Discussion of quantity (lengthening/shortening) and accent behavior of vowels (especially α and ι) in nouns ending in -ων, -αξ, -ιξ; effects of syllable count and gender; many example words and notes on proper names and variants.
ἔνθεν παρ´ Ἐπιχάρμῳ βάσσον. τὸ ἐλάσσων, θάσσων «θάσσονας ἰρήκων ἔμεναι καλλίτριχας ἵππους» (Ν 819) σεσημείωται, ὅτι φύσει μακρᾷ παραλήγεται. * Τὰ εἰς 'ων' δισύλλαβα τῷ 'ι' παραληγόμενα μὴ ὄντα κύρια ἐκτείνει αὐτό, κίων, πρίων, πίων. τὸ δὲ Δίων, Ἴων κύριά εἰσιν. * Τὰ εἰς 'αξ' λήγοντα καὶ ἐκτείνει τὸ 'α' καὶ συστέλλει· ὅσα μὲν οὖν δισύλλαβα ὄντα ἔχει πρὸ τέλους μὴ φύσει μακράν, ἀλλ´ ἢ βραχεῖαν ἢ θέσει μακράν, ἀδιάφορον ἔχει τὸν χρόνον τοῦ 'α', κόραξ, κόλαξ, φύλαξ, ἄναξ, βόαξ, νέαξ, ὄμφαξ, φόρταξ. εἰ μέντοι ἡ πρὸ τέλους φύσει μακρὰ εἴη, ἡ δὲ τελευταία συστέλλοιτο, γένος θηλυκὸν ὁρᾶται, πῖδαξ, κλῖμαξ, λεῖμαξ, βῶλαξ. διὸ καὶ τὸ μεῖραξ ἐπὶ θηλυκῷ τιθέμενον εὖ ἂν ἔχοι. οὐκ ἀγνοῶ δὲ ὡς ἔσθ´ ὅτε οἱ κωμικοὶ καὶ ἀρσενικῷ γένει τὴν σύνταξιν ποιοῦνται ἀλλ´ εἰκὸς αὐτοὺς θηλυκῇ προσηγορίᾳ σκώπτειν τοὺς πασχητιῶντας. ὅσα μέντοι ἔχει τὴν πρὸ τέλους φύσει μακρὰν ἀρσενικὰ ὄντα καὶ τὸ 'α' θέλει ἔχειν ἐκτεταμένον, ὡς ἔχει τὸ Φαίαξ, θώραξ, οἴαξ, πλούταξ, βώμαξ, κνώδαξ· σημειούμεθα τὸ Γῦναξ καὶ Γῦλαξ, ἔχοντα φύσει μακρὰν τὴν παραλήγουσαν καὶ συστέλλοντα τὸ 'α'. εἰσὶ δὲ ταῦτα κύρια ὀνόματα, καὶ τὸ σαῦσαξ, φασὶ δὲ εἶναι τοῦτο ὄσπρεον, καὶ τὸ καύαξ διφορούμενον. τοῦτο γάρ ποτε μὲν συστέλλει τὸ 'α', ποτὲ δὲ ἐκτείνει αὐτό. ἔστι δὲ ὄρνεον. Τὰ μέντοι ὑπὲρ δύο συλλαβὰς ἐκτείνει τὸ 'α' μὴ ὄντα σύνθετα, ἱέραξ, Ἐπιδαύραξ, ὀρθίαξ, θυμέλαξ. τὰ δὲ σύνθετα βαρύτονα καὶ τὸν τῶν ἁπλῶν χρόνον φυλάττει, Ἀχαρνοφαίαξ, Ἱππῶναξ, Ἀρχεάναξ, ἐριβῶλαξ, πολυπῖδαξ. τὰ δὲ ὀξύτονα σύνθετα συστέλλει τὸ 'α', διασφάξ, βλεφαροσπάξ. τὰ μέντοι μονοσύλλαβα θηλυκὰ μὲν ὄντα, θέλει συστέλλειν τὸ 'α', σπάξ, οὕτως ὁ κύων παρὰ Πέρσαις, [κλάξ], πλάξ, γλάξ, δράξ, ἡ δὲ ῥάξ ἐκτέταται. τὰ δὲ ἐκτείνοντα τὸ 'α' ἀρσενικά ἐστι, βλάξ, κράξ, πτάξ· τὸ δὲ Πράξ ἱστορεῖται μὲν ἐκτείνεσθαι· ἐγένετο δὲ Ἀχιλλέως ἀπόγονος, ἔνθεν οἱ Πρᾶκες· συστέλλεται δέ ἐσθ´ ὅτε τὸ 'α'. * Τὰ μέντοι εἰς 'ιξ' μονοσύλλαβα συστέλλει τὸ 'ι' ἔχοντα δύο σύμφωνα πρὸ τοῦ 'ι', στίξ, φρίξ, θρίξ. τὸ μέντοι ἴξ καὶ Φίξ ἐκτείνεται. τὰ μέντοι εἰς 'ιξ' λήγοντα ὑπὲρ μίαν συλλαβὴν πάντα συστέλλει τὸ 'ι'. ἐπὶ μέντοι γενικῇ πῇ μὲν φυλάττει τὸ 'ι' συνεσταλμένον, πῇ δὲ ἐκτείνει. καί φασι τήρησίν τινα εἶναι τοιαύτην, ὡς τὰ ἔχοντα πρὸ τέλους μακρὸν ἔχει ἐν τῇ γενικῇ ἐκτεινόμενον τὸ 'ι', φοῖνιξ, βέμβιξ, Τέμμιξ, πέμφιξ, τέττιξ, σκάνδιξ, πέρδιξ, χοῖνιξ. Πτολεμαῖος δὲ ὁ Ἀσκαλωνίτης φησὶν ὡς τῆς πέρδικος καὶ χοίνικος γενικῆς ἡ μέση συστέλλεται, πεισθεὶς Ἀριστοφάνει τῷ γραμματικῷ καὶ τοῖς οὕτω χρησαμένοις
Whence in Epicharmus βάσσον. The forms ἐλάσσων, θάσσων—“θάσσονας ἰρήκων ἔμεναι καλλίτριχας ἵππους” (Ν 819)—have been noted, because they have by nature a long penult.
The disyllables in -ων with penult in ι, when they are not proper names, lengthen it: κίων, πρίων, πίων. But Δίων and Ἴων are proper names.
Words ending in -αξ both lengthen and shorten the α. Accordingly, those which, being disyllabic, have before the last syllable a vowel not long by nature, but either short or long by position, have the quantity of α indifferent: κόραξ, κόλαξ, φύλαξ, ἄναξ, βόαξ, νέαξ, ὄμφαξ, φόρταξ. But if the syllable before the last is long by nature and the last is shortened, the gender is seen to be feminine: πῖδαξ, κλῖμαξ, λεῖμαξ, βῶλαξ. Therefore μεῖραξ too, when used of a feminine, would be in good order. I am not unaware that sometimes the comic poets make the construction in the masculine gender; but it is likely that with a feminine appellation they are mocking those who are in that condition. But whatever has the syllable before the last long by nature, being masculine, also wishes to have the α lengthened, as Φαίαξ, θώραξ, οἴαξ, πλούταξ, βώμαξ, κνώδαξ; we note Γῦναξ and Γῦλαξ, which have the penult long by nature and shorten the α. These, however, are proper names; and also σαῦσαξ (they say this is a kind of pulse), and καύαξ, which varies: for this sometimes shortens the α, and sometimes lengthens it. It is a bird.
Words, however, of more than two syllables, when not compounds, lengthen the α: ἱέραξ, Ἐπιδαύραξ, ὀρθίαξ, θυμέλαξ. Compounds that are barytone both preserve the quantity of the simple forms: Ἀχαρνοφαίαξ, Ἱππῶναξ, Ἀρχεάναξ, ἐριβῶλαξ, πολυπῖδαξ. But oxytone compounds shorten the α: διασφάξ, βλεφαροσπάξ.
The monosyllables, however, being feminine, wish to shorten the α: σπάξ—thus “dog” among the Persians—[κλάξ], πλάξ, γλάξ, δράξ; but ῥάξ is lengthened. Those that lengthen the α are masculine: βλάξ, κράξ, πτάξ; and Πράξ is reported to be lengthened; he was a descendant of Achilles, whence the Πρᾶκες; yet sometimes the α is shortened.
The monosyllables in -ιξ, having two consonants before the ι, shorten the ι: στίξ, φρίξ, θρίξ. But ἴξ and Φίξ are lengthened. All words ending in -ιξ of more than one syllable shorten the ι. In the genitive, however, in some cases it keeps the ι shortened, in others it lengthens it. And they say that there is some such rule as this: that those which have a long syllable before the last have in the genitive the ι lengthened—φοῖνιξ, βέμβιξ, Τέμμιξ, πέμφιξ, τέττιξ, σκάνδιξ, πέρδιξ, χοῖνιξ. But Ptolemy of Ascalon says that in the genitive of πέρδιξ and χοῖνιξ the middle syllable is shortened, persuaded by Aristophanes the grammarian and by those who have used it so.