On Breathings

Aelius Herodianus, Περὶ πνευμάτων, Grammatici Graeci 3.2, Lentz, Teubner, 1868

Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.

This work is a fragment of an ancient grammatical treatise that examines the rules and exceptions of breathings (aspiration) in Classical Greek. It focuses on the linguistic principles governing the application of rough and smooth breathings on initial vowels and consonants. Specifically, the text analyzes the word hypsos (ὕψοϲ, "height") as the unique exception where an initial upsilon (υ) is followed by a double consonant, exploring its etymological background. Furthermore, it references a passage from Menander's comedy The Halaeans to explain the origin and evolution of breathings in specific lexical items. Through these philological citations and etymological inquiries, the work sheds light on the phonology of the Greek language beyond mere textbook rules.