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Dialect in Aristophanes: The Politics of Language in Ancient Greek Literature (Oxford Classical Monographs)
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Product Description
Did the Greeks find it amusing, irritating or threatening when they heard another Greek speaking in a different dialect? Were they rude or tolerant when they heard Persians or Scythians speaking fractured Greek? And what about low-class varieties of the Greek spoken in the docks of Piraeus? Our evidence for the sociolinguistic culture of the ancient world is sadly limited, and modern linguistic assumptions and prejudices are often unconsciously projected onto old and alien cultures. This book exploits the evidence of ancient Greek comedy in an attempt to answer some of the questions about language attitude which are important for understanding ancient ideas about language and ethnicity. Conclusions are based on a comparative study of the language of dialect speaking characters and other foreigners in Old Comedy, and on an examination of linguistic attitudes in other genres of Greek literature.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #2700284 in Books
- Published on: 1999-06-03
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 360 pages
Editorial Reviews
Journal of Hellenic Studies
"... admirable book ... valuable information."
Review
The value of the book not just to philologists but to editors becomes plain in the discussion of the text of Aristophanes, which attempts to gauge the level of interference from later scholars and scribes. (Journal of Hellenic Studies )
Modern socio-linguistic theories are used to make up for the scarcity of the ancient data, and in general theoretical problems are handled with clarity, flexibility and good sense. (Journal of Hellenic Studies )
... admirable book ... valuable information. (Journal of Hellenic Studies )
Colvin's discussion is up-to-date and accurate ... an extremely helpful handbook of dialectology. (Gnomon )
Up to now there could scarcley be said to have existed a comprehensive study of dialect in Aristophanes ... Hence Colvin's is a most necessary and timely book, which amply fits the bill. It is an impressive study ... the core of the book, which is essentially a comparative grammar based on the data provided by the dialect passages in Aristophanes ... is an immense achievement. (The Classical Review )
A very welcome reference tool ... Colvin has written a thought-provoking book which should be widely read. (The Anglo-Hellenic Review, No.22, 2000. )
The Anglo-Hellenic Review, No.22, 2000.
"A very welcome reference tool ... Colvin has written a thought-provoking book which should be widely read."
