φαίνω

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Mon, 10/24/2022 - 11:00

Word-form

φωνή

Transliteration (Word)

phōnē

English translation (word)

voice

Transliteration (Etymon)

phainō

English translation (etymon)

to bring to light

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

Fr. 195

Edition

C. Theodoridis, Die Fragmente des Grammatikers Philoxenos [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 2. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1976]

Source

Scholia in Dionysii Thracis Artem grammaticam

Ref.

Scholia in Dionysii Thracis Artem grammaticam p. 181

Ed.

A. Hilgard, Grammatici Graeci, vol. 1.3, Leipzig: Teubner, 1901 (repr. Hildesheim: Olms, 1965)

Quotation

σχηματίζεται δὲ ἡ φωνὴ παρὰ τὸ φῶ, τὸ φαίνω, κατὰ πρόσληψιν συλλαβῆς τῆς νη γινομένη· φῶ φωνή· φαίνει γὰρ καὶ λαμπρῶς δηλοῖ τὰ ἐνθυμήματα

Translation (En)

Phōnē "voice" is derived from *phô meaning phainō "to bring to light", with addition of the syllable [nē]: *phô, phōnē. Because it brings to light the thoughts and clearly shows them

Comment

Derivational etymology starting from one of the monosyllabic verbs which are at the core of Philoxenus' theory. Voice makes visible what is not visible by nature. A variant of this etymology derives φωνή from φῶ = φημί "to say" (see φωνή / φημί), and it is not always possible to tell which φῶ is implied in the formulation of our sources. As a matter of fact, φημί itself is sometimes derived from φῶ = φαίνω: Φᾶσθαι, λέγειν, εἰπεῖν· μέσος ἀόριστος πρῶτος, ἀπαρεμφάτου τῶν εἰς μι, γέγονεν ἐκ τοῦ φῶ τὸ φαίνω, παράγωγον φημὶ, ὁ μέλλων φήσω, ὁ ἀόριστος ἐφάθην, ὁ μέσος ἐφάμην, ἔφασο, ἔφατο, φᾶσθαι "phâsthai "to say", middle aorist of the infinitive of the mi-verbs. It comes from phô "to bring to light", derivative phēmi, the future is phēsō, the aorist ephathēn, the middle aorist ephamēn, ephaso, ephato, phasthai" (Etym. Gudianum, phi, p. 550)

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, epsilon, p. 401 (Ἐδωδὴν ἐδηδοκότες καὶ εἱστιακότες ἤσθιον· τὰ ἀπὸ ἐνεστώτων ἢ μελλόντων κατὰ πρόσληψιν συλλαβῆς γινόμενα διὰ τοῦ ω μεγάλου γράφεται, οἷον ζῶ ζωή, φῶ φωνή, ἔδω ἐδωδή. ἐκ τοῦ ἔδω, τὸ ἐσθίω, ὁ μέλλων ἐδήσω, ἔδηκα καὶ τὸ Ἀττικὸν ἐδήδοκα); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 3, 534 Van der Valk (Δῆλον δὲ ὅτι, ὥσπερ φῶ φωνή, ζῶ ζωή, ῥῶ ῥωή καὶ ἐρωή κατὰ πρόσληψιν συλλαβῆς, οὕτω καὶ θῶ θωή, ἡ κατατιθεμένη ζημία); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 19 (s.v. Ἄδωνις) (Τὰ ἀπὸ ἐνεστώτων ἢ μελλόντων κατὰ πρόσληψιν συλλαβῆς γινόμενα ὀνόματα διὰ τοῦ ω μεγάλου γράφονται· οἷον ζῶ, ζωή· φῶ, φωνή)

Modern etymology

Derived from the root of φημί "I say", φάσις "fame", PIE *bheh2- "speak" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Yes

Entry By

Le Feuvre