Accentuation patterns for words ending in -νη and various place-name examples (cities and islands: Polichne, Arne, Karne, Kerni, etc.)
ἐπὶ τοῦ πλοίου, βαρύνομεν ὡς λευκή καὶ λεύκη. ἀντιπίπτει δὲ τὸ στρωμνή. * Ὡσαύτως καὶ τὰ ὑπερδισύλλαβα βαρύνεται, Πολίχνη Κρήτης πόλις. ἔστι καὶ Πολίχνα πόλις Τρῳάδος. Εὐδείπνη νῆσος Λιβυφοινίκων. Ἑκαταῖος περιηγήσει Λιβύης. Θεράπναι πόλις Λακωνική, ἥν τινες Σπάρτην φασίν, ἔστι δὲ τόπος ἔχων ναὸν τῶν Διοσκούρων διὰ τὸ ἐκεῖ τούτους τιμᾶσθαι. θεραπεύειν γὰρ τιμᾶν σημαίνει καὶ ὁ ναὸς τὴν οἰκίαν, ἔνθα θεοὶ θεραπεύονται. Καλύδναι νῆσοι, Ἀφίδναι δῆμος Ἀττικῆς, λέγεται δὲ καὶ Κάλυδνα, Ἄφιδνα. Ἀκάνναι ἐμπόριον περὶ τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν. τὸ δὲ Ἐρυμναί πόλις Λυκίας—Ἀλέξανδρος ἐν πρώτῃ Λυκιακῶν—ὀξύνεται ἐπιθετικὸν ὄν. Τὰ εἰς 'νη' μονογενῆ ἔχοντα τὴν πρὸ τέλους συλλαβὴν εἰς 'ρ' καταλήγουσαν βαρύνεται, πτέρνη, Λέρνη ἡ κρήνη, πέρνη καὶ Πέρνη πόλις Θρᾴκης ἀντικρὺ Θάσου, Τάρνη πόλις Ἀχαΐας, Ἄρνη πόλις Βοιωτίας. Ὅμηρος «οἵ τε πολυστάφυλον τ´ Ἄρνην ἔχον» (Il. Β 507) καὶ Λυκόφρων (v. 644) «Ἄρνης παλαιᾶς γέννα, Τεμμίκων πρόμοι». δευτέρα πόλις Θεσσαλίας, ἄποικος τῆς Βοιωτίας, περὶ ἧς χρησμός «Ἄρνη χηρεύουσα μένει Βοιώτιον ἄνδρα». θυγατέρα δέ φασιν Αἰόλου τὴν Ἄρνην. τρίτη Μεσοποταμίας. τετάρτη τῆς Γρασινίων πρὸς τῇ Θρᾴκῃ. Θέρνη πόλις Θρᾴκης, Κάρνη πόλις Φοινίκης ἀπὸ Κάρνου τοῦ Φοίνικος, ὡς Ἴστρος φησίν. Ἀρτεμίδωρος δ´ ἐν τῷ δεκάτῳ βιβλίῳ φησίν «ἔστι Κάρνος καὶ συνεχῶς Πάλτος, εἶτα Γάβαλα πόλις». ἔστι δὲ ἄλλη Αἰολίδος. Κέρνη πόλις καὶ λιμήν. τὸ δὲ φερνή ἡ προίξ παρὰ τὸ φέρω ὀξύνεται. Αἰολεῖς δὲ φέρεναν αὐτὴν λέγουσιν ὁμοίως τῇ Ἔλεναν. * Ἔτι καὶ τὰ εἰς 'νη' μονογενῆ ὑπερδισύλλαβα ἔχοντα πρὸ τοῦ 'ν' 'ρ' βαρύνεται, Ἰέρνη νῆσος ἐν τῷ πέρατι πρὸς ταῖς δυσμαῖς, Ἰουέρνη πόλις ἐν τῷ πόντῳ τῷ Πρετανικῷ. Ἀχάρναι δῆμος τῆς Οἰνηΐδος φυλῆς.
In the case of πλοῖον we give the accent grave, as with λευκή and λεύκη; but στρωμνή is an exception. Likewise the words of more than two syllables are also given the accent grave: Πολίχνη, a city of Crete. There is also Πολίχνα, a city of the Troad. Εὐδείπνη, an island of the Libyphoenicians—Hecataeus in his Circuit of Libya. Θερᾶπναι, a Laconian city, which some say is Sparta; but it is a place having a temple of the Dioscuri, because they are honored there. For θεραπεύειν means ‘to honor’, and ναός means ‘the dwelling’, where gods are honored. Καλύδναι, islands; Ἀφίδναι, a deme of Attica; but one also says Κάλυδνα, Ἄφιδνα. Ἀκάνναι, an emporium near the Red Sea. But Ἐρυμναί, a city of Lycia—Alexander in the first book of his Lyciaca—takes an acute accent, since it is adjectival.
The monogender nouns in -νη whose penultimate syllable ends in ρ take a grave accent: πτέρνη; Λέρνη, the spring; πέρνη; and Πέρνη, a city of Thrace opposite Thasos; Τάρνη, a city of Achaea; Ἄρνη, a city of Boeotia. Homer: “and those who held πολυστάφυλον Ἄρνην” (Il. Β 507); and Lycophron (v. 644): “offspring of ancient Ἄρνη, leaders of the Temmici.” A second city of Thessaly, a colony of Boeotia, about which there is an oracle: “Ἄρνη, bereft, awaits a Boeotian man.” They say that Ἄρνη was a daughter of Aeolus. A third is in Mesopotamia; a fourth in the land of the Grasinioi near Thrace. Θέρνη, a city of Thrace; Κάρνη, a city of Phoenicia, from Κάρνος the Phoenician, as Istros says. But Artemidorus in the tenth book says: “There is Κάρνος, and next in order Πάλτος, then Γάβαλα, a city.” There is also another in Aeolis. Κέρνη, a city and harbor. But φερνή, ‘dowry’, from φέρω, takes an acute accent. The Aeolians, however, call it φέρενα, like Ἔλεναν.
Further, the monogender words in -νη of more than two syllables that have ρ before ν take a grave accent: Ἰέρνη, an island at the extremity toward the west; Ἰουέρνη, a city in the British Ocean. Ἀχάρναι, a deme of the Oineis tribe.