Few works have created such memorable characters as the Iliad and Odyssey. Readers come away from these works with the impression that the characters described in the stories are larger than life: Achilles is strong, Ajax is enormous, Patroclus is bloodthirsty, Nestor is ancient, Stentor is loud. Nobody leaves Homer’s epics thinking his heroes are not worthy of their lasting fame. This study argues that, although the heroes of the two Homeric epics are meant to be impressive, their characterization in the Iliad and Odyssey is the result of a process of rationalization whereby the hyperbole traditionally ascribed to such figures was toned down when the two poems were finally committed to writing. I argue this by showing that the hyperbole used to describe these heroes is paralleled across many Indo-European epic traditions and that, for the most part, it is much more exaggerated in these related epics. From the scant remains of the Epic Cycle, there is reason to believe that the context in which Homeric poetry was formed was receptive to the fantastic. The best explanation of these two pieces of data is that the Iliad and the Odyssey rationalize traditional hyperbole. This was done so that the poems would have a broader appeal and greater clarity, vividness, and simplicity, traits which have long been considered hallmarks of Homer’s style.

Thesis (doctoral)--Université de Paris III, 1975. / Includes indexes. Includes bibliographical references (p. 465-474).

Habilitationsschrift--Tübingen. / Bibliography: p. [106]-109.

Zugl.: Oxford, Univ., Diss., 1995 u.d.T.: Meissner, Torsten: S-stem nouns and adjectives in ancient Greek : a study in Greek and Indo-European word formation / Includes bibliographical references and index

No description available.

The development of Proto-Indo-European *y in Classical Armenian ranks among the most debated questions in Armenian historical phonology. This thesis reexamines all the evidence for the evolution of PIE *y in different phonological contexts, including word-initial position, intervocalically, and in consonant clusters. Special attention is given to the various conditioned outcomes of clusters of consonant + *y and of *y in contact with a laryngeal, as well as the consequences of such developments for Armenian nominal and verbal morphology.

Note:

No description available.

The primary purpose of this work is to call attention to the existence of Latin words in the Greek New Testament and to present an objective study of them. As a corollary to this study, the impact of Graeco-Roman culture upon Judea in terms of these words, their synonyms, and related words is pointed out. Glimpses of the background of the New Testament figures afforded through this study lend perspective to the New Testament pages.

(in English): Typology of verbal suppletion on the ground of Indo-European languages is the focus of the thesis Verbal suppletion in Indo-European languages. The diachronic approach is of special interest. Description of verbal suppletion in the oldest stages of the IE languages and reconstruction of their Proto-Indo-European forms is thus aimed for (for each of the ten well-described IE language branches, one sample language is chosen, and its verbal system and suppletive verbal paradigms are described). Besides the descriptive data from individual language branches, the outcome of the thesis comprises the evaluation of the data by typological means from diachronic and synchronic view-point and its assessment in relation to frequency, semantic fields and Semantic relevance hierarchy. The thesis delivers a review of Proto-Indo-European roots in suppletive paradigms and their mutual relationships.