Discusses gender and accent behavior of Greek nouns in -ηρ; which are treated as feminine or masculine, when they become heavy or oxytones, examples of words and ethnic/place names, and patterns with compounds.
εἰσιν οἱ συγγενεῖς. ἀρσενικὰ δὲ εἶπον διὰ τὰ θηλυκά. καὶ γὰρ τὰ εἰς 'ηρ' θηλυκά, μὴ μετατιθέμενα κατά τι ἔθος ποιητικὸν εἰς διάφορον γένος, βαρύνεται, μήτηρ, θυγάτηρ, Δημήτηρ, εἰνάτηρ. προσέθηκα δὲ «μὴ μετατιθέμενα κατά τι ἔθος ποιητικὸν εἰς διάφορον γένος» διὰ τὸ, «ῥαιστῆρα κρατερήν» (Σ 477) «ὕλην στεγαστῆρα». τοιαῦτα γάρ ἐστιν ὁποῖον ἡ αἰθήρ ἡ ἀήρ. σημειώδης ἄρα ἡ γαστήρ ὀξυνομένη. Τὰ εἰς 'ηρ' ἐθνικὰ ἢ κύρια, μὴ συνεμπίπτοντα προσηγορικοῖς, βαρύνονται, Ἴβηρ ὁ ποταμός, οὗ μέμνηται Ἀπολλόδωρος ἐν τῇ περὶ γῆς βʹ ἐντὸς δὲ Πυρήνης Ἴβηρ τ´ ἐστὶν μέγας ποταμὸς φερόμενος ἐνδοτέρω. καὶ τὸ ἐθνικὸν ὁμοφώνως. Ἀριστοφάνης Τριφάλητι «μανθάνοντες τοὺς Ἴβηρας τοὺς Ἀριστάρχου πάλαι» καὶ «τοὺς Ἴβηρας οὓς χορηγεῖς μοι βοηθῆσαι δρόμῳ» καὶ Ἀρτεμίδωρος ἐν δευτέρῳ τῶν γεωγραφουμένων «γραμματικῇ δὲ χρῶνται τῇ τῶν Ἰταλῶν οἱ παρὰ θάλατταν οἰκοῦντες τῶν Ἰβήρων». Ἰλλίβηρ, Δόβηρ ἔθνος Παιονίας, Πίηρ, Βύζηρ ἔθνος ἐν τῷ Πόντῳ. τὸ μέντοι Ἐλευθήρ εἷς τῶν Κουρήτων, ἀφ´ οὗ Ἐλευθεραί πόλις Κρήτης, καὶ υἱὸς Ἀπόλλωνος, ἀφ´ οὗ Ἐλευθεραί πόλις Βοιωτίας, ὀξύνεται ὡς τὸ Ἀστήρ. Τὰ εἰς 'ηρ' μὴ ὄντα σύνθετα μηδὲ ἐθνικὰ ὀξύνεται, ἀνήρ, δαήρ, ἀήρ, αἰθήρ, σπινθήρ. τὸ μέντοι ἐρίηρ ὡς σύνθετον βαρύνεται. Τὰ εἰς 'ηρ' ὀξύτονα φυλάττοντα τὸ 'η' κατὰ τὴν γενικὴν φυλάττει καὶ τὸν τόνον ἐν τῇ συνθέσει οἷον δετήρ ἀμαλλοδετήρ, στατήρ ὀβελοστατήρ. τὸ μέντοι ἀνήρ λιπάνηρ, δαήρ πολυδάηρ, πατήρ αἰνοπάτηρ ὡς μὴ φυλάττοντα τὸ 'η' βαρύνονται. καὶ τὸ πάνθηρ καὶ σατυρόφηρ ἀπὸ μονοσυλλάβων.
These are the cognate forms. I spoke of the masculine because of the feminine. For the feminines in -ηρ, when they are not shifted by some poetic usage into a different gender, are barytone: μήτηρ, θυγάτηρ, Δημήτηρ, εἰνάτηρ. I added “when they are not shifted by some poetic usage into a different gender” because of “ῥαιστῆρα κρατερήν” (Σ 477) and “ὕλην στεγαστῆρα”. For such are like ἡ αἰθήρ, ἡ ἀήρ. Therefore γαστήρ, being oxytone, is exceptional.
Ethnics or proper names in -ηρ, not coinciding with appellatives, are barytone: Ἴβηρ the river, which Apollodorus mentions in the second book of his work On the Earth: “and within Pyrene there is also Ἴβηρ, a great river flowing further inland.” And the ethnic likewise, with the same sound. Aristophanes in Triphaletes: “learning the Ἴβηρες of Aristarchus long ago,” and “the Ἴβηρες whom you provide for me to help at a run”; and Artemidorus in the second book of his Geographical Writings: “and those of the Ἴβηρες who dwell by the sea use the script of the Italians.” Ἰλλίβηρ, Δόβηρ, a people of Paeonia, Πίηρ, Βύζηρ, a people in Pontus. But Ἐλευθήρ, one of the Curetes, from whom Ἐλευθεραί, a city of Crete, and the son of Apollo, from whom Ἐλευθεραί, a city of Boeotia, is oxytone like Ἀστήρ.
Words in -ηρ that are neither compounds nor ethnics are oxytone: ἀνήρ, δαήρ, ἀήρ, αἰθήρ, σπινθήρ. But ἐρίηρ, as a compound, is barytone.
Oxytone words in -ηρ that keep the η in the genitive also keep the accent in composition, e.g. δετήρ, ἀμαλλοδετήρ; στατήρ, ὀβελοστατήρ. But ἀνήρ in λιπάνηρ, δαήρ in πολυδάηρ, πατήρ in αἰνοπάτηρ, since they do not keep the η, are barytone. So too πάνθηρ and σατυρόφηρ, from monosyllables.