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Protagoras and the beginnings of grammar

Abstract:
Offering a reevaluation of all the available evidence, including passages from Aristotle’s Rhetoric, Poetics, and Sophistici Elenchi, Diogenes Laertius’ biographical sketch as well as the grammar scene in Aristophanes’ Clouds, the article argues that Protagoras’ engagement with grammatical questions must have been more sophisticated and thorough than is often assumed. In Protagoras’ discovery of grammatical gender, formal considerations – most likely inspired by the analysis of personal names – played a more fundamental role than semantic ones, and his typology of πυθμένες λόγων equally presupposes the formal recognition of at least verbal mood, if not also tense.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1017/S175027052100004X

Authors


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Sub department:
Classical Languages & Lit
Role:
Author
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
HUMS
Sub department:
Classical Languages & Lit
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-8694-2845


Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Journal:
Cambridge Classical Journal More from this journal
Volume:
67
Pages:
66 - 92
Publication date:
2021-08-03
Acceptance date:
2021-04-29
DOI:
EISSN:
2047-993X
ISSN:
1750-2705


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1173978
Local pid:
pubs:1173978
Deposit date:
2021-04-29

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