A grammar of the Homeric dialect - Wilbourhall.org

375-] SHORT FINAL SYLLABLES. 347
irartpi, ffdfcei, erfi. Hence it is probable that the lengthening dates from the
Indo-European language, and is not due in the first instance to the requirements
of the hexameter. But in such a case as 'OSvaarji it may be that the
Greek poet treats it as a license, which he takes advantage of in order to avoid
the impossible quantities v w (cp. oi^vpurepos for the unmetrical oi
374.] Final a. The metrical considerations which lead us to
recognise -I in the Dat. Sing, might be urged, though with less
force, in favour of an original -d as the ending of the Neut.
Plur. We have
II. 5. 745 (
= 8.
389) S 5' oxea Krat.
24- 7 oTToa'a roAvTreixre.
Od. 9. 109 arrTrapra Kal avr\pora.
12. 396 oTrraAe'a re Kat a>/>ta.
14. 343 pooyaA.e'a, ra Kat avro'j.
23. 225 apt^)pa6ea Kare'Aefaj.
In the majority of these instances, however, the final a is
preceded by the vowel e, from which it was originally separated
by a spirant (o;(e-(r~a, Tropc^vpe-t-a). Cp. II. I. 45 aju^r/pe^e'a re
(frapcTpriv, 5- 576 rTvAat/oieVea eAerrjzJ, 5- 827 "Aprja TO ye, 14. 329
flepo-^d TtavTutv, Od. I. 40 ex yap 'OpeVrao rtVt?. As two successive
vowels are often found to interchange their quantity
(fiaorikrja, /Sao-tAe'd), so perhaps, even when the first vowel retains
its metrical value, there may be a slight transference' of
quantity, sufficient to allow the final vowel, when reinforced by
the ictus, to count as a long syllable. Cp. 375, 3.
The scanning la (in II. 4. 321 et roVe Kovpos ea vvv KrA., cp.
5. 887, Od. 14. 352) may be explained by transference of quantity,
from rfa.
375.] Short syllables ending in a consonant are also occasionally
lengthened in arsis, although the next word begins with
a vowel : as
ovre TTOT' es TroAejuto^ a/xa Aaw
aW oc^eAes ayovos r e/xerat KrA.
Xepo-tz> VTr3 'Apyetooy (^^tjite^os tv 7rarp^8t yat'r/.
The circumstances under which this metrical lengthening
is
generally found differ remarkably, as has been recently