Aeolic Greek

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Aeolic Greek
Aeolian dialect Lesbian dialect Lesbic dialect
Αἰολικός
Region	Aeolis, Boeotia, Lesbos, Thessaly
Era	c. 800–300 BC[citation needed]
Language family	Indo-European Hellenic Ancient Greek Central Aeolic Greek
Early form	Proto-Greek
Dialects	Boeotian Thessalian Lesbian
Writing system	Greek alphabet (uncial and cursive forms) Eastern Archaic Greek alphabet (up to 4th century BC)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Linguist List	grc-aeo
Glottolog	aeol1234
Distribution of Greek dialects in Greece in the classical period.[1] Western group:   Doric proper   Northwest Doric   Achaean Doric (probably Northwest Doric) Central group:   Aeolic   Arcado-Cypriot Eastern group:   Attic   Ionic

In linguistics, Aeolic Greek (/iːˈɒlɪk/), also known as Aeolian (/iːˈoʊliən/), 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).

In Plato's Protagoras, Prodicus labelled the Aeolic dialect of Pittacus of Mytilene as "barbarian",^[2] because of its difference from the Attic literary style:^[3] "He didn't know to distinguish the words correctly, being from Lesbos, and having been raised with a barbarian dialect".

Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Greek *kʷ changed to Aeolic p everywhere. By contrast, PIE *kʷ changed to Attic/Ionic, Arcadocypriot, and Doric t before e and i.

• PIE *kʷetwores → Lesbian písures, Boeotian péttares ~ Attic téttares, Ionic tésseres, Doric tétores "four"

Similarly PIE/PGk *gʷ always became b and PIE *gʷʰ > PGk *kʰʷ 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.

A Proto-Greek consonant cluster with h (from Indo-European *s) and a sonorant (r, l, n, m, w, y) changed to a 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.^[4]

• PIE *h₁ésmi → Proto-Greek *ehmi → Lesbian-Thessalian emmi ~ Attic/Ionic ēmi (= εἰμί) "I am"

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 *sh₂wél(i)yos → Proto-Greek *hāwélios → Lesbian āélios, Ionic ēélios ~ Attic hēlios "sun"

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 wekʷ-es- → Boeotian, Doric wépos ~ Attic-Ionic épos "word", "epic" (compare Latin vōx "voice")

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.^[5]

• PIE *meh₂ter- → Aeolic, Doric mātēr ~ Attic/Ionic mētēr "mother"

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.

In Boeotian, the vowel-system was, in many cases, changed in a way reminiscent of the modern Greek pronunciation.

• Attic/Ionic αι /ai/ ~ Boeotian η /eː/ ~ Modern Greek αι /e/
• Attic/Ionic ει /eː/ ~ Boeotian ει /iː/ ~ Modern Greek ει /i/
• Attic/Ionic οι /oi/ ~ Boeotian υ /yː/ ~ Mediaeval Greek and Old Athenaean οι /y/ ~ Modern Greek οι /i/

In Lesbian Aeolic, the accent of all words is recessive (barytonesis), as is typical only in the verbs of other dialects.^[6]

• Attic/Ionic potamós ~ Lesbian pótamos "river"

Contracted or vowel-stem verbs that are thematic in Attic/Ionic are often athematic (-mi) in Aeolic.^[7]

• 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).^[8][9]

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

The participle has -ois and -ais for Attic -ōs (-ους), -ās.^[10]

This glossary may be confusing or unclear to readers. Please help clarify the glossary. There might be a discussion about this on the talk page. (November 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

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.

• ἄγωνος ágōnos "struggle" (Attic ἀγῶν agōn; Elean dat. pl. agōnois for agōsi)
• ἀθρήματα athrḗmata gifts sent by kin to Lesbian brides (Sappho fr.) (compare Homeric hedna, eedna)
• Αἰολίωνες Aiolíōnes "Aeolians" (Attic Αἰολεῖς Aioleîs) (aiolizō "speak Aeolic, compose in the Aeolian mode, trick out with false words" Sophocles Fr.912 ) (aioleō vary, adorn, diversify (aiolos quick-moving, glittering, shifty)
• ἀκλάδες aklades (unpruned vineyards) (Attic akladeutoi ampeloi)
• ἀκόντιον akontion (part of troops) (Attic spear) (Macedonian rhachis, spine or backbone, anything ridged like the backbone)
• ἀμένης -τος amenēs -tos (Attic ὑμήν humēn) thin skin, membrane.
• ἀμώνες amōnes (Attic ἀνεμώνες anemones
• ἄορος aoros (Attic ἄϋπνος aypnos, without sleep) Μηθυμναῖοι
• ἄρπυς arpys (Attic ἔρως Eros, Love) attested in Crinagoras, ἁρπάζειν harpazein to snatch. Homeric harpaleos attractive, devouring
• ἄσφε asphe to them (Attic sphe, sphi)
• βακχόα bakchoa (Attic βόθρος bothros sacred dungeon, pit)
• βάλλα balla threshold (Attic βῆλος bēlos) (Doric balos)
• βλῆρ blēr incitement (Attic delear) τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ αἶθμα. παρὰ Ἀλκαίῳ ἡ λέξις
• βραδανίζω bradanizō brandish, shake off. (Cf.Elean bratana Common rhatane)
• βρᾴδιον braidion (Attic ῥᾴδιον rhaidion easy)
• βράκειν brakein to understand (dysbrakanon imprehensible)
• βροδόπαχυς brodopachus with pink, rosy forearms (Attic rhodopechys) (βροδόπαχυν brodopachun Sappho) and brododaktulos with rosy fingers
• βροχέως brocheos or βρουκέων broukeon (Attic βραχύ brachy short) (Sapph.fr. 2,7)
• δράσειν drasein (Attic θύειν to sacrifice)
• εἴδη eide (Attic ὕλη, forest) (εἴδη Ionian also)
• ζάδηλον zadelon with holes in it, open (Attic diadelon obvious) (Alcaeus 30 D 148P)
• ἴμβηρις imbēris eel (Attic ἔγχελυς enchelys) Μηθυμναῖοι
• Ἰσσα Issa old name of Lesbos Island Cf. Antissa
• ἴσσασθαι issasthai (Attic κληροῦσθαι klerousthai to take sth by lot)
• καγκύλη kankulē (Attic κηκῖς kēkis wet, vapour, mordant dyeing)
• κάμμαρψις kammarpsis dry Measure (Attic ἡμιμέδιμνον hemimedimnon, one half of a medimnos)
• καραβίδες karabides (Attic γρᾶες graes) Μηθυμναῖοι
• καυαλέον kaualeon Hsch (Attic αἶθος aithos fire, burning heat) (Cf.kaiō burn)
• Mεσοστροφώνια Mesostrophonia Lesbian festival
• μόλσος molsos (Attic δημός, fat)
• ξίμβρα ximbra (Attic ῥοιά rhoia pomegranate-tree) (Boeotian sida)
• ὄθματα othmata (Attic ommata eyes)
• ὄν ón ὄνα óna (Attic ἀνά aná) upon, through, again (Arcadocypriot also)
• πασσύριον passyrion (Attic passydia 'totally, all together, with the whole army')
• πεδαμείβω pedameivō (Attic metameivo exchange) (πεδέχω pedecho μετέχω metecho), pedoikos metoikos peda for meta
• Πέῤῥαμος Perrhamos Priamus (Alcaeus 74D, 111P (it means also king)
• σάωμι saōmi save (Attic σῴζω sōizō ) (Homeric σαόω saoō)
• σίγλαι siglai ear-rings (Attic enōtia, Laconian exōbadia)
• σκίφος skiphos Attic xiphos sword (skiptō, given as etym. of skiphos and xiphos, Sch.Il.1.220; cf. skipei: nussei, it pricks, pierces)
• σπόλα spóla(Attic στολή stolē) equipment, garment (spaleis, the sent one, for staleis)
• σύρξ syrx (Attic σάρξ flesh) (dative plural σύρκεσιν syrkesi Attic σαρξίν sarxin)
• τενεκοῦντι tenekounti (Attic enoikounti dative singular of ἐνοικῶν enoikōn inhabiting)
• τράγαις tragais you break, grow rough and hoarse and smell like a goat
• τῦδε tude tudai and tuide here) (Ionic tēde)
• φαυόφορος phauophoros priestess (Attic ἱέρεια hiereia) (light-keeper) (Aeolic phauō for Homeric phaō shine) (Homeric phaos light, Attic phōs and phōtophoros)

• ἀμίλλακας amillakas wine Theban (Attic oinos)
• ἀνωδόρκας anōdorkas a fish βρίγκος ὁ ἰχθῦς, ὑπὸ Θηβαίων
• βαιδύμην baidumēn (Attic ἀροτριᾶν arotrian to plough)
• βανά bana (βαλάρα balara) woman (Attic gunē); βανῆκες, banēkes βάττικες battikes women ( Attic gunaikes )
• βάστραξ bastrax or bastax (Attic τράχηλος trachēlos neck) pl. bastraches
• βλεερεῖ bleerei (Attic οἰκτείρει he feels pity) Cf. eleairei
• ἐμπυρία empyria divination (Attic manteia) (Hsch. public oath, Koine ordeal by fire)
• ζεκελτίδες zekeltides gourds^[37] Amerias zakeltides (Phrygian zelkia vegetables)
• ἴδηφιν idephin sweet-voiced. Hsch.: ἴδηφιν ἴδαις· Βοιωτοί. [καὶ ὁ ἡδυλάλος διὰ τῆς διφθόγγου] (Attic hēduphōnon) ( Aeolic wad-, ad- )
• ἰστάκη istake scythe (Attic δρέπανον drepanon)
• ἰυγοδρομεῖν iugodromein (Attic ἐκβοηθεῖν, ekboēthein, and boēdromein, run to help) (Ἰύγγυϊ Dionysus, ἰυγή voice, scream (Soph. Phil. 752))(Iungios Thessalian month)
• ἰώ iō and hiōn (Attic ἐγώ egō, I) (hiōnga iōga for egōge)
• Καραιός Karaios Boeotian epithet for Zeus meaning tall, head. Boeotian eponym Karaidas^[38]
• κριδδέμεν kriddemen (Attic γελᾶν gelan to laugh) (Strattis fr. 47) Cf. (Cf.Attic krizō creak, screech)
• κόριλλα korilla little girl (Koine korasion from Attic korasis girl) (Aetolian korudion)
• μηλάτας mēlatas (Attic ποιμήν poimen shepherd) (homeric μῆλον mēlon sheep) (Attic mēlon apple, Aeolic-Doric malon)
• μνάριον mnarion (Attic κάλλυντρον kallyntron broom, brush)
• ὀπισθοτίλα opisthotila (Attic σηπία sēpia cuttlefish) (Strattis. fr. 47,3) (squirts its liquor from behind)
• ὀπίττομαι opittomai (homeric opizomai I care, respect) (Laconian opiddomai)
• ὀφρυγνᾷ ophrygnai (Attic ὀφρυάζει ophryazei he winks raising the eyebrow, is haughty)
• σεῖα seia I persecuted (Attic ἐδίωξα edioxa) (Cf.Homeric seuō move quickly, chase)
• συοβοιωτοί syoboiōtoi Hog-Boeotians (Cratinus.310)
• τρίπεζα tripeza (Attic trapeza, table)(from tetrapeza four-footed) (tripeza three-footed) (in Aeolic it would-be tripesda)
• ψώσματα psōsmata Boeotian word

• ἀβρεμής abremēs (Attic ἀβλεπής ablepēs ἀνάξιος του βλέπεσθαι unworthy seeing, despicable (Cypriotic also) (Hes. text ἀβλεπής Κύπριοι καὶ Θετταλοί
• ἀγορά agora (Attic λιμήν limen port, harbour) (Hes. text Θετταλοὶ δὲ καὶ τὸν λιμένα ἀγορὰν καλοῦσιν Κρῆτες δὲ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν
• ἀλφινία alphinia white poplar (PIE *albho- 'white') (Attic leukē, PIE *leuk- 'bright, light') (Macedonian aliza)
• ἀσπάλεια aspaleia safeness (Attic asphaleia)^[47]
• ἀστραλός astralos (Attic ψάρ -ος psar Starling)
• βεβυκῶσθαι bebukousthai to be swollen (Homeric βυκτάων buktaon blowing)
• βουσία bousia (Attic γογγυλίδι gongylidi turnip)
• δάρατος daratos Thessalian bread (Macedonian dramis) (Athamanian dramix) (PIE *der- 'cut, split')
• ἔνορμος enormos (agora, assembly, market and chōra) (Attic enormeō get in a harbour, hormos bay, anchorage
• ἐρέας ereas children (Hsch.Attic τέκνα tekna) (Homeric ernos young sprout, scion) (Neo-Phrygian eiroi children)
• θεανῶσται theanoustai (Attic ξυστῆρες xysters)
• ἰθείη itheiē (Attic ἁμαξιτός hamaxitos chariot-road) (Homeric ἰθεῖα ὀρθή Ψ 580) (Attic ithys, eytheia straight line)
• ἴμψας impsas past participle of impto (Attic ζεύξας zeuxas zeugnymi join together) (Ἴμψιος Impsios Ποσειδῶν ὁ ζύγιος Poseidon Zygius on horses)
• κάλαφος kalaphos (Attic ἀσκάλαφος, Ascalaphus a bird (Magnesian)
• καπάνη kapanē chariot (Attic ἀπήνη apēnē) also, a helmet(kapanikos plenteous
• καρπαία karpaia Thessalo-Macedonian mimic military dance (see also Carpaea) Homeric karpalimos swift (for foot) eager, ravenous.
• νεαλεῖς nealeis new-comers, newly caught ones (Cf. nealeis, neēludes)
• νεβεύω^[48] nebeuō pray (Macedonian neuō) (Attic euchomai, neuō 'wink')
• ὀνάλα onala, ὀνάλουμα onalouma (Attic analōma expense cost) (on- in the place of Attic prefix ana-, ongrapsantas SEG 27:202
• Πετθαλια Petthalia 'Thessalia'; Petthaloi 'Thessalians'; Koine thessalisti 'the Thessalian way'. Cf. Attic ἐντεθετταλίζομαι entethettalizomai become a Thessalian, i.e. wear the large Thessalian cloak (Thettalika ptera feathers), Eupolis.201.)
• ταγεύω tageuō to be tagos archon in Thessaly ταγευόντουν τοῦμ Πετθαλοῦν

• Aeolus
• Hesychius of Alexandria

• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2009). Etymological Dictionary of Greek. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-17418-4.
• Scarborough, Matthew (2023a). "The Core Aeolic Isoglosses". The Aeolic Dialects of Ancient Greek. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. pp. 60–129. doi:10.1163/9789004543713_004. ISBN 978-90-04-54371-3.