καὶ Αἴσαρος. τὸ δὲ φλύαρος ὀφείλει συστέλλεσθαι. τούτου δέ τινες ἐκτείνουσι τὸ 'α', καὶ μάλιστα παρ´ Ἀττικοῖς. * Τὰ διὰ τοῦ 'αρος' ὀξύτονα συστέλλει τὸ 'α', μαδαρός, χαλαρός, ῥυπαρός, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα ἐστὶ τοιαῦτα. χρὴ οὖν καὶ τὸ ἀνιαρός συστέλλειν τὸ 'α'. δηλονότι τὸ νομιζόμενον Ἴωσιν ἀνιηρός πρότερόν ἐστι καὶ λοιπὸν τὸ ἀνιαρός ὡς ἐδέξατο τροπὴν Ἰωνικὴν (?) ἔμεινεν ἐκτεινόμενον. * Τὰ εἰς 'ρος' λήγοντα ὀξύτονα, ὅτε ἔχει τὴν τρίτην ἀπὸ τέλους ἤτοι θέσει μακρὰν ἢ φύσει, πάντως ἔχει τὴν πρὸ τέλους μηκυνομένην. εἰ δὲ ἡ πρὸ τέλους εἴη βραχεῖα, καὶ ἡ τρίτη ἀπὸ τέλους, βλαβερός, φανερός, ῥυπαρός, ὀχυρός, καπυρός, ἱερός. τὸ γὰρ ἐκτεῖνον τὸ 'ι' ποιητικόν ἐστι· κρατερός, τὸ γὰρ καρτερός ὑπέρθεσιν ἔχει. τὰ μέντοι ἔχοντα τὴν πρὸ τέλους τρίτην μακράν, ὡς ἔφην, ἔχει καὶ τὴν πρὸ τέλους μακράν, ποιηρός, ἀτηρός, ἀλγηρός, πνιγηρός, ἀνθηρός, τολμηρός, ἰσχυρός. ὅθεν ἐπεὶ τὸ ἁλμυρός ἔχει τὴν τρίτην ἀπὸ τέλους μακρὰν ὑγιῶς ἕξει καὶ τὴν πρὸ τέλους μακράν. ἀναλογώτεροι οὖν οἱ Ἀττικοὶ ἐκτείνοντες αὐτό. παρὰ μέντοι τῷ ποιητῇ ἀνέγνωμεν «ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ» (δ 511). ἀντιπίπτει τὸ πενθερός μακρὰν ἔχον τὴν τρίτην ἀπὸ τέλους, βραχεῖαν τὴν πρὸ τέλους. ἀλλ´ οὖν γε εἴρηται πενθηρός τὸ ἐπίθετον διὰ τοῦ 'η' ὥσπερ ἐπὶ ἱματίου μέλανος «Α. φέρ´ αὔτ´ ἀνύσας. Β. ἀλλ´ ἐστὶ πενθηρὸν πάνυ». οὕτως γὰρ ἔφη Ἀναξίλας. οὐκ ἀναστρέφει ὁ κανών. οὐ γὰρ πάντως τὰ ἔχοντα πρὸ τέλους μακρὰν ἔχουσι καὶ τὴν τρίτην μακράν. ἰδοὺ γὰρ πονηρός, τυχηρός. * Τὰ εἰς 'σος' λήγοντα ὑπὲρ δύο συλλαβὰς προπαροξυνόμενα καὶ ἔχοντα πρὸ τέλους 'α' συνεσταλμένον αὐτὸ ἔχουσι· ταύτῃ μοι δοκεῖ καὶ τὸ Ἴασος τὸ 'α' συστέλλειν τῷ χαρακτῆρι πεισθέν. ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ὀξυτόνων τῶν ἐχόντων τὸ 'α' ὁρᾶται καὶ ἡ συστολὴ καὶ ἡ ἔκτασις, (?) ὡς ἐν τῷ Τάμασος καὶ Ἐγγύασος, ἀλλὰ καὶ κέρασος καὶ Ἔρασος (?). Πᾶν θηλυκὸν εἰς 'α' λῆγον ὀξυνόμενον ἢ περισπώμενον ἐκτείνει αὐτό, φοβερά, Ἀθηνᾶ, πυρκαϊά, μνᾶ. διὸ καὶ τὸ ἀγυιά καὶ ὀργυιά ὁτὲ μὲν ἐκτείνεται ὀξυνόμενον παρ´ Ἴωσι, ὁτὲ δὲ βαρύνεται καὶ συστέλλεται. Τὰ εἰς 'α' λήγοντα θηλυκὰ παρεσχηματισμένα ἀρσενικῷ ὁμόχρονον ἔχει τῷ τέλει τῆς γενικῆς τοῦ ἀρσενικοῦ τὸ 'α', ὀξέος ὀξεῖα, τάλανος
And Αἴσαρος. But φλύαρος ought to have the α shortened. Some, however, lengthen the α in this word, and especially among the Attic writers.
The oxytone words in -αρος shorten the α: μαδαρός, χαλαρός, ῥυπαρός, and whatever other such words there are. Therefore one must also shorten the α in ἀνιαρός. Clearly, what is thought to be the Ionic form ἀνιηρός is earlier, and then ἀνιαρός, having undergone an Ionic change, remained with the vowel lengthened.
Oxytone words ending in -ρος, when the third syllable from the end is long either by position or by nature, in every case have the penult lengthened. But if the penult is short, then the third from the end is short as well: βλαβερός, φανερός, ῥυπαρός, ὀχυρός, καπυρός, ἱερός. For the form that lengthens the ι is poetic; κρατερός—for καρτερός has metathesis. Those, however, that have the third from the end long, as I said, also have the penult long: ποιηρός, ἀτηρός, ἀλγηρός, πνιγηρός, ἀνθηρός, τολμηρός, ἰσχυρός. Hence, since ἁλμυρός has the third from the end long, it will correctly also have the penult long. The Attic writers, therefore, are more in accordance with analogy when they lengthen it. Yet in the poet we have read “ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ” (δ 511). The word πενθερός stands in opposition, having the third from the end long but the penult short. But in fact the adjective is said as πενθηρός with η, as in the case of a black garment: “A. Come, having finished it. B. But it is very πενθηρόν.” For thus Anaxilas spoke. The rule is not reversed; for it is not the case that words with a long penult necessarily also have the third from the end long: see, for example, πονηρός, τυχηρός.
Words ending in -σος, of more than two syllables, proparoxytone, and having α in the penult, have that α shortened; in this way it seems to me that Ἴασος too shortens its α, persuaded by its form. But in the case of oxytone words that have α, both shortening and lengthening are observed, as in Τάμασος and Ἐγγύασος, and also κέρασος and Ἔρασος.
Every feminine noun ending in -α, accented with an acute or a circumflex, lengthens it: φοβερά, Ἀθηνᾶ, πυρκαϊά, μνᾶ. Therefore ἀγυιά and ὀργυιά are sometimes lengthened with an acute accent among the Ionians, but sometimes are given a grave accent and shortened.
Feminine nouns ending in -α, formed alongside a masculine, have the α at the end of the genitive of the masculine of the same quantity: ὀξέος—ὀξεῖα, τάλανος.