Discusses roughening (dasyne) and psilosis of initial vowels η, ι, and ο before consonants (κ, λ, μ, στ, double consonants), with examples and dialectal notes.
* Τὸ 'η' πρὸ τοῦ 'κ' δασύνεται. τὸ δὲ ἤκιστα (Ψ 531) ψιλοῦται παραλόγως, δασύνεται δὲ Ἀττικῶς, ἐπειδὴ ἐκ τοῦ ἡσσῶ τοῦ δασυνομένου γίνεται. δείκνυται δὲ ἐκ τῆς συναλοιφῆς δασυνόμενον. «οὐχ ἥκιστα» γάρ. Τὸ 'η' πρὸ τοῦ 'λ' ψιλοῦται, ἠλίβατος ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀλιτεῖν ἐσχηματισμένον· οἱ μέντοι δασύνοντες ἐτυμολογοῦσι παρὰ τὸν ἥλιον, τὴν ἡλίῳ βατὴν οὖσαν μόνῳ· οὐκ ἐπείσθη δὲ ἡ παράδοσις, ὡς πρόδηλον ἐκ τῆς συναλοιφῆς «τὸν μέν τ´ ἠλίβατος πέτρη» (Ο 273), ἠλιτόμηνος, πλὴν τοῦ ἥλιος· τὸ δὲ Ἦλις, ἀφ´ ἧς οἱ Ἠλεῖοι, διφορεῖται κατὰ τὸ πνεῦμα. καὶ δασύνεται γάρ. ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁλίζω τὸ ἀθροίζω διὰ τὸ πολλοὺς ἐκεῖ ἐν τῷ ἀγῶνι τῶν Ὀλυμπίων ἀθροίζεσθαι. καὶ ψιλοῦται μάλιστα διὰ τὸν χαρακτῆρα. ὡσαύτως καὶ Ἠλιαία δικαστήριον Ἀθηναίων παρὰ τὸ «ἁλέες δεῦτε» παραγωγὸν ἁλία καὶ ἡλιαία. * Τὸ 'η' πρὸ τοῦ 'μ' δασύνεται καὶ ψιλοῦται, ἡμέρα δασύνεται, τὸ δὲ μετασχηματιζόμενον ἦμαρ ψιλοῦται, ἥμην ἐπὶ τοῦ καθῆσθαι δασύνεται, τὸ δὲ σημαντικὸν τοῦ ὑπάρχειν, ὃ σπανίως εὑρίσκεται κατὰ τὴν χρῆσιν τῶν Ἑλλήνων, ὁ μέντοι ποιητὴς οὐκ ἐχρήσατο, ψιλοῦται. τὸ ἥμονες ἀκοντισταὶ καὶ ῥήτορες καὶ ὀρχησταὶ δασυντέον. τὸ θέμα ἵημι. παρὰ τὸν ἥσω μέλλοντα «ἥσω γὰρ καὶ ἐγώ» (Il. Ρ 515), παρὰ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τὸ ἧμα ἐγεγόνει πάλιν δασυνόμενον «καὶ ἥμασιν ἔπλευ ἄριστος» (Ψ 891) καὶ ἡμοσύνη καὶ μεθημοσύνη. Τὸ 'ι' πρὸ δασέος ψιλοῦται, ἶφις, ἰχθῦς, ἰχανόων. * Τὸ 'ι' πρὸ τοῦ 'στ' μόνου δασύνεται, ἱστῶ, ἱστίον, ἵστημι, ἵστωρ. πρόσκειται τὸ μόνου, ἐπεὶ τὸ Ἴστρος ψιλοῦται. Τὸ 'ο' πρὸ τῶν διπλῶν ψιλοῦται, ὄξος, ὀψέ, ὄζαινα.
The ‘η’ before ‘κ’ is aspirated. But ἤκιστα (Ψ 531) is unaspirated contrary to rule, though in Attic it is aspirated, since it comes from ἡσσῶ, which is aspirated. And it is shown to be aspirated from elision: for «οὐχ ἥκιστα». The ‘η’ before ‘λ’ is unaspirated: ἠλίβατος, formed from ἀλιτεῖν; those, however, who aspirate it derive it etymologically from ἥλιος, as being passable only to the sun; but the tradition was not persuaded, as is clear from the elision «τὸν μέν τ´ ἠλίβατος πέτρη» (Ο 273); likewise ἠλιτόμηνος, except ἥλιος. But Ἦλις, from which the Ἠλεῖοι, is in doubt as regards the breathing: for it is aspirated, from ἁλίζω ‘to gather’, because many gather there at the contest of the Olympians; and it is most often unaspirated because of its form. Likewise Ἠλιαία, an Athenian court, from «ἁλέες δεῦτε», with the derivative ἁλία and ἡλιαία. The ‘η’ before ‘μ’ is both aspirated and unaspirated: ἡμέρα is aspirated, but the altered form ἦμαρ is unaspirated; ἥμην in the sense ‘to sit’ is aspirated, but the one meaning ‘to exist’, which is rarely found in Greek usage (and in any case the poet did not use it), is unaspirated. ἥμονες, ‘javelin-men’ and ‘orators’ and ‘dancers’, must be aspirated; the base is ἵημι, from the future ἥσω, «ἥσω γὰρ καὶ ἐγώ» (Il. Ρ 515); and from this ἧμα too has again arisen, aspirated, «καὶ ἥμασιν ἔπλευ ἄριστος» (Ψ 891), and also ἡμοσύνη and μεθημοσύνη. The ‘ι’ before an aspirate is unaspirated: ἶφις, ἰχθῦς, ἰχανόων. The ‘ι’ before ‘στ’ alone is aspirated: ἱστῶ, ἱστίον, ἵστημι, ἵστωρ. ‘Alone’ is added, since Ἴστρος is unaspirated. The ‘ο’ before double consonants is unaspirated: ὄξος, ὀψέ, ὄζαινα.