Locrian Greek

Locrian Greek
Region	Locris
Ethnicity	Locrians
Era	?
Language family	Indo-European Hellenic Greek (disputed) Doric Northwest Doric Locrian Greek
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Linguist List	grc-loc
Glottolog	None

Locrian Greek is an ancient Greek dialect that was spoken by the Locrians in Locris, Central Greece. It is a dialect of Northwest Greek. The Locrians were divided into two tribes, the Ozolian Locrians and the Opuntian Locrians, thus the Locrian dialect can be also divided in two branches, the Ozolian and Opuntian respectively. The traits of both dialects were described by Wilhelm Dittenberger, editor of the project Inscriptiones Graecae. Unlike some other Northwest varieties, that are not so well known from a dialectal point of view, Locrian, along with Phocian, is generally considered to be a well–attested and recognizable dialect.

Orthography

Locrian Greek was written utilizing the West Greek alphabet, which represented "ξ" with "χ," "χ" with "," and lacked "." In Locrian and Arcadian, a unique sign "" was used to denote "ψ," which was represented in other West Greek dialects by "πσ" or "ϕσ." Some Locrian inscriptions represent double consonants utilizing only a single letter: "θάλασας" instead of "θάλασσας." However, there are certain instances in both consonants are present orthographically: "ἐν Ναύπακτον" and "ἐν Navπάκτοι" appear in one inscription, despite the presence of "ἐ Ναυπάκτο" and "ἐγ Ναυπάκτο" in the same text. In Locrian Greek, the preposition "ἐξ" was assimilated to all consonants, appearing orthographically merely as "ἐ" due to the omission of double consonants. Thus, "ἐ λιμένος" instead of "ἐλ λιμένος," itself instead of "ἐξ λιμένος." Locrian texts, like other Northwestern Greek dialects, often represent "-σθ" with "-στ" (Locrian "hελέσται" for Attic Greek "ἑλέσθαι"). According to Carl Darling Buck, this indicates that "θ" was pronounced as a spirant in Locrian and other dialects, a sound change which would eventually appear in Attic.

Some Locrian terms bear the letter heta in certain circumstances and omit it in others: the Locrian word "πεντορκίαν," without heta, appears in the same inscription as "hορκόμότας" and "hόρκον." Buck proposes that these discrepancies indicate that the asper was so faintly sounded that it Locrian scribes often erroneously recorded the sound in their writings. One Locrian inscription from Oeantheia, dated to first half of the 5th-century BCE, extensively utilizes the letter "ϙ," although only before the forms "ρο" and "ο." However, a later inscription dated to the second half of the 5th-century BCE, also from Oeantheia, lacks the letter "ϙ"

Morphology

One Locrian inscription from the first half of the 5th-century BCE represents long "ε with"ει" and long "ω" with "ον" in the genitive singular and "ο" in the accusative plural. However, a later inscription dated to the second half of the 5th-century BCE, also from Oeantheia, represents"ε" and "ω" with "ε" and "ο" respectively. The accusative singular ending "-έα" ending is attested in Locrian for nouns ending in "-ευς," although it is "-ῆ" in most Doric dialects. In Locrian, the preposition κατά (kata) governs the genitive rather than the accusative, e.g. καθ'ὧν kath'ōn — καθ'ἅ kath'a. In most Greek dialects, the preposition "ἐπί" was used, in epitaphs, with the nominative of deceased individual, although—in Locrian—it was used with the dative. There is attestation of Locrian patronymics with the ending "-ονδᾱς," which also appears in Thessalian, Euboean, and Boeotian. It is likely a corollary to the Boeotian form "-ωνδᾱς" and the Phocian and Euboean form "-ὠνδης."

Ozolian Locrian

• Dative plural of the third declension in -οις (-ois) instead of -σι (-si), a Northwest trait, e.g. πάντοις pantois — πᾶσι pasi, μειόνοις meionois — μείοσι meiosi
• The adjective διπλειός dipleios instead of διπλοῦς diplous
• The assimilation of κ (k) in the preposition ἐκ ek with the first consonant of the next word, e.g. ἐλ λιμένος e(l) limenos — ἐκ λιμένος ek limenos

Opuntian Locrian

• Dative plural of the third declension in -εσσι (-essi) instead of -οις (-ois), an Aeolic trait which was found in the Phocian dialect too, e.g. Κεφαλλάνεσσι Kephallanessi, χρημάτεσσι chrêmatessi
• The infinitive in -εν (-en) instead of -ειν (-ein), e.g. ἀναγράφεν anagraphen — ἀναγράφειν anagraphein
• The patronymic names are according to the name they define, an Aeolic trait, e.g. Δαναΐς Νικοτελεία Danais Nikoteleia — Δαναΐς Νικοτέλους Danais Nikotelous

Glossary

• δείλομαι deilomai will, want (Locrian and Delphian) (Attic boulomai) (Coan dêlomai) (Doric bôlomai) (Thessalian bellomai)
• ϝέρρω Werrô go away (Attic errô) (Hsch. berrês fugitive, berreuô escape)
• Ϝεσπάριοι Λοϟροὶ Wesparioi Lokroi Epizephyrian (Western) Locrians in Calabria (Attic hesperios of the evening, western, Doric wesperios) (cf. Latin Vesper) IG IX,1² 3:718
• Λοϟροὶ τοὶ ͱυποκναμίδιοι Lokroi toi hypoknamidioi (Attic Lokroi hoi hypoknemidioi) Hypoknemidian Locrians; under mount Knemis IG IX,1² 3:718
• ὀπλίαι opliai places where the Locrians counted their cattle

See also

• Doric Greek

References

Bibliography

• Buck, Carl Darling (1910). Introduction to the Study of the Greek Dialects; Grammar, Selected Inscriptions, Glossary. Ginn and Company.

External links

• Fr. Bechtel. Die griechishe Dialekte, II. Berlin, 1923.