Discussion of παραδιαζευκτικὸς (disjunctive) and διασαφητικὸς (clarificative) uses of ἢ, with examples and rules for accentuation (which member is oxytone vs perispomenon) and their force in sentences.
παραδιαζευκτικὸς ἢ διασαφητικὸς ὀξύνεται πάντως· εἰ δὲ καὶ πλεονάζει τὸ 'ε', ἐπὶ τέλους ἔχει τὴν ὀξεῖαν. διαζευκτικὸς μὲν »ἢ νύξ ἐστιν ἢ ἡμέρα«· τὸ γὰρ ἕτερον ἀληθές, τὸ δὲ ἕτερον ψευδές. καὶ τὸ Αἰδώς, Ἀργεῖοι· νῦν ἄρκιον ἢ ἀπολέσθαι ἠὲ σαωθῆναι καὶ ἀπώσασθαι κακὰ νηῶν» (Ο 502 et 503). παραδιαζευκτικὸς δὲ «Φαίδων ἢ περὶ ψυχῆς» «ἢ νέος ἠὲ παλαιός» (Ξ 108)· ἢ γὰρ τὸ ἓν ἢ καὶ τὸ ἕτερον ἢ καὶ ἀμφότερα· ἡ γὰρ τῶν διαζευκτικῶν δύναμις τοιαύτη ἐστί. διασαφητικὸς δὲ «πλουτεῖν ἢ πένεσθαι» ὃς καὶ τὸ περ λαμβάνει, ἤπερ πένεσθαι. βούλομ´ ἐγὼ λαὸν σόον ἔμμεναι ἢ ἀπολέσθαι (Α 117). διασαφεῖ γὰρ τὸ ἕτερον, ὅπερ αἱρεῖται. Ἡνίκα εὑρέθη διαπόρησις μετὰ διαζεύξεως, τότε τὸν μὲν πρῶτον 'η' ὀξυτονητέον, τὸν δὲ δεύτερον περισπαστέον οἷον ἢ δολιχὴ νοῦσος ἦ Ἄρτεμις ἰοχέαιρα (Od. λ 172). ἐναντία γὰρ ταῦτα μαχόμενα καὶ ἅμα εἶναι οὐ δυνάμενα. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐρώτησις καὶ ἀπορία μετὰ διαζεύξεως. τοιοῦτό ἐστι καὶ τὸ
The disjunctive or the clarificatory is in any case accented with an acute; but if the ‘ε’ is also added in excess, it has the acute on the final syllable. Disjunctive: “either it is night or day”; for the one is true and the other false. And: “Shame, Argives! now it is enough either to perish or to be saved and to ward off evils from the ships” (Ο 502 et 503). But quasi-disjunctive: “Phaedo, or On the Soul”; “either young or old” (Ξ 108); for either the one, or also the other, or also both; for such is the force of the disjunctives. Clarificatory: “to be rich or to be poor”, which also takes περ, “rather than to be poor”. “I would have the host be safe, rather than perish” (Α 117). For it makes clear the other alternative, which he chooses. Whenever a perplexity is found together with a disjunction, then the first ἢ must be given an acute accent, and the second a circumflex, as for example: “either a lingering disease, or Artemis who delights in arrows” (Od. λ 172). For these are opposites, contending with one another and unable to exist together. And for this reason there is a question and a difficulty together with a disjunction. Such too is the following: