Hi,
i have been told that there is diaeresis between the 4th and 5th foot of this line of Vergil
’ iguine, sed vires haud pertulit. ocius ensem’
However, i know nothing of scansion so could somebody point out where it is and what vowel is pronounced differently.
Thanks
S.B.
A bucolic diaeresis does not cause any vowel to be pronounced differently; it is the description of a word break (and often a pause) between the 4th and 5th foot of a line of hexameter poetry. In this case, it is between the word ‘pertulit’ and the word ‘ocius’.
The bucolic diaeresis is mainly just a nice touch, and not something that the ancient poets openly spoke of, just a modern observation. It’s a nicety, in that two words solidly compose the final two feet of the line, without a word spanning across feet.
I recommend that you study the meter; it’s very interesting. I believe there is information at Textkit to that effect.
diaeresis is a completely spurious term without any foundation in ancient metrical theory, referring as it did to the division into equally sized metra of a given verse (as opposed to the modern sense of word-end coinciding with metron-end). August Boeckh in his Pindar first used the term diaeresis so, but suggested as an alternative name for this coincidence ‘distinctio’, which of course did not catch on. Later on, Wilhelm Christ in his ‘Metrik…’ rightly stated that the distinction between caesura and diaeresis is spurious (but incorrectly assumed, as West notes, that this was founded upon the doctrine of the ancients): Wir haben diese Scheidung von [font=spionic]diai/resis[/font] und [font=spionic]tomh&[/font] als unwesentlich und verwirrend aufgegeben und nennen jeden einen Vers in Kola theilenden Wortschluss Cäsur. it is however incorrect to say, as Lucus asserts, that the ancients didn’t ‘openly’ speak of it. was it a secret? or a bit risqué? no, the Greeks refer to it often as the [font=spionic]boukolikh| tomh&[/font] or the Latins as the ‘caesura/incisio bucolica’. i have not come across the definition of the term as: ‘It’s a nicety[!], in that two [and two alone?] words solidly [?] compose the final two feet of the line, without a word spanning across feet [in general?]’. nonetheless, i will eagerly take up the suggestion to study ‘the meter’, although the definite article is wont to cause dread.
secondly, the term is a bit meaningless if applied just to a line that has word end at the end of the fourth metron, for the majority of lines in Homer and some 3/4 in certain bucolic poets satisfy this sole criterion. no, the term bucolic caesura gains its especial sense when the following two additional criteria are satisfied: (i) the fourth foot is a dactyl and (ii) there is a pause in sense.
finally, as to the bucolic caesura not having any effect on pronunciation, that is in itself most likely true. however it is worth noting that there are instances of a long syllable in hiatus at the close of the fourth foot not undergoing the typical correption, e.g. [font=spionic]b[/font].230 …[font=spionic]a)gano\j kai\ h3pioj e1stw[/font]. it is also worth noting that some of the most notable departures from Wernicke’s Law (whereby a word ending at the contracted fourth biceps is not to be lengthened by position; it should really be termed the lex Gerhardiana) are linked with this particular poetic feature.
~D
For whiteoctave:
In my opinion, we at textkit is privileged to have a student of your erudition among us. For questions of etymology, usage, and criticism, you give us access to a tremendous resource, both in your reading and, I presume, the books you have on hand. Frankly, whenever I read a post (like this one), I am reminded at how much I have yet to learn, which is both intimidating and stimulating.
However, I have a suggestion concerning means and ends that you may want to consider. You clearly are wont to put a fair amount of time into the research (or, at the least, into the typing) of your posts. For what purpose? One would expect that you wish to clarify and elaborate the concepts discussed and the questions asked here. Sometimes, though, I feel that you either overestimate the learning of your audience - or would rather inspire awe and intimidation than inspire your audience to follow your helpful hints toward a greater understanding of Latin. Seeing citations from German - without a translation - or references to a “contracted fourth biceps” - without an explanation - are sure to confuse or frustrate the beginner.
Furthermore, your treatment of Lucus (which, being a private grudge, probably does not represent your typical behavior) suggests that you sometimes prefer mocking errors to fixing them . You don’t need to be reminded that ridicule is an ineffective pedagogical tool. Since you are probably intending to become a professor in classics, pedagogy is something about which I assume you are at least faintly interested.
By the way, what is “the contracted fourth biceps”?
Regards,
David
edited for errors
grates for your comments David. as you know i don’t really post here any more, save for the times when i pass by and find that something is stated either too sweepingly or with unmerited assurance. my aim then is merely to clarify or refute the statement. since these amount to effectively the sum total of my posts in the last couple of years or so it is understandable that it may look as though i am a pedant just waiting to pick up mistakes here. i am not interested in that (nor indeed does any mortal have the time to correct all of them) but rather talking to the handful of good Latinists/Hellenists who visit these pages. there are, by my reckoning, 12 such people. these people are either involved in Classical studies or are remarkable lay Classicists.
i can understand that if one is talking about the minutiae of metrics or somesuch not everyone at a largely elementary learning resource for the ancient languages will be familiar with the terms used, but these questions can hardly be answered adequately by pandering to the lowest level of Classical advancement. my reponses, for what they are worth, are there for those who wish to engage with them.
biceps is a term first used by Paul Maas for a pair of short syllables in a metron that can be resolved into a single long one, like the two shorts in the first four feet of the (catalectic dactylic) hexameter. the contracted fourth biceps is thus the existence of a long latter syllable in the fourth foot.
~D