Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguistics

Get access

Linguistic Correctness (hellēnismós), Ancient Theories of
(3,233 words)

Abstract

One of the key issues of ancient Greek linguistic theory was determining linguistic correctness concerning both single words and word combinations. Errors that could affect the language were seen as barbarisms and solecisms. A single word form or a special construction could be accepted as correct or incorrect Greek on the basis of certain criteria, which varied slightly depending on the sources and were likely to be the object of debate. The principal …

Cite this page
Lara Pagani, “Linguistic Correctness (hellēnismós), Ancient Theories of”, in: Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguistics, General Editor: Georgios K. Giannakis. Consulted online on 25 March 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2214-448X_eagll_COM_00000391>
First published online: 2013



▲   Back to top   ▲