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Cunliffe entires that contain a digamma somewhere in the entry text:
ἀάατος [perh., with ἀ- for ἀν-, ἀάϝατος, fr. ἀϝάω. See
ἀᾱγής, ές (ἀϝαγής) [ἀ- + (Ϝ)αγ-, ἄγνυμι]. Unbroken,
†*ἀάζω (ἀϝάζω) [ἀϝάτη, ἄτη]. 2 sing. aor. ἀ̆/ᾰσας
†ἄγνῡμι (ϝάγνυμι). 3 dual pres. ἄγνυτον Μ148. Fut. ἄξω
ἀ̄δεής (ἀδϝεής) [ἀ- + δ(Ϝ)έος]. Also ἀ̆δειής Η117.
ἀ̄δέω, also written ἁ̄δέω [prob. ἀ(σϝ)αδέω, to be
ἀεικής, ές (ἀϝεικής) [ἀ- + (Ϝ)είκω]. Dat. pl. ἀεικέσσι
ἀέκων, ουσα (ἀϝέκων) [ἀ- + (Ϝ)εκών].
ἀέλλη, ης, ἡ (ἀϝέλλη) [ἀ- + ϝελ-, [Ϝ)είλω].
ἀελπτέω (ἀϝελπτέω) [ἀ- + (Ϝ)έλπω]. To despair:
ἀέξω [ἀϝέξω. Cf. the later αὔξω].
ἀεργός (ἀϝεργός) [ἀ- + (Ϝ)έργον]. Not working or
ἀεσίφρων, ονος [perh. fr. weak stem ἀϝε- of ἄ(Ϝ)ημι +
†ἄημι (ἄϝημι) [cf. ἀΐω, ἰαύω]. 2 dual ἄητον Ι5. Pple.
ἀήσυλος [prob. for ἀϝίσυλος, fr. ἀ- + (Ϝ)ῖσος]. (Cf.
ἀΐδηλος, ον [ἀ- + (Ϝ)ιδ-, εἴδω. ‘Making unseen’].
ἄϊδρις (ἄϝιδρις) [ἀ- + (Ϝ)ιδ-, εἴδω]. Ignorant,
αἴσυλος [prob. contr. fr. ἀ(Ϝ)ίσυλος, ἀήσυλος]. Absol.
ἅλις (Ϝάλις) [ἀλ-, (Ϝ)είλω].
†ἀμφιάχω [ἀμφ-, ἀμφι- (3)+(Ϝ)ι(Ϝ)άχω]. Acc. fem. pf.
ἀμφιέλισσα, ης [ἀμφι- (1) + (Ϝ)ελίσσω]. Epithet of
†ἀμφιέννῡμι [ἀμφι- (3) + (Ϝ)έννυμι]. Fut. ἀμφιέσω
ἀνάεδνος, ἡ [app. for ἀνέϜεδνος fr. ἀν- + ἔϜεδνα. See
ἄναξ, ακτος, ὁ (ϝάναξ). Voc. (besides ἄναξ) ἄνα Γ351,
ἄνασσα, ης, ἡ (Ϝάνασσα) [fem. of ἄναξ]. Queen,
ἀνάσσω (Ϝανάσσω) [ἄναξ]. 3 sing. fut. ἀνάξει Τ104, 122,
†ἁνδάνω ((σ)Ϝανδάνω) [σϜαδ-. Cf. ἡδύς, L. suavis]. 3
ἀνιπτόπους, ποδος [ἀ- + νιπ-, ϝίζω + πούς]. With
ἀολλής, ές (ἀϜολλής) [ἀ- + Ϝελ-, (Ϝ)είλω]. Only in pl.
†ἀπαυράω. Impf. ἀπηύρων Ι131, Τ89, Ψ560, 808: ν132. 2
ἀπόερσα, aor. (ἀπόϜερσα) [ἀπο- (1). For the second
ἀπτοεπής [prob. (Ϝ1]ι-(Ϝ1]άπτω as in προϊάπτω + ἔπος].
ἄριστον, τό [prob. ἀϝερ-ιστον. Cf. ἠ(ϝ1]έριος. 'The
ἄρνα, τόν, τήν (Ϝάρνα) [no nom. sing. occurs. Acc. of
ἄστυ, εος, τό (Ϝάστυ). A town or city (used as = πόλις
ἀ̄τέω (ἀϜατέω) [ἀϜάτη, ἄτη]. To act rashly or
ἄ̄τη, ης, ἡ (ἀϜάτη).
αὐερύω (ἀϜϜερύω) [ἀϜ-, ἀνα- (1) (3) + Ϝερύῶ, ἐρύω]. 3
αὐΐαχος (ἀϜϜίϜαχος) [ἀ- + ϜιϜαχ-, ἰάχω]. With united
αὔριον [conn. with ἠ(ϝ1]έριος].
ἀϋτμή, ῆς, ἡ [ἀϋ-τ-μή. ἀϜ-, ἄ(ϝ1]ημι].
αὔω [ἀϜ-, ἄ(ϝ1]ημι]. 3 sing. aor. ἤϋ̄σε Ε784, Θ227,
βείομαι, βέομαι [prob. for βίομαι, subj. fr. βι(ϝ1]-,
βίος, ου, ὁ [βιϜ-]. One’s life, course of life, manner
βουγά̄ϊος [app. a compound of βοῦς, perh. in intensive
βοῦς, βοός, ὁ, ἡ (βοϜ-. Cf. L. bovis). Acc. βῶν Η238.
γαίω [γαϝ-. Cf. ἀγαυός and L. gaudeo]. Only in phrase
γουνός [perh. fr. γονϜ-, γόνυ, in sense ‘swell,’
δᾱήρ, έρος, ὁ (δαϜήρ). Voc. δᾶερ (see below). Genit.
δαίω [δαϜ-, δηϜ-, δαυ-]. 3 sing. pf. (in pres. sense)
†δείδοικα (δέδϜοικα), pf. with pres. sense. 1 sing.
δειλός, ή [δϜι-, δείδοικα].
δεῖμα, τό [δϜι-, δείδοικα]. Fear, terror Ε682.
δεινός, ή, όν [δϜι-, δείδοικα].
δέος, τό (δϜι-, δείδοικα]. Genit. δείους Κ376, Ο4.
δεύω (δέϜω). 3 sing. aor. ἐδεύησε ι483, 540. Also in
δήϊος, ον (˘%40) [conn. with δαίω. Perh. orig. δά̆Ϝιος.
δήν (δϜήν). For a long time, for long, long: ἀκέων δ.
δίον, aor. [δϝι-, δείδοικα]. To be afraid Ε566, Ι433,
δόρυ, τό. Genit. δουρός (for δορϜός) Γ61, Ρ295, Ψ529,
δρίος [δρῦς. For δρϜ-ος]. A coppice ξ353.
ἑᾰνός, οῦ, ὁ (Ϝεσανός) [Ϝέσνυμι, ἕννυμι]. With ἐ-
ἔαρ, ἔαρος, τό (Ϝέαρ. Cf. L. ver). The spring: ἔαρος
ἑάφθη, 3 sing. aor. pass. [prob. fr. (Ϝ)ι-(Ϝ)άπτω. See
ἕδνα, τά (Ϝέδνα) [prob. conn. with (σϜ)ανδάνω, and
ἑέ (ἐϝέ). Acc. ἑέ Υ171, Ω134. ἕ Δ497, Ξ162, Ο241, etc.:
ἔθνος, τό (Ϝέθνος).
εἰαρινός, ή, όν (Ϝειαρινός) [(Ϝ)έαρ, with the ἐ
εἶδαρ, ατος, τό [ἐδ-Ϝαρ, fr. ἐδ-, ἔδω].
εἶδος (Ϝεῖδος) [εἴδω]. (One’s general bodily)
†εἴδω [Ϝιδ-. Cf. L. video].
εἴκελος, η, ον (Ϝείκελος) [εἴκω. Cf. ἴκελος, E)I/+SKW].
εἴκοσι, indeclinable (Ϝείκοσι). Also, with prothetic ἐ,
†εἴκω (Ϝείκω) [Ϝικ-]. 3 sing. impf. εἶκε Σ520. 3 sing.
εἴκω (Ϝείκω) [cf. L. vicis]. 3 sing. aor. εἶξε Ω100. 3
†εἰλύω [ϜελϜ-, Ϝελυ-. Cf. εἴλω]. Fut. εἰλύ̄σω Φ319. 3
εἴλω, εἰλέω (Ϝείλω, Ϝειλέω) [Ϝελ-, ϜελϜ-. Cf. εἰλύω,
εἷμα, ατος, τό (Ϝέσ-μα) [ἕννυμι].
εἰνάετες [εἰνα- (prob. = ἐνϜα-, ἐννέα) + ἔτος]. For
εἴνατος [prob. for ἔνϜατος fr. ἐννέα]. = ἔνατος. The
εἰνοσίφυλλος [ἐνϜοσι- (ἐν- (3) + Ϝοθ-, ὠθέω) + φύλλον.
εἶπον, ἔειπον, aor. (Ϝεῖπον, ἔϜειπον) [cf. (Ϝ)έπος]. 2
†εἴρω (Ϝείρω. Cf. L. verbum, Eng. word). In pres. only
†εἰσείδω, ἐσείδω [εἰσ- (4), ἐσ-]. Aor. ἐσεῖδον (ἐσϜ-)
ἐΐσκω (ϜεϜίσκω) [app. for ϜεϜίκσκω, fr. Ϝικ-, εἴκω. Cf.
ἑκάεργος (ϜεκάϜεργος) [ἑκάς + ἔργω]. The farworker, the
ἑκάς (Ϝεκάς).
ἕκαστος, η, ον (Ϝέκαστος).
ἑκάτερθε(ν) (Ϝεκάτερθε) [Ϝεκ-, ἕκαστος].
ἑκατηβελέτης (Ϝεκατηβελέτης) [ἑκατη- (see next) + βελ-,
ἑκατηβόλος (Ϝεκατηβόλος) [ἑκατη-, conn. with ἑκάς +
ἕκατος (Ϝεκ-) [a short or ‘pet’ form of ἑκατηβόλος]. =
ἑκηβόλος (Ϝεκηβόλος) [ἑκη-, ἑκάς + βολ-, βάλλω]. =
ἕκηλος (Ϝέκηλος) [cf. ἑκών, εὔκηλος].
ἕκητι (Ϝέκητι) [cf. ἑκών]. By the grace or aid of. With
ἑκυρή, ῆς, ἡ (σϜεκυρή). A mother-in-law Χ451, Ω770.
ἑκυρός, οῦ, ὁ (σϜεκυρός). A father-in-law Γ172, Ω770.
ἑκών (Ϝεκών) [cf. ἕκηλος, ἕκητι].
ἔλδομαι (Ϝέλδομαι). Also, with prothetic ἐ, ἐέλδομαι
ἑλίκωψ, ωπος, ὁ (Ϝελίκωψ) [prob. (Ϝ)ελικ-, ἑλίσσω +
ἑλίσσω (Ϝελίκ-σω) [cf. εἴλω]. Aor. pple. ἑλίξας Ψ466. 3
ἕλκω (Ϝέλκω). (ἀν-, ἐφ-, ἐφ-, παρ-, ὑφ-.)
ἐλλεδανός, ὁ [(Ϝ)ελϜ-, (Ϝ)ελυ- as in εἰλύω]. A band for
ἐλπίς, ίδος, ἡ (Ϝελπίς) [ἔλπω]. Hope π101, τ84.
ἔλπω (Ϝέλπω). Pf. ἔολπα, -ας (ϜέϜολπα) Υ186, Φ583,
ἐλπωρή, ῆς, ἡ (Ϝελπωρή) [ἔλπω]. Hope. With fut. infin.:
ἐννέα, indeclinable (ἐνϜέα) [cf. L. novem, Eng. nine].
ἐννοσίγαιος (ἐνϜοσίγαιος) [ἐνϜοσι- (ἐν- (1) or (3) +
†ἕννῡμι (Ϝέσ-νυμι. Cf. L. vestis). Fut. ἕσσω ν400,
ἐνοσίχθων, ονος [for ἐνϜοσίχθων, fr. ἐνϜοσι- as in
ἕξ, indeclinable (σϜέξ) [cf. L. sex, Eng. six]. Six
†ἐπιάχω [ἐπι- (5)]. 3 pl. impf. ἐπί̄αχον (or rather
ἐπιεικής [ἐπι- (19) + (Ϝ)είκω].
ἐπιεικτός, όν [app. ἐπι- (4) + (Ϝ)είκω. For the form
ἐπιήρανος [ἐπι- (19) + (Ϝ)ήρ. Cf. ἐρίηρος]. Pleasing,
ἐπιίστωρ, ορος, ὁ [ἐπι- (5) + (Ϝ)ισ-, οἶδα. See εἴδω
ἔπος, τό (Ϝέπος). [Cf. (Ϝ)εῖπον.] Dat. sing. ἔπεϊ Ε879.
ἐργάζομαι [(Ϝ)έργον].
†ἔργνῡμι [= (Ϝ)έργω]. 3 sing. impf. ἐέργνῡ. To shut
ἔργον, ου, τό (Ϝέργον) [cf. (Ϝ)έρδω].
ἔργω, and, with prothetic ἐ, ἐέργω, contr. to εἴργω Ψ72
ἔρδω, ἕρδω (Ϝέρδω) [Ϝεργ-, Ϝέργςw. Cf. (Ϝ)έργον,
ἐρίηρος [ἐρι- + (Ϝ)ήρ. Cf. ἐπιήρανος]. Pl. ἐρίηρες.
ἔρρω (Ϝέρρω).
ἕρση, ης, ἡ (Ϝέρση). Except in ι222 with prothetic ἐ,
†ἐρύω (Ϝερύω). Pres. pple. ἐρύων, -οντος Δ467, 492,
ἐσθής, ῆτος, ἡ [Ϝέσ-νυμι, ἕννυμι].
ἔσθος, τό [Ϝέσ-νυμι, ἕννυμι]. A garment Ω94.
ἑσπέριος [(Ϝ)έσπερος].
ἕσπερος, ὁϜέσπερος. Cf. L. vesper).
ἔτος, τό (Ϝέτος. Cf. L. vetus). A year
εὔκηλος [app. ἐϜέκηλος, ἔϜκηλος. Cf. (Ϝ)έκηλος]. =
ἐφέπω [ἐφ-, ἐπι- (5) (11) + ἕπω]. 3 pl. pa. iterative
†ἐφί̄ημι [ἐφ-, ἐπι- (11) + ἵημι]. Only in mid. Fut.
ἡδύς, ἡδεῖα, ἡδύ. Also fem. ἡδύς μ369 [σϜαδ- as in
ἠέ (ἠϝέ), ἤ.
ἠέριος, η (ἠϜέριος) [ἀϜερ-. Cf. ἠώς, ἄριστον, αὔριον,
ἦθος, τό [conn. with ἔθω and orig. σϜῆθος]. In pl., the
ἧλος, ου, ὁ [Ϝῆλος. Cf. L. vallus]. A nail or stud used
ἡμιδαής [ἡμι- + δα(ϝ)-, δαίω]. Half-burnt Π294.
ἤρ (Ϝήρ) [referred to var, to choose, wish]. What is
ἦρι [ἀϜερ-. See ἠέριος]. Early in the morning Ι360:
ἠχή, ῆς, ἡ (Ϝηχή) [cf. (Ϝ)ι(ϝ)άχω, (Ϝ)ι(ϝ)αχή]. Sound,
ἠχήεις, εσσα (Ϝηχήεις) [(Ϝ)ηχή]. Sounding. Epithet of
ἠώς, οῦς, ἡ (ἠϜώς) [ἀϜοσ-. Cf. ἠέριος]. Dat. ἠοῖ (ἠόϊ)
†θάομαι [θαϜ-. Cf. θαῦμα, θηέομαι]. 3 pl. aor. opt.
θαῦμα, τό [θαϜ- as in θάομαι].
θεοειδής (θεοϜειδής) [θεός + (Ϝ)εῖδος]. Divine of form,
θεοείκελος (θεοϜείκελος) [θεός + (Ϝ)είκελος]. Like the
θεουδής (θεοδϜής) [for θεοδϜεής fr. θεός + δϜ-,
θεσπιδαής, ές (θεσπιδαϜής) [θε-σπ- as in θεσπέσιος
θέω [θεϜ-]. Also θείω [prob. for θή(ϝ)ω, fr. θηϜ-, long
†θηέομαι [θαϜ-. Cf. θάομαι]. 2 sing. opt. θηοῖο Ω418. 3
θοός, ή, -όν [θεϜ-, θέω].
ἰάπτω [app. distinct fr. (Ϝ)ι(ϝ)άπτω. See ἑάφθη,
ἰαύω (ἰάϜω) [redup. fr. ἀϜ-, ἄ(ϝ)ημι]. 3 sing. pa.
ἰαχή, ῆς, ἡ (ϜιϜαχή) [ἰάχω]. A shouting Δ456, Μ144 =
ἰάχω (ϜιϜάχω). [For the impf. forms, 3 sing. ἴ̄αχε and
ἴδιος, η, -ον [conn. with (Ϝ)ε, ἑ. See ἑέ]. Private,
ἰ̄δίω [σϜιδ-. Cf. Eng. sweat]. To sweat υ204.
ἰδρείη, ης, ἡ (Ϝιδρείη) [ἴδρις]. Skill: ἰδρείῃ πολέμοιο
ἴδρις (Ϝίδρις) [(Ϝ)ιδ-, οἶδα. See εἴδω (C)]. Skilled,
ἵ̄ημι (Ϝίημι). Only in mid. Fut. εἴσομαι (Ϝίσομαι) Ξ8,
ἴκελος, η, -ον (Ϝίκελος) [ἰκ-, εἴκω]. = εἴκελος (1):
Ἰλιόθεν (ῑ) (Ϝιλιόθεν) [-θεν (1)]. From Ilios Ξ251:
Ἰλιόθι (ῑ) (Ϝιλιόθι) [-θι]. As locative of Ἴλιος:
ἰ̄νίον (Ϝινίον) [ἰν-, ἴς]. The double tendon running up
ἰοδνεφής, ές (Ϝιοδνεφής) [ἴον + δνεφ-, δνοφ-, δνόφος.
ἰόεις, εντος (Ϝιόεις) [ἴον]. = prec. Epithet of iron.
ἴον, ου, τό (Ϝίον. Cf. L. vio-la). The blue violet.
ἰ̄οχέαιρα (ἰοχέϜαιρα) [ἰός + χεϜ-, χέω]. Shedder of
ἴ̄ς, ἰ̄νός, ἡ (Ϝίς) [ἴς, ἶφι, ἴφιος show resemblances,
ἰ̄σάζω (Ϝισάζω) [ἶσος]. 3 sing. pa. iterative mid.
ἴσκω (Ϝίσκω) [app. for Ϝίκσκω, fr. Ϝικ-, εἴκω. Cf.
ἰ̄σόθεος (Ϝισόθεος) [ἶσος + θεός]. Godlike, like the
ἶσος, η, -ον (Ϝῖσος). Also (always in fem. and only in
ἴστωρ, ορος, ὁ (Ϝίστωρ) [ἰστ-, οἶδα. See εἴδω (C) 'One
ἰ̄τέη, ης, ἡ (Ϝιτέη. Cf. L. vitex, Eng. withy). The
ἰ̆/τυς, ἡ (Ϝίτυς) [conn. with ἰτέη]. The felloe of a
ἴφθῑμος, ον, and (in sense (2)) -η, -ον [prob. not
ἶφι (Ϝῖφι) [see ἴς]. With or by might, power, force:
ἴ̄φιος (Ϝίφιος) [see ἴς]. Epithet of sheep, well-grown,
καίω (καϜ-, κηϜ-, καυ-). Aor. ἔκηα (ἔκηϜα) Α40, Θ240. 3
καλαῦροψ, οπος, ἡ [perh. fr. κάλος in sense ‘string’
†καταέννῡμι [κατα- (5)]. 3 pl. impf. καταείνυσαν
κατᾱρῑγηλός [κατα- (5)] + (Ϝ>ριγηλός in sim. sense,
†καταρρέζω [app., κατα- (1) + (Ϝ>ρέζω, though it is
καταρρέω [κατα- (1) + (σ>ρέ(ϝ>ω]. To flow down: αἷμα
καῦμα, ατος, τό [καϜ-, καυ-, καίω]. Heat, hot weather:
καύστειρα, ης [fem. of *καυστήρ, fr. καϜ-, καυ-, καίω].
κεινός, ή, -όν [κενϜός] Γ376, Δ181, Λ160, Ο453. Also
κήλειος [prob. for καυάλεος or κηάλεος fr. καϜ-, καίω].
κῆτος, τό [καϜ-. Cf. L. cavus and κοῖλος. Orig. sense
κηώδης [*κῆϜος, incense, fr. κηϜ-, καίω + ὀδ-, ὄζω].
κηώεις, εντος [*κῆϜος. See prec.]. = prec. Γ382, Ζ288,
κλαίω [κλαϜ-]. Dat. pl. masc. pple. κλαιόντεσσι μ311. 3
κλαυθμός, οῦ, ὁ [κλαϜ-, κλαυ-, κλαίω]. Weeping,
κλείω [κλεϜέω, fr. κλέ(ϝ>ος]. Also κλέω. Fut. κλείω
κλέος, τό (κλέϜος). Acc. pl. κλέα (for κλέεα) Ι189,
κοῖλος, η, -ον (κόϜιλος. Cf. L. cavus and κῆτος).
κοτήεις [prob. for κοτέσϜεις fr. κοτεσ-, κοτέω].
κυνέη, ης, ἡ [commonly taken as fem. of κύνεος (sc.
λᾱός, οῦ, ὁ (λαϜός).
λεῖος, η, -ον (λεῖϜος. Cf. L. lêvis). Smooth, free from
λευρός [λεϜ-ρός. Cf. λεῖος]. With even surface, level:
λοετρόν, τό (λοϜετρόν) [λοϜ-, λούω]. In pl., water for
†λούω (λόϜω) [λοϜ-. Cf. L. lavo]. 3 sing. aor. λοῦσε
λυσσώδης [app. for λυσσοϜείδης, fr. λύσσα + (Ϝ)εῖδος].
†μεθίημι [μεθ-, μετα- (1) + ἵημι]. Only in mid. Aor.
νάω (σνάϜω). To flow Φ197: ζ292.
νέατος, νείατος, η [superl. Cf. νείαιρα, νειόθεν,
νέος, η, -ον (νέϜος).
νέω [σνυ-]. 3 pl. impf. ἔννεον (ἔσνεϜον) Φ11. To swim:
νήδυμος [no doubt (Ϝ)ήδυμος = ἡδύς (cf. καλός,
νῆις, ιδος [νη- + (Ϝ)ιδ-, εἴδῳ. Lacking knowledge,
νηῦς, ἡ [cf. L. navis]. Genit. νηός (νηϜός) Α439, Θ515,
οἰέτης [ὀ = ἀ- + -ι- (app. representing lengthening
οἶκος, ου, ὁ (Ϝοῖκος. Cf. L. vicus).
οἶνος, ου, ὁ (Ϝοῖνος. Cf. L. vinum, Eng. wine). Wine
οἰνοχοέω [οἶνος + χοή]. Nom. pl. masc. pres. pple.
ὄϊς, ὁ, ἡ (ὄϜις. Cf. L. ovis). Genit. ὄϊος Ι207: δ764.
ὅλμος, ου, ὁ (Ϝόλμος) [Ϝελ-, (Ϝ)είλω]. App., a
ὀλοοίτροχος, ὁ [app. for ϜολοϜ-οί-τροχος, fr. Ϝελυ-,
ὀνειδίζω [ὄνειδος]. 2 sing. aor. ὀνείδισας Ι34. Imp.
οὐλαμός, οῦ, ὁ (Ϝουλαμός) [Ϝελ-, εἴλω]. A throng (of
οὖλος [ὁλ-Ϝος = the later ὅλος]. Whole, entire: ἄρτον
οὖλος, η [for Ϝολ-νος. Cf. L. vellus, Eng. wool].
ὄχεα, τά [Ϝεχ-. Cf. L. veho]. Instrumental (in
LSJ entries with a digamma somewhere in the text.
There are some characters in the above that I can’t paste to textkit, so I’ve linked it above. Here is my source:
Thank you Joel, this is really wonderful. What modern technology renders possible—when someone with practice like yours uses it. And Knös would seem to be an example of the great German positivistic scholarship from the 19th century.
Happy Easter all!
I wonder if Knös was really German. The work linked by Joel was published in Uppsala, Sweden. That doesn’t need to mean of course that he wasn’t part of a “German school” of philology (I think the whole of Scandinavia was more or less in the German sphere of influence in those days).
I actually spent five nights in Uppsala just a week ago on a course in myography and neurography (that doesn’t probably mean much to you 
). It’s a very nice little city, though I had little time for tourism, the course being so intensive. If you ever were to visit the place, the Cathedral is a must!
Why wouldn’t Homer have pronounced the digamma when performing? Obviously when he went to the cafe, he’d have asked for an ‘oinos’, not a ‘woinos’, but in performance why would he not use a pronunciation when it was required by the meter (and ignore it when it was not)? Homer retains archaic words for metrical reasons. According to Simon Pulleyn (Homer Odyssey 1), the epic bards would sometimes modify words to fit the meter.
If the bards go to such lengths to preserve the meter, wouldn’t it seem natural to use an archaic pronunciation for the same purpose?
There’s no reason to think that “Homer” was aware of the F or its pronunciation in earlier times.
The author or (as I and others suspect) the respective authors of the Iliad and the Odyssey probably didn’t pronounce digamma in their everyday speech, because they didn’t observe F consistently. It’s not found in the texts that have come down to us from antiquity; rather , it’s inferred from metrical and prosodic irregularities that are pervasive throughout the texts, and it only shows up in more or less fossilized formulas inherited in the traditional language of epic.
The authors/composers of the Iliad and the Odyssey (and other archaic Greek hexameter texts) tended to modernize inherited formulas in accordance with their Ionic F-less dialect whenever that could be done consistent with the meter and hexameter verse, but they would preserve otherwise prohibited hiatuses and syllable lengthening reflecting earlier F when the inherited formulas couldn’t be modernized.
Maybe they were aware that the metrical irregularities could be explained by Fs that had dropped out of their language, and maybe they were aware of how F was pronounced, but I doubt it.
Thanks, Hylander. I realize now that if the bards were pronouncing F the scribes would have found a way to record it.
That’s a good point, but we need to keep in mind that we really have no idea how or when the Iliad and the Odyssey came to be composed and written down. Dictated by an illiterate aoidos to a literate scribe? Composed in writing by a literate poet who was a master of the oral tradition? Composed and transmitted orally for a few generations before being written down? A “fluid” text that didn’t become fully fixed until the Hellenistic period (after Alexander)? Those are some of the speculative ideas that have been in circulation, but there’s no way to tell which is right or whether any of them is.
The language change wouldn’t have been uniform either. Not geographically, not temporally. Especially in the generations around the change, Homeric bards would have had the chance to hear Ϝ pronounced during their travels, and from old people. There are a million stories that could be spun here: imagine that city dwellers (due to increased foreign trade and language exposure) lost Ϝ first, and they didn’t write it down because they didn’t write in in their day-to-day transcriptions. Or maybe it happened in rural areas first, and the volkmaterial was altered to fit the new sounds with only the educated classes in the cities remembering the old lines.
But let’s try to imagine that first generation of Ϝ-dropping bards. They didn’t use Ϝ in daily speech, but they heard it from the bards teaching them the songs. Did they drop Ϝ in performance? Did they tread all over the meter to do it? Or maybe they consciously rejected Ϝ in performance as old and stale, and preserved the meter with other fudges?
All of those seem somewhat unlikely. I think that first generation of bards, growing up without Ϝ in their daily speech would have kept Ϝ in performance. But imperfectly. And the less contact they had with Ϝ-users the more imperfect it would have become. When composing new lines, they would have been more imperfect still. Sometimes they would keep it, sometimes they would drop it. The next generation would have been more imperfect still, perhaps only thinking of the sound as a permissible metrical fudge, maybe one that could be added anywhere they wanted to fix a vowel juncture.
At what point in this process did everything get written down and set in stone? All the way at the end? Maybe. But maybe earlier. An oral tradition that really didn’t use Ϝ would have been able to fix itself quickly enough. They would have fixed the old unmetrical lines, or dropped them if they couldn’t be fixed. Our text doesn’t look like that. A glance at Homer tells you that Ϝ is everywhere, and not just in stock phrases. It often occurs in places that are obviously contextual.
I don’t think that the evidence is good enough to be an extremist about Ϝ. And it’s an extreme claim to say that Homer (our writer), had never even heard the sound, not from any rural hick or old geezer teaching him a line, and that he never once used it himself to fix a verse that didn’t flow.
Thanks, Folks. I realize now that the scribe who first recorded the poems was not, of course, an anthropologist. He was using the alphabet he had and recognized ‘woinos’ as an old way of pronouncing ‘oinos’. My feeling is still that if the bards preserved all of the archaic words for the sake of meter, then the bards must surely have kept the Ϝ sound where required. This leads me back to my initial thought after reading the first book of the Odyssey – why not restore the Ϝ where metrically required?
I am aware of some of the controversies surrounding “restoring” the text of the epic where ML West’s editions are the latest occasion. Do you also inline the iota subscript, use the lunate sigma, etc? You could end up with an odd-looking text. However, given on-demand publishing nowadays, theoretically you could have the text you want. The order form would offer a list of yes-no options. A rather different sort of multi-text Homer.
He was using the alphabet he had and recognized ‘woinos’ as an old way of pronouncing ‘oinos’. My feeling is still that if the bards preserved all of the archaic words for the sake of meter, then the bards must surely have kept the Ϝ sound where required.
The poet or poets of the Iliad and the Odyssey didn’t compose by stringing together individual words, bur rather by putting together traditional formulas consisting of groups of words that fit specific slots in the hexameter, and even after F dropped out, these formulas would remain intact, preserving the prosodic/metrical effects of the lost F. The repertory of formulas continued to be added to after F dropped out, and the new formulas didn’t preserve the effects of the lost F – F is observed or disregarded inconsistently throughout the poems.
Sometimes, fairly frequently in fact, F is both observed and disregarded in the same identical word. That’s the strongest evidence that the F was not pronounced even in formulas where its effects had been preserved. The poet(s) of the Iliad and the Odyssey didn’t perceive the words in question as beginning with F.
That’s a gross over-simplification, of course, but the mechanisms of the oral formulaic compositional technique of the Iliad and the Odyssey have been fairly well understood for nearly 100 years, and explanations can be found in any modern discussion of Homer’s compositional technique published in recent years. It’s worth reading up about this before trying to draw any conclusions about the pronunciation of F in the Homeric poems. (And any conclusion are inevitably speculative, anyway.)
Talking about a scribe transcribing a bard is speculative. We actually have no idea when or how the written texts of the Iliad and the Odyssey came into being, despite several centuries of speculation. It’s clear, however, that the texts we have date from a period after the loss of F, because, as I noted, F is not observed with any consistency and its effects are preserved in older pre-fabricated formulas.
Texts purporting to restore digammas (e.g. van Leeuwen and Dacosta in the last decade of the 19th century) were in fact published before Milman Parry’s explication of the oral formulaic process in the 1920s. But they were a mess and editors have abandoned this anachronistic practice.
I happened across Thompson’s 1890 treatment of the F question when I was looking for something else - pages 4-11 here
https://archive.org/details/homericgrammar00thomgoog/page/n24
It was an interesting read, but then I have no idea how many of the ideas he introduces would be seen as suspect or completely out-of-date today. Perhaps someone au fait with less ancient scholarship on F could shed some light here?