2
the term “Aecolic dialect” to the idiom of Lesbian poetry, very infrequently characterizing as Aeolic a form which is Boeotian or Thessalian.
Giese (Der aeolische Dialekt, p. 131) has well remarked, in discussing the difficulties presented by the utterances of the Greeks in reference to their tribal and dialectological relations: “Nicht in den Meinungen der Alten liegen die wahrhaft historischen Zeugnisse, sondern in ihrer Sprache selbst.” If we supplement this statement by another, which in reality is not excluded by the first: “Ohne Rücksicht auf das Leben des Volks ist die Sprachwissenschaft todt und werthlos” (Fick, Ilias, p. 564), we open up the two avenues by which the science of Greek dialectology is to be approached. It will, therefore, in the first instance be necessary to pass in review the various phenomena which constitute each of the cantonal idioms of that wide territory reaching from the Aegean Sea to the western part of Epirus, and from Olympus to the southernmost parallel of those states washed by the Corinthian Gulf Upon this scientific basis alone can we hope to attain results, the value of which will doubtless be enhanced by the fact that so comprehensive an investigation has as yet net been attempted in Germany.
To establish the position of the dialects of Thessaly and Boeotia as dialects of North Greece, in their connection with Asiatic-Aeolic and in their relation to one another, I present the following table of their chief distinctive morphological features.
I.—Dialect of Thessaly.
A. Peculiarities which belong specifically to Thessaly.
1. eforein dé, 2. ovforw; @ has ceased to exist, 3. « for Tin kg. 4, ¢ for #in dcip. 5. tH? for a? in ‘Artlévevroc. 6. 8S for din iddiew, 7. Gen. sing. -odecl.in -0a! §. Demonslr, pron ove. 9. Infin. pass. in -offex, to, 3 pl. pass. in -flee, 11, Infin, oor, act. in -seav. 92, we for de, £3, datyen for Saovy in apydanyvegupeicar, 13, 60 for in éxdarisover, 14. -ev in 3 pl. im- pert. aorist (2darxriewzud).
B. Points of agreement with the dialect of Boeotia.
i. ¢ fora in tepeog Wepre also is Boeot.). 2. a for # 3. A labial for a dental: Thess, Her@azaes Bavot, derrazdc, 4. A dental sunt and aspirate in “Phess.a double dental in Boeot, so in Aic. See example under 3.
5. Uforz; épfruntle inauypdaticny Viuss., mapytantly, exneioante Borol. 6. sperec for guarée, 7 F =v in middle of a word, S$, hexnog = pexpor {granu }. 9. yepyay for yepvenad from the analogy of the -2x ye verbs. Thechange must hare taken place afler the withdrawal of the Asialic Acolians, 10. Gat, pl. cons.
1 in the Pharsalian inscr the gen. ends in ov.