This subreddit is dedicated to discussions about ancient Greek language and literature. However, we certainly welcome discussions of ancient Greek culture, history, and mythology, so long as they pertain to their reflection in an ancient Greek linguistic context. Posts may involve every dialect of ancient Greek. We invite discussion about topics as diverse as Homeric poetry, papyrology, biblical interpretation, and grammatical analysis.
Ionic vs. Attic Greek Guides
I was wondering if there exist any tables, graphs, etc. illustrating the main differences between Ionic (more specifically Homeric) and Attic Greek.
When I was studying Greek in college we basically skimmed over the differences themselves second year when we read the first book of the Iliad, having used Hansen and Quinn first year, and although I can identify when something is different, I'm often unsure if the difference is consistent and systematic.
There’s a good article on Wikipedia, with examples. But be aware that Homer is not really Ionic. Homer’s dialect was an artificial mixture of Ionic, Aeolic, and Attic. The Attic bits are possibly a later intrusion - mostly they could be replaced with an Aeolic or Ionic equivalent. The earliest dialect may have been Aeolic.
The easiest way to become comfortable with Homer's dialect is to read Homer.
Thank you for replying! That's fair. Is this the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeric_Greek ? If not, could you send the link? Thank you in advance.
Homeric Greek
Homeric Greek is the form of the Greek language that was used by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey and in the Homeric Hymns. It is a literary dialect of Ancient Greek consisting mainly of Ionic and Aeolic, with a few forms from Arcadocypriot, and a written form influenced by Attic. It was later named Epic Greek because it was used as the language of epic poetry, typically in dactylic hexameter, by poets such as Hesiod and Theognis of Megara. Compositions in Epic Greek may date from as late as the 3rd century BC, though its decline was inevitable with the rise of Koine Greek.
[ ^PM | Exclude ^me | Exclude from ^subreddit | FAQ / ^Information | ^Source ] Downvote to remove | v0.28
Look up "ionic dialect" in wiki.
Comment deleted by user
Comment deleted by user
Ionic Greek
Ionic Greek (Ancient Greek: Ἑλληνική Ἰωνική, romanized: Hellēnikē Iōnikē) was a subdialect of the Attic–Ionic or Eastern dialect group of Ancient Greek.
[ ^PM | Exclude ^me | Exclude from ^subreddit | FAQ / ^Information | ^Source ] Downvote to remove | v0.28
A lot of information can be found within commentaries of certain literatures (not translations). For Iliad, I recommend "selections from Homer's Iliad : with an introduction, notes, a short Homeric grammar, and a vocabulary". For Odyssey. "Homer: odyssey" by Deborah Steiner
Sometimes, when you look up Ancient Greek words on Wiktionary, it provides both an Attic and Ionic declension table. For example: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%BC%A1%CE%BC%CE%AD%CF%81%CE%B1
Unfortunately, I can't find much more (for free) on Ionic declension, as I am also primarily interested in Epic/Ionic Greek. When I try to search for "Ionic declension" on Google photos, all I get are Latin declension tables.