Synalepha and ecthlipsis in Consentius: interpretation problems

Authors

  • Julia Burghini
Keywords: Latin prosody and metrics, Latin grammarians, Consentius, Synalepha, Ecthlipsis

Abstract

As regards the controversy concerning whether synalepha implies total elision or pronuntatio plena, Consentius’ description seems to support the latter view, despite some scholars’ insistence that all ancient grammarians advise to scan poetry suppressing vowels. This paper analyzes both the definitions and the many examples of synalepha and ecthlipsis in Consentius’ work, because they are very different from previous grammarians: (1) he appreciates some differences between both metaplasmi not felt by previous grammarians; (2) he explains the nature of both phenomena by resorting to their etymology; (3) he tries to account for the process which has taken place in each metaplasm on the basis of a specific vocabulary, and not just on differences in the phonic context (i.e., synalepha occurs between vowels, and ecthlipsis between a consonant and a vowel).

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How to Cite
Burghini, J. (2012). Synalepha and ecthlipsis in Consentius: interpretation problems. Myrtia, 27, 177–196. Retrieved from https://revistas.um.es/myrtia/article/view/159441
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