Possible classical sources project
So I been thinkin' lately. I do that. One of the neat ideas that I thought I might spend some blogtime on is an analysis of classical sources. But not just any ol' analysis. No, I'm far too pedantic for that. I want do do a word-by-word analysis.
My idea is basically to take some classical source -- probably some Homer or Hesiod or something -- and go through through it with a fine-toothed comb. The first day I'll pick the first word of my text. I'll post the word in the ancient Greek. Probably transliterate it. Maybe find a microphone and record it with Attic and Homeric pronunciation, or maybe just give a guide to pronunciation. Talk about how pitch and length accents apply to this word. Possibly ramble about some detail of pronunciation for a paragraph or two, but all still just on the sound of the word.
Then I'll look up the word. I'd give a definition or two of the root word from Liddell & Scott. I'll talk about the cases and tenses and whatever else is relevant to understanding the usage of the word. Maybe I'll ramble about some random subtlety of grammar as well as I'm able, but still sticking to the grammar of the word.
And finally I'll find and share some other ways that root word has been used and translated in classical sources. Depending on what Perseus gives me I might find a bunch, or I might not find but a word or two. And maybe with that I'll be able to share more subtlety of meaning, or maybe show how the word has changed over time. Not sure how that part would go.
And then the next day I'd go back to my classical source and do the next word.
Maybe sometimes I'd do two words if one of them's simple. There are only so many times you can explain the "men ... de" construction before it gets old, after all. And other days I won't have time to post anything at all. Sometimes I'll take a break from single words to glue together an entire phrase or sentence. I'm particularly looking forward to analyzing the meter of each line, and if I have a microphone set up by then I'll definitely record each whole line. Maybe whole sections.
This is probably all going to happen, though whether sooner or later I'm not yet sure. Are my loyal readers (all two or three of you) interested? Do you have any particular source you want to see me approach first? Part of me's tempted to start with The Iliad or The Odyssey, but then I'd quite possibly never finish. Ever. I could do some Homeric Hymns or perhaps a play and maybe make some progress. On the other hand, sticking with a single source for a Very Long Time may not necessarily be a bad thing.
What think ye, oh readers who've actually made it this far?
(Spellchecker Genius of the Day: blogtime -> bulged)
My idea is basically to take some classical source -- probably some Homer or Hesiod or something -- and go through through it with a fine-toothed comb. The first day I'll pick the first word of my text. I'll post the word in the ancient Greek. Probably transliterate it. Maybe find a microphone and record it with Attic and Homeric pronunciation, or maybe just give a guide to pronunciation. Talk about how pitch and length accents apply to this word. Possibly ramble about some detail of pronunciation for a paragraph or two, but all still just on the sound of the word.
Then I'll look up the word. I'd give a definition or two of the root word from Liddell & Scott. I'll talk about the cases and tenses and whatever else is relevant to understanding the usage of the word. Maybe I'll ramble about some random subtlety of grammar as well as I'm able, but still sticking to the grammar of the word.
And finally I'll find and share some other ways that root word has been used and translated in classical sources. Depending on what Perseus gives me I might find a bunch, or I might not find but a word or two. And maybe with that I'll be able to share more subtlety of meaning, or maybe show how the word has changed over time. Not sure how that part would go.
And then the next day I'd go back to my classical source and do the next word.
Maybe sometimes I'd do two words if one of them's simple. There are only so many times you can explain the "men ... de" construction before it gets old, after all. And other days I won't have time to post anything at all. Sometimes I'll take a break from single words to glue together an entire phrase or sentence. I'm particularly looking forward to analyzing the meter of each line, and if I have a microphone set up by then I'll definitely record each whole line. Maybe whole sections.
This is probably all going to happen, though whether sooner or later I'm not yet sure. Are my loyal readers (all two or three of you) interested? Do you have any particular source you want to see me approach first? Part of me's tempted to start with The Iliad or The Odyssey, but then I'd quite possibly never finish. Ever. I could do some Homeric Hymns or perhaps a play and maybe make some progress. On the other hand, sticking with a single source for a Very Long Time may not necessarily be a bad thing.
What think ye, oh readers who've actually made it this far?
(Spellchecker Genius of the Day: blogtime -> bulged)