Discussion of accentuation patterns for disyllabic words ending in -μις and -νις (e.g. place names: Χέμμις, Σαλαμίς, Τάνις; nouns like πυραμίς), showing when they are oxytones or barytones and giving many Egyptian and other examples.
* Τὰ εἰς 'μις' δισύλλαβα βαρύνεται, μέρμις, θέμις, Χάρμις πόλις ἐν Σαρδοῖ, κτίσμα Καρχηδονίων. Παυσανίας δέ φησι περὶ αὐτοῦ. Χέμμις πόλις Αἰγύπτου. Ἡρόδοτος (II 91) «ἔστι καὶ Χέμμις πόλις μεγάλη νομοῦ τοῦ Θηβαϊκοῦ, ἐγγὺς τῆς Νέης πόλιος». φησὶ δ´ ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ νῆσον εἶναι Χέμμιν ἐν αὐτῇ. Τὰ εἰς 'μις' προσηγορικὰ ὑπὲρ δύο συλλαβὰς ὀξύνεται, πυραμίς— ὠνομάσθησαν δὲ πυραμίδες ἀπὸ τῶν πυρῶν, οὓς ἐκεῖ συναγαγὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔνδειαν ἐποίησε σίτου κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον—σησαμίς, καλαμίς, πλοκαμίς, κεραμίς. τὰ δὲ κύρια βαρύνεται, Ἄρτεμις, ὃ Δωριεῖς διὰ τοῦ 'α' προφέρονται Ἄρταμις, Σεμίραμις, Χρυσόθεμις, Θύαμις κώμη ὑπὸ Σεμιράμιδος κτισθεῖσα παρὰ τὴν Ἀραχωσίαν, Ψιττάχεμμις κώμη τῆς Αἰγυπτίας, Ψώχεμμις πολίχνιον Αἰγύπτου, Ἀρτεμίδωρος ἐν ὀγδόῳ γεωγραφουμένων «καὶ Περίκερμις ἐκ δεξιῶν μερῶν καὶ Θαλαβαύδη καὶ Ψώχεμμις». Πάπρημις πόλις Αἰγύπτου, Ἄξουμις ἀρσενικῶς μητρόπολις Αἰθιόπων. τὸ δὲ Σαλαμίς ἡ πρὸς τῇ Ἀττικῇ νῆσος καὶ πόλις κύριον ὂν ὀξύνεται καὶ τὸ δύναμις προσηγορικὸν ὂν βαρύνεται. Τὰ εἰς 'νις' διβράχεα προσηγορικὰ ὀξύνονται κατ´ οὐσίας κείμενα 'α' ἢ 'ο' παραληγόμενα, ῥανίς, χλανίς, σανίς, ὀνίς, κονίς τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς, κόνις δὲ τὸ χῶμα, σπάνις καὶ φρόνις οὐκ ἐπὶ οὐσίας. τὸ δὲ ὕνις βαρύνεται τὸ 'υ' ἔχον ὥσπερ τὸ κύνις ἡ χείρ. τὰ δὲ κύρια βαρύνονται, Γλάνις ποταμὸς Κύμης ὡς Λυκόφρων (v. 718) «Γλάνις δὲ ῥείθροις δέξεται τέγγων χθόνα» καὶ ἀπ´ αὐτοῦ ἰχθῦς ὁ καλούμενος γλάνις ὁ καὶ γλάνιος. ἔστι καὶ Ἰβηρίας ποταμός. ἔστι καὶ Ἰταλίας τρίτος ποταμὸς περὶ τὸν Τίβεριν ποταμόν. Τάνις πόλις μεγάλη Αἰγύπτου. Τὰ εἰς 'νις' δισύλλαβα παραληγόμενα φωνήεντι μακρῷ ἢ ἐκτεινομένῳ βαρύνεται, μὴ ὑποκοριστικὰ ὄντα, ὄρνις, Θῶνις πόλις Αἰγύπτου ἀπὸ Θῶνος βασιλέως τοῦ ξενίσαντος τὸν Μενέλαον. κεῖται δὲ κατὰ τὸ στόμα τὸ Κανωβικόν. Σαῦνις πόλις Ἀραβίας, μῆνις, ἶνις, ἦνις, νῆνις ἡ νεᾶνις. τὸ μέντοι φωνίς ὑποκοριστικόν ἐστι. τούτῳ δὲ
The disyllables in -μις are barytone: μέρμις, θέμις, Χάρμις, a city in Sardis, a settlement of Carthaginians; and Pausanias speaks about it. Χέμμις, a city of Egypt. Herodotus (II 91): “There is also Χέμμις, a great city of the Thebaid nome, near the city of Νέη.” And the same author says that there is also an island Χέμμις in it. The appellatives in -μις of more than two syllables are oxytone: πυραμίς—now the πυραμίδες were named from the πυροί, which the king gathered there and caused a shortage of grain throughout Egypt—σησαμίς, καλαμίς, πλοκαμίς, κεραμίς. But the proper names are barytone: Ἄρτεμις, which the Dorians pronounce with α, Ἄρταμις; Σεμίραμις, Χρυσόθεμις, Θύαμις, a village founded by Semiramis near Arachosia; Ψιττάχεμμις, a village of Egypt; Ψώχεμμις, a small town of Egypt. Artemidorus in the eighth book of the Geographoumena: “and Περίκερμις on the right-hand parts, and Θαλαβαύδη, and Ψώχεμμις.” Πάπρημις, a city of Egypt; Ἄξουμις, masculine, a metropolis of the Ethiopians. But Σαλαμίς, the island and city off Attica, though a proper name, is oxytone; and δύναμις, though an appellative, is barytone. The dibrachy appellatives in -νις are oxytone when they are used as substantives and have α or ο in the penult: ῥανίς, χλανίς, σανίς, ὀνίς, κονίς ‘the thing on the head’, but κόνις ‘dust’; σπάνις and φρόνις are not used as substantives. But ὕνις is barytone, having υ, just as κύνις ‘hand’. And the proper names are barytone: Γλάνις, a river of Cyme, as Lycophron (v. 718): “And Γλάνις will receive the earth, soaking it with its streams”; and from it the fish called γλάνις, also γλάνιος. There is also a river of Iberia; there is also a third river of Italy near the river Tiber. Τάνις, a great city of Egypt. The disyllables in -νις with a long or lengthened vowel in the penult are barytone, provided they are not diminutives: ὄρνις; Θῶνις, a city of Egypt, from Θῶν, the king who entertained Menelaus; and it lies at the Canobic mouth. Σαῦνις, a city of Arabia; μῆνις, ἶνις, ἦνις, νῆνις ‘the young woman’. However, φωνίς is a diminutive. And to this…