Source ◽  
Greek Alphabet ◽  
Source Of Information

AbstractMedieval Romance texts in the Greek alphabet are generally considered a very reliable source of information about spoken vernacular varieties, mainly due to the intrinsic independence of their writers from the Latin graphic tradition. Nevertheless, as first observed by Alberto Varvaro and Anna Maria Compagna in 1983, these valuable documents, like any other kind of written evidence, are not immune from some degree of conventionality. This paper will focus on the problems raised by the codification of Romance languages in the Greek alphabet, which requires the study of multilingualism, language contact and coexistence of different (written and oral) cultural traditions. Exemplification will come from Italo-Romance texts produced in Sicily and Southern Italy before 1500, but also from texts of other Romance areas like the Gallo-Romance 13th Century

scholarly journals From the “ancestar” of turtles to the turtle-mouse: when Greek words are used for turtle taxon names

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelos Vlachos
Keyword(s):  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
Alternative Systems ◽  
Proper Name ◽  
History Of ◽  
Greek Alphabet ◽  
Scientific Results ◽  
The Times ◽  
Animal Size ◽  
Current Guidelines ◽  
Phylogenetic Nomenclature

Background. Regardless using a rank-based or a phylogenetic nomenclature code, the use of Latinized binomens to describe the extant and extinct species has been essential. Ever since the times of Linnaeus, the use of Latinized Greek names has been a common practice both for neontologists and paleontologists. Methods. I critically analyzed the most common Greek words used as taxa names in the chelonian literature to establish their etymology and check whether the transliteration process has been done correctly. I also compared the current guidelines for the latinisation of Greek words recommended by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, with other alternative systems for the transformation of names formed in the Greek alphabet into Latin-based languages. Results. The preliminary results show that some Greek words (e.g. Chelone, Emys) dominate the chelonian nomenclature, but the history of the application of many of those names is intriguing. The use of Greek words is quite common in turtle taxa names when the name describes physical properties of the animal (size, shape, colour). However, several unfortunate examples exist, as some quite successful and famous names contain misspellings or poor choice of words that resulted in meanings opposite from the ones intended by the authors. Discussion. Naming species is an integral part of the research of both neontologists and palaeontologists, but the application of Greek words to life sciences is even far more extensive, applied to numerous terminologies as well. Forming a proper name for a taxon could aid significantly to the communication and interpretation of the scientific results. Publishing a new name requires a sense of responsibility as well, as the formation of a taxon name is a unique linguistic procedure. But in the end, to add a taxonomic side to the old shakespearean question, is not the name that is important, but the information it conveys. That which we call a turtle by any other name would be as unique.

The Greek alphabet

2012 ◽  
pp. 559-559
Author(s):  
Agust Gudmundsson
Keyword(s):  
Greek Alphabet
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