Helios

mingshey · Post by **mingshey** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 2:49 am

[size=150]ἥλιος[/size] appears as [size=150]ἠέλιος[/size] in Homer. Is the pair of initial vowels [size=150][b]ηε[/b][/size] just a very long 'e', or is it the relic of the old attic spelling([size=150][b]η[/b][/size] for 'h', and [size=150][b]ε[/b][/size] for both short and long 'e')?

Skylax · Post by **Skylax** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 5:03 pm

My sources say that ἥλιος ‐ ἠέλιος are from *sa:welios (Gothic sauil, LITHUANIAN sáulè, Latin sol.

Evolution : *sa:welios > *ha:welios or *he:welios.

The "w" between vowels disappears from almost all dialects.
The "h" can disappear(1), Doric Greek ἀέλιος, Homeric [size=150]ἠέλιος. Attic contracted the vowels and maintained the rough breathing.

(1) see aoidoi.org : http://www.aoidoi.org/articles/lesbian.php about Aeolic "psilosis".

annis · Post by **annis** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 5:08 pm

Skylax wrote:My sources say that ἥλιος ‐ ἠέλιος are from *sa:welios (Gothic sauil, LITHUANIAN sáulè, Latin sol.

Evolution : *sa:welios > *ha:welios or *he:welios.

Gosh. What source is that?! I love reconstructive linguistics.

Skylax · Post by **Skylax** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 6:14 pm

It wasn't terrible anyway : LSJ and Michel LEJEUNE, Traité de Phonétique grecque, Paris, Klincksieck, 1947.

mingshey · Post by **mingshey** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 11:42 pm

Thanks, Skylax! Meloves etymology, too. I''ll have to look up if there's an English translation of the Lejeune's.

annis · Post by **annis** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 3:31 am

I suppose some day I'll have to hunt down the Buck dictionary to feed this habit.

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Helios

Helios

Aye, thanks!