For example, after mentioning that a good deal of Euclid's geometry has been preserved for us through Arabic translation, they offer a list of words that reached English via Baghdad: albatross, alchemy, alcohol, algebra - and sugar. (The same association is found in Polish, German and Elizabethan English.) The authors are ever alert to the possibility of analogies in other languages, often using a Greek anecdote as a springboard to dive into a different culture. (The authors might well have discussed the etymology of etymology.) Some readers may be surprised to learn of a link between the Greek gyne (woman, as in gynecology) and the English queen -and quean, which means strumpet, but more may find it interesting that there is a common source for nemesis and numismatics. Tracing the roots of words is always an entertaining exercise, and the Greeks themselves had a passion for it. It is therefore something of a charming paradox that Alexander and Nicholas Humez employ an abecedarian technique in ''Alpha to Omega,'' a kind of thinking man's ''Book of Lists.'' Using each Greek letter to introduce contributions that ancient Hellas gave the modern world, they cover topics ranging from astronomy to zoology and including music, medicine, physics, philosophy, literature and oenology. And in his ''Laws,'' Plato put knowing one's grammata on the same intellectual level as swimming. When Plato and Aristotle refer to this activity, they must employ the verb anagignoskein, literally, to recognize. There is no better proof than the total absence from their vocabulary of a proper word for reading. Some written material, like the single text of a play for actors to memorize, was in circulation, but the Greeks were decidedly unbookish. nonliterate - until the late fifth century, when the ''alphabetic revolution'' triumphed at long last. Havelock has put forth the radical argument that Hellenic society remained esse ntially oral - and -Įrich Segal teaches classics at Yale University and has published essays on Greek etymology. Sc holars like Denys Page believe that Greek writing was fairly uncomm on even in the mid-seventh century B.C., and E.A. The alphabet came to Greece (adapted and refined from the Phoenician) some five centuries aft er the Hebrews had transcribed early parts of the Old Testament.
Abecedarian polymath series#
The Hellenes (which is what they called themselves) referred to their writing system, a series of 24 characters beginning with alpha and ending with omega, as grammata, letters. The word alphabet, however, is a Latin coinage. Educated Romans, like French-speaking Russian aristocrats in the 19th century, spoke what they considered a more cultivated language. Julius Caesar, struck with the most unkindest cut of all, did not gasp, ''Et tu, Brute!'' What he actually said, according to Suetonius, was ''Kai su teknon,'' Greek for ''You too, my son.'' When Caesar dined at Cicero's house the chat was in Greek. He never pressured us and was very patient with us.ALPHA TO OMEGA The Life and Times of the Greek Alphabet.By Alexander and Nicholas Humez. He always made himself available to us on short notice. Jay was very helpful to us over a period of about 4 years that we were looking for a home. He went above and beyond what I'd expected and a absolute pleasure to work with. His professionalism and knowledge is what we were looking for when choosing a realtor. We were not able to be at the house physically so Jon did several walk throughs with us using FaceTiime so we could see every nook and cranny.Ĭaleb has been nothing short of amazing. We are so pleased to get Jon as our agent. Since we weren't living in the area while we were looking, it was very important that we had someone there to help us. Jay was great to work with in all aspects of the process from the search to the closing. When we settled on the house we wanted, Jack was with us every step of the way.Ī friend recommended Jay to help us with our home search. As we looked at a number of houses, Jack was honest and pointed out concerns he saw in the houses we visited. He consistently sent information on homes for sale. Jack Berwind is an honest and straightforward realtor.
0 kommentar(er)
