Aeolic

In linguistics, Aeolic Greek (), also known as Aeolian (), Lesbian or Lesbic dialect, is the set of dialects of Ancient Greek spoken mainly in Boeotia; in Thessaly; in the Aegean island of Lesbos; and in the Greek colonies of Aeolis in Anatolia and adjoining islands.

The Aeolic dialect shows many archaisms in comparison to the other Ancient Greek dialects ( Arcadocypriot, Attic, Ionic, and Doric varieties), as well as many innovations.

Aeolic Greek is widely known as the language of Sappho and of Alcaeus of Mytilene. Aeolic poetry, which is exemplified in the works of Sappho, mostly uses four classical meters known as the Aeolics: Glyconic (the most basic form of Aeolic line), hendecasyllabic verse, Sapphic stanza, and Alcaic stanza (the latter two are respectively named for Sappho and Alcaeus).

Phonology

Consonants

Labiovelars

Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Greek ''*'' changed to Aeolic ''p'' everywhere. By contrast, PIE ''*'' changed to Attic/ Ionic, Arcadocypriot, and Doric ''t'' before ''e'' and ''i''.
* PIE * → Lesbian ''písures'', Boeotian ''péttares'' ~ Attic téttares, Ionic ''tésseres'', Doric ''tétores'' "four"
Similarly PIE/PGk ''*'' always became ''b'' and PIE ''*'' > PGk ''*'' always became ''ph'' (whereas in other dialects they became alternating ''b''/''d'' and ''ph''/''th'' before back/front vowels).

Labiovelars were treated the same way in the P-Celtic languages and the Sabellic languages.

Sonorant clusters

A Proto-Greek consonant cluster with ''h'' (from Indo-European ) and a sonorant (''r, l, n, m, w, y'') changed to the double sonorant (''rr, ll, nn, mm, ww, yy'') in Lesbian and Thessalian (sub-dialects of Aeolic) by assimilation. In Attic/Ionic, Doric, and Boeotian Aeolic, the ''h'' assimilated to the vowel before the consonant cluster, causing the vowel to lengthen by compensatory lengthening.
: PIE ''VsR'' or ''VRs'' → Attic/Ionic-Doric-Boeotian ''VVR''.
: PIE ''VsR'' or ''VRs'' → Lesbian-Thessalian ''VRR''.
* PIE * → Proto-Greek ''*ehmi'' → Lesbian-Thessalian ''emmi'' ~ Attic/Ionic ''ēmi'' (= ) "I am"

Loss of h

Lesbian Aeolic lost initial ''h-'' ('' psilosis'' "stripping") from Proto-Indo-European *s- or *y-. By contrast, Ionic sometimes retains it, and Attic always retains it.
* PIE * → Proto-Greek *''hāwélios'' → Lesbian ''āélios'', Ionic ''ēélios'' ~ Attic ''hēlios'' "sun"

Retention of w

In Thessalian and Boeotian (sub-dialects of Aeolic) and Doric, the Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Greek semi-vowel ''w'' (digamma) was retained at the beginning of a word.
* PIE → Boeotian, Doric ''wépos'' ~ Attic-Ionic ''épos'' "word", " epic" (compare Latin ''vōx'' "voice")

Vowels

Long a

In Aeolic and Doric, Proto-Greek long ''ā'' remains. By contrast, in Attic, long ''ā'' changes to long ''ē'' in most cases; in Ionic, it changes everywhere.
* PIE → Aeolic, Doric mātēr ~ Attic/Ionic ''mētēr'' "mother"

Compensatory lengthening

Compensatory lengthening of ''a, e, o'' in Lesbian gives ''ai, ei, oi'' (in Attic, it would be ''ā, ei, ou'') for example in the accusative plural of a and o stem nouns, or in many 3 Pl verb conjugations.

Boeotian

In Boeotian, the vowel-system was, in many cases, changed in a way reminiscent of the modern Greek pronunciation.
* Attic/Ionic ~ Boeotian ~ Modern Greek
* Attic/Ionic ~ Boeotian ~ Modern Greek
* Attic/Ionic ~ Boeotian ~ Mediaeval Greek and Old Athenaean ~ Modern Greek

Accent

In Lesbian Aeolic, the accent of all words is recessive (''barytonesis''), as is typical only in the verbs of other dialects.
* Attic/Ionic potamós ~ Lesbian pótamos "river"

Morphology

Contracted or vowel-stem verbs that are thematic in Attic/Ionic are often athematic (''-mi'') in Aeolic.
* Ionic ''philéō'', Attic ''philô'' ~ Aeolic ''phílēmi'' "I love"

Aeolic athematic infinitive active ends in ''-men'' or (Lesbian) ''-menai''. ~ Attic/Ionic has ''-enai''.
* Lesbian ''émmen, émmenai''; Thessalian, Boeotian ''eîmen'' ~ Attic/Ionic ''eînai'' ( spurious diphthong) "to be"
In the Lesbian dialect this ending also extends to the thematic conjugation, where Attic/Ionic has ''-ein''. All three of these Aeolic endings occur in Homer.
* Homeric ''agémen''

Proto-Greek ''-ans'' and ''-ons'' → ''-ais'' and ''-ois'' ( first- and second declension accusative plural) ~ Attic/Ionic -''ās'' and ''-ōs'' ( -ους).

Dative plural ''-aisi'' and ''-oisi'' ~ Attic/Ionic ''-ais'' and ''-ois''.

The participle has ''-ois'' and ''-ais'' for Attic ''-ōs'' ( -ους), ''-ās''.

Glossary

Below is a list of several words in the Aeolian dialect, written in the Greek alphabet, along with a transcription in the Latin alphabet. Each word is followed by its meaning and compared to similar words in other ancient Greek dialects. The "notes" section provides additional information, and if applicable, an etymology is given.

Aeolian

* ''ágōnos'' "struggle" (Attic agōn; Elean dat. pl. agōnois for agōsi)
* ' gifts sent by kin to Lesbian brides (Sappho fr.) (compare Homericbr>hedna, eedna

* ''Aiolíōnes'' " Aeolians" (Attic ''Aioleîs'') (' "speak Aeolic, compose in the Aeolian mode, trick out with false words" Sophocles Fr.912 )
aioleō
vary, adorn, diversify
aiolos
quick-moving, glittering, shifty)
*
aklades
' (unpruned vineyards) (Attic akladeutoi ampeloi)
* ''akontion'' (part of troops) (Attic spear) ( Macedonian ''rhachis'', spine or backbone, anything ridged like the backbone)
* -τος
amenēs
' -tos (Attic ὑμήν humēn) thin skin, membrane.
*
amōnes
' (Attic ἀνεμώνες anemones
*
aoros
' (Attic ἄϋπνος aypnos, without sleep) Μηθυμναῖοι
*
arpys
' (Attic ἔρως Eros, Love) attested in Crinagoras, ἁρπάζειν ''harpazein'' to snatch. Homeric
harpaleos
' attractive, devouring
*
asphe
' to them (Atti
sphe
sphi)
*
bakchoa
' (Attic βόθρος '' bothros'' sacred dungeon, pit)
*
balla
' threshold (Attic bēlos) (Doric balos)
*
blēr
' incitement (Atti
delear

*
bradanizō
' brandish, shake off. (Cf.Elean bratana Common rhatane)
*
braidion
' (Attic ῥᾴδιον rhaidion easy)
*
brakein
' to understand (dysbrakanon imprehensible)
*
brodopachus
' with pink, rosy forearms (Attic rhodopechys) ( brodopachun Sappho) an
brododaktulos
with rosy fingers
* ''brocheos'' or βρουκέων broukeon (Attic βραχύ brachy short) (Sapph.fr. 2,7)
* ''drasein'' (Attic θύειν to sacrifice)
* ''eide'' (Attic ὕλη, forest) (εἴδη Ionian also)
*
zadelon
' with holes in it, open (Attic diadelon obvious) ( Alcaeus 30 D 148P)
*
imbēris
' eel (Attic enchelys) Μηθυμναῖοι
* ''Issa'' old name of Lesbos Island Cf. Antissa
*
issasthai
' (Attic klerousthai to take sth by lot)
*
kankulē
' (Attic ''kēkis'' wet, vapour, mordant dyeing)
*
kammarpsis
' dry Measure (Attic hemimedimnon, one half of a medimnos)
*
karabides
' (Attic
graes
Μηθυμναῖοι
*
kaualeon
' Hsch (Attic ''aithos'' fire, burning heat) (Cf.kaiō burn)
* ''Mesostrophonia'' Lesbian festival
*
molsos
' (Attic , fat)
*
ximbra
' (Attic ῥοιά rhoia pomegranate-tree) (Boeotia
sida

*
othmata
' (Attic ''ommata'' eyes)
*
ón
' óna (Attic aná) upon, through, again ( Arcadocypriot also)
*
passyrion
' (Attic ''passydia'' 'totally, all together, with the whole army')
*
pedameivō
' (Attic metameivo exchange) (πεδέχω pedecho μετέχω metecho), pedoikos metoikosbr>peda
for meta
*
Perrhamos
' Priamus (Alcaeus 74D, 111P (it means also king)
*
saōmi
' save (Attic sōizō ) (Homeric saoō)
*
siglai
' ear-rings (Attic ''enōtia'', Laconian ''exōbadia'')
*
skiphos
' Attic xiphos sword (skiptō, given as etym. of skiphos and xiphos, Sch.Il.1.220; cf. skipei: nussei, it pricks, pierces)
*
spóla
'(Attic stolē) equipment, garment (spaleis, the sent one, for staleis)
*
syrx
' (Attic σάρξ flesh) (dative plural σύρκεσιν syrkesi Attic σαρξίν sarxin)
*
tenekounti
' (Attic ''enoikounti'' dative singular of enoikōn inhabiting)
*
tragais
' you break, grow rough and hoarse and smell like a goat
*
tude
' tudai an
tuide
here) (Ionic tēde)
*
phauophoros
' priestess (Attic ''hiereia'') (light-keeper) (Aeoli
phauō
for Homeric ''phaō'' shine) (Homeric ''phaos'' light, Attic ''phōs'' and ''phōtophoros'')

Boeotian

*
amillakas
' wine Theban (Attic oinos)
*
anōdorkas
' a fish


*
baidumēn
' (Attic ''arotrian'' to plough)
*
bana
' (
balara
') woman (Attic ''gunē''); , banēkes
battikes
women ( Attic gunaikes )
*
bastrax
' or bastax (Attic τράχηλος trachēlos neck) pl. bastraches
*
bleerei
' (Attic οἰκτείρει he feels pity) Cf. eleairei
*
empyria
' divination (Attic manteia) (Hsch. public oath, Koine ordeal by fire)
*
zekeltides
' gourds Amerias zakeltides ( Phrygian zelkia vegetables)
* ''idephin'' sweet-voiced. Hsch.: (Atti
hēduphōnon
( Aeolic wad-, ad- )
* ''istake'' scythe (Attic drepanon)
*
iugodromein
' (Attic , ekboēthein, and boēdromein, run to help) (
Iungios
Thessalian month)
* ''iō'' an
hiōn
(Attic egō, I) (hiōnga iōga for egōge)
*
Karaios
' Boeotian epithet for Zeus meaning tall, head. Boeotian eponym Karaidas
*
kriddemen
' (Attic gelan to laugh) ( Strattis fr. 47) Cf. (Cf.Atti
krizō
creak, screech)
*
korilla
' little girl ( Koine ''korasion'' from Attic ''korasis'' girl) ( Aetolian ''korudion'')
*
mēlatas
' (Attic poimen shepherd) ( homeric
mēlon
sheep) (Atti
mēlon
apple, Aeolic-Doric ''malon'')
*
mnarion
' (Attic
kallyntron
' broom, brush)
*
opisthotila
' (Attic sēpia cuttlefish) ( Strattis. fr. 47,3) (squirts its liquor from behind)
* ''opittomai'' ( homericbr>opizomai
I care, respect) (Laconian ''opiddomai'')
*
ophrygnai
' (Attic
ophryazei
' he winks raising the eyebrow, is haughty)
*
seia
' I persecuted (Attic ''edioxa'') (Cf.Homeri
seuō
move quickly, chase)
*
syoboiōtoi
' Hog-Boeotians ( Cratinus.310)
*
tripeza
' (Attic trapeza, table)(fro
tetrapeza
four-footed) (''tripeza'' three-footed) (in Aeolic it would-be ''tripesda'')
*
psōsmata
' Boeotian word

Thessalian

*
abremēs
' (Attic ablepēs unworthy seeing, despicable ( Cypriotic also) (Hes. text
*
agora
' (Attic limen port, harbour) (Hes. text
*
alphinia
' white poplar ( PIE *albho- 'white') (Attic leukē, PIE *leuk- 'bright, light') (Macedonian ''aliza'')
* ''aspaleia'' safeness (Attic asphaleia)
*
astralos
' (Attic ψάρ -ος psar Starling)
*
bebukousthai
' to be swollen (Homeric buktaon blowing)
*
bousia
' (Attic γογγυλίδι gongylidi turnip)
*
daratos
' Thessalian bread (Macedonian ''dramis'') (Athamanian ''dramix'') (PIE *der- 'cut, split')
*
enormos
' (agora, assembly, market and chōra) (Atti
enormeō
get in a harbour
hormos
bay, anchorage
* ''ereas'' children (Hsch.Attic tekna) (Homeri
ernos
young sprout, scion) (Neo- Phrygian eiroi children)
*
theanoustai
' (Attic xysters)
*
itheiē
' (Attic hamaxitos chariot-road) (Homeric Ψ 580) (Attic ithys, eytheia straight line)
* ''impsas'' past participle of impto (Attic ζεύξας zeuxas zeugnymi join together) (Ἴμψιος Impsios Ποσειδῶν ὁ ζύγιος Poseidon Zygius on horses)
*
kalaphos
' (Attic ἀσκάλαφος, Ascalaphus a bird ( Magnesian)
*
kapanē
' chariot (Attic apēnē) also, a helme
kapanikos
plenteous
*
karpaia
' Thessalo-Macedonian mimic military dance (see also Carpaea) Homericbr>karpalimos
swift (for foot) eager, ravenous.
* ''nealeis'' new-comers, newly caught ones (Cf
nealeisneēludes

* Magnesia — Demetrias — late 2nd century B

/ref> ''nebeuō'' pray (Macedonian ''neuō'') (Attic ''euchomai'', ''neuō'' 'wink')
* ''onala'', ''onalouma'' (Atti
analōma
expense cost) (''on-'' in the place of Attic prefix wiktionary:ἀνά, ana-, ''ongrapsantas'' SEG 27:202
* ''Petthalia'' 'Thessalia'; ''Petthaloi'' 'Thessalians'; Koine ''thessalisti'' 'the Thessalian way'. Cf. Attic
entethettalizomai
' become a Thessalian, i.e. wear the large Thessalian cloak (Thettalika ptera ''feathers''), Eupolis.201.)
*
tageuō
' to be tagos archon in Thessaly

See also

* Aeolus
* Hesychius of Alexandria

Footnotes

General references

*
*

Further reading

General studies

*
* Bakker, Egbert J., ed. 2010. ''A companion to the Ancient Greek language.'' Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
*
* Colvin, Stephen C. 2007. ''A historical Greek reader: Mycenaean to the koiné.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press.
*
*
*Horrocks, Geoffrey. 2010. ''Greek: A history of the language and its speakers.'' 2nd ed. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
*
*
*Palmer, Leonard R. 1980. ''The Greek language.'' London: Faber & Faber.

On the Boeotian dialect

*
*
* Pantelidis, Nikolaos. "Boeotian and its Neighbors: A Central Helladic Dialect Continuum?" In: ''Studies in Ancient Greek Dialects: From Central Greece to the Black Sea''. Edited by Georgios Giannakis, Emilio Crespo and Panagiotis Filos. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2018. pp. 167–188.
* Page, Denis L. 1953. ''Corinna.'' London: Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies.
* West, Martin L. 1990. "Dating Corinna." ''Classical Quarterly'' 40 (2): 553–57.

On the Lesbian dialect

* Bowie, Angus M. 1981. ''The poetic dialect of Sappho and Alcaeus.'' New York: Arno.
* Finkelberg, Margalit. "Lesbian and Mainland Greece". In: ''Studies in Ancient Greek Dialects: From Central Greece to the Black Sea''. Edited by Georgios Giannakis, Emilio Crespo and Panagiotis Filos. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2018. pp. 447–456.
*
*
*

On the Thessalian dialect

* Accessed 23 Mar. 2024.
* Helly, Bruno. "Some Materials for a Historical Grammar of the Thessalian Dialect". In: ''Studies in Ancient Greek Dialects: From Central Greece to the Black Sea''. Edited by Georgios Giannakis, Emilio Crespo and Panagiotis Filos. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2018. pp. 351–374.
*

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Varieties of Ancient Greek
Languages of ancient Thessaly
Culture of ancient Thessaly
Greek
Languages attested from the 8th century BC
Languages extinct in the 3rd century BC