Discussion of Greek accentuation rules for words ending in -τις (τις), including when preceding vowels or diphthongs affect oxytonicity or barytonicity; examples of feminine names and place-names, exceptions, and cites (e.g., Od., Strabo, Herodotus, Thucydides).
φωνήεντι ἢ 'ω' μέγα πρὸ τοῦ 'τις' μὴ ὄντα ἐπιθετικά, εἰ μὴ παράκειται ἀρσενικῷ τῷ εἰς 'της', ὀξύνεται, φορτίς, νοτίς, κοιτίς, Προιτίς, οὐτίς τὸ ζῷον παρ´ Ἀλκμᾶνι, Δωτίς, ὠτίς καὶ φροντίς, εἰ μὴ ἄρα τοῦτο, ὅτε κύριόν ἐστι, καὶ βαρυτονηθήσεται. οὐ μάχεται τὸ πόρτις· καὶ γὰρ χωρὶς τοῦ 'τ' «πόριες περὶ βοῦς ἀγελαίας» (Od. κ 410). μὴ ὄντα ἐπιθετικὰ πρόσκειται διὰ τὸ πότις, ᾧ παράκειται τὸ πότης. * Τὰ εἰς 'τις' δισύλλαβα κύρια τῷ 'ε' ἢ τῷ 'η' ἢ τῇ 'αι' διφθόγγῳ παραληγόμενα βαρύνεται, Θέτις, Βαῖτις ποταμὸς κατὰ Ἰβηρίαν, ὃς Πέρκης λέγεται ὑπὸ τῶν ἐγχωρίων, Ἦτις δῆμος Λακωνικῆς καὶ τῆς Κρήτης πόλις. * Τὰ εἰς 'τις' ὑπὲρ δύο συλλαβὰς θηλυκὰ μὴ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰς 'ης' ἀρσενικῶν γινόμενα ὀξύνεται, Βοιωτίς, Θεσπρωτίς, Εἱλωτίς, Ἐνετίς, Ἑλλωτίς· οὕτω παρὰ Κρησὶν ἡ Εὐρώπη, ἀφ´ ἧς πρότερον ἐκαλεῖτο Γόρτυν πόλις Ἑλλωτίς. Λαμωτίς ἡ Ἀντιόχεια Ἰσαυρίας. τὸ δὲ Ῥακῶτις—οὕτως ἡ Ἀλεξάνδρεια πρότερον ἐκαλεῖτο—καὶ Λιμενῶτις χερρόνησος Κελτικὴ προπερισπᾶται ὡς ἀπὸ ἀρσενικῶν εἰς 'ης' γενόμενα. * Τὰ εἰς 'τις' ὀνόματα πόλεων πολυσύλλαβα τῷ 'α' ἢ 'ο' παραληγόμενα βαρύνεται, Κάλλατις πολίχνιον ἐν τῇ παραλίᾳ τοῦ Πόντου. Στράβων ἑβδόμῃ· ὡς κάλαθος εὑρέθη ἐοικὼς τοῖς θεσμοφοριακοῖς. Ναύκρατις πόλις Αἰγύπτου ἀπὸ Μιλησίων τότε θαλασσοκρατούντων ὡς Στράβων ἑπτακαιδεκάτῃ. Ὀνείβατις πόλις Αἰγύπτου Ἑκαταῖος περιηγήσει Λιβύης. Ἰαγξούατις πόλις Λιβύων. Ἑκαταῖος Ἀσίᾳ. Ἄβοτις πόλις Αἰγύπτου, ὡς Ἑκαταῖος. Κράμβοτις πόλις Αἰγύπτου, ἣν Ἑκαταῖος περιηγήσει Λιβύης Κράμβουτίν φησιν. Τὰ εἰς 'τις' πρὸ τοῦ 'τις' 'υ' ἔχοντα, σπάνια ὄντα, τὰ μὲν βαρύνεται, Σύρτις, Ξύστις πόλις Καρίας. Βέρυτις Τρωϊκὴ πόλις. Ἄφυτις πόλις Θρᾴκης. Θουκυδίδης αʹ ( 64) «ἐξ Ἀφύτιος ὁρμώμενος». λέγεται καὶ Ἄφυτος καὶ Ἀφύτη. Κάλυτις πόλις Συρίας. Ἡρόδοτος δευτέρᾳ (c. 159)· Κάνυτις πόλις Συρίων μεγάλη, ὡς Ἑκαταῖος Ἀσίᾳ. τὰ δὲ ὀξύνεται, ῥυτίς, κυρτίς. Καλυτίς τὸ ἐθνικόν. Ἀψυρτίς. Ἀψυρτίδες
Words in -τις, when preceded by a vowel or by ω-mega, and not being adjectival—unless they stand beside a masculine in -της—are accented with an acute: φορτίς, νοτίς, κοιτίς, Προιτίς, οὐτίς (the animal) in Alcman, Δωτίς, ὠτίς, and φροντίς; unless, that is, it is a proper name, in which case it will also be barytone. πόρτις is no counterexample; for it occurs also without the τ: «πόριες περὶ βοῦς ἀγελαίας» (Od. κ 410). The proviso “not being adjectival” is added because of πότις, beside which stands πότης.
Disyllabic proper names in -τις, with penult in ε or η or the diphthong αι, are barytone: Θέτις; Βαῖτις, a river in Iberia, which is called Πέρκης by the natives; Ἦτις, a district of Laconia and a city of Crete.
Feminines in -τις of more than two syllables, not formed from masculines in -ης, are accented with an acute: Βοιωτίς, Θεσπρωτίς, Εἱλωτίς, Ἐνετίς, Ἑλλωτίς; thus among the Cretans Europa, from whom the city Gortyn was formerly called Ἑλλωτίς. Λαμωτίς is Antioch of Isauria. But Ῥακῶτις—thus Alexandria was formerly called—and Λιμενῶτις, a Celtic peninsula, are circumflexed on the penult, as being formed from masculines in -ης.
Polysyllabic names of cities in -τις, with penult in α or ο, are barytone: Κάλλατις, a small town on the coast of Pontus. Strabo in the seventh book: because a basket (κάλαθος) was found resembling those used at the Thesmophoria. Ναύκρατις, a city of Egypt, founded by Milesians when they then held sea-power, as Strabo in the seventeenth. Ὀνεΐβατις, a city of Egypt: Hecataeus in the Circuit of Libya. Ἰαγξούατις, a city of the Libyans: Hecataeus in Asia. Ἄβοτις, a city of Egypt, as Hecataeus. Κράμβοτις, a city of Egypt, which Hecataeus in the Circuit of Libya says is Κράμβουτιν.
Words in -τις having υ before -τις, being rare, are in some cases barytone: Σύρτις; Ξύστις, a city of Caria; Βέρυτις, a Trojan city; Ἄφυτις, a city of Thrace. Thucydides book 1 (64): «ἐξ Ἀφύτιος ὁρμώμενος». It is also called Ἄφυτος and Ἀφύτη. Κάλυτις, a city of Syria. Herodotus in the second book (c. 159). Κάνυτις, a great city of the Syrians, as Hecataeus in Asia. But in other cases they are accented with an acute: ῥυτίς, κυρτίς. Καλυτίς is the ethnic. Ἀψυρτίς. Ἀψυρτίδες.