The Project Gutenberg eBook ofEncyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Gloss" to "Gordon, Charles George"This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online atwww.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.Title: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Gloss" to "Gordon, Charles George"Author: VariousRelease date: October 29, 2011 [eBook #37880]Most recently updated: January 8, 2021Language: EnglishCredits: Produced by Marius Masi, Don Kretz and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA, 11TH EDITION, "GLOSS" TO "GORDON, CHARLES GEORGE" ***
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online atwww.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
Title: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Gloss" to "Gordon, Charles George"Author: VariousRelease date: October 29, 2011 [eBook #37880]Most recently updated: January 8, 2021Language: EnglishCredits: Produced by Marius Masi, Don Kretz and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Title: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Gloss" to "Gordon, Charles George"
Author: Various
Author: Various
Release date: October 29, 2011 [eBook #37880]Most recently updated: January 8, 2021
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Marius Masi, Don Kretz and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA, 11TH EDITION, "GLOSS" TO "GORDON, CHARLES GEORGE" ***
Articles in This Slice
GLOSS, GLOSSARY,&c. The Greek wordγλῶσσα(whence our “gloss”), meaning originally a tongue, then a language or dialect, gradually came to denote any obsolete, foreign, provincial, technical or otherwise peculiar word or use of a word (see Arist.Rhet.iii. 3. 2). The making of collections and explanations1of suchγλῶσσαιwas at a comparatively early date a well-recognized form of literary activity. Even in the 5th centuryB.C., among the many writings of Abdera was included a treatise entitledΠερὶ Ὁμήρου ἤ ὀρθοεπείης καὶ γλωσσέων. It was not, however, until the Alexandrian period that theγλωσσογράφοι, glossographers (writers of glosses), or glossators, became numerous. Of many of these perhaps even the names have perished; but Athenaeus the grammarian alone (c.A.D.250) alludes to no fewer than thirty-five. Among the earliest was Philetas of Cos (d.c.290B.C.), the elegiac poet, to whom Aristarchus dedicated the treatiseΠρὸς Φιλπτᾶν; he was the compiler of a lexicographical work, arranged probably according to subjects, and entitledἍτακταorΓγῶσσαι(sometimesἍτακτοι γλῶσσαι). Next came his disciple Zenodotus of Ephesus (c.280B.C.), one of the earliest of the Homeric critics and the compiler ofΓλῶσσαι Ὁμηρικαί; Zenodotus in turn was succeeded by his greater pupil Aristophanes of Byzantium (c.200B.C.), whose great compilationΠερὶ λέξεων(still partially preserved in that of Pollux), is known to have includedἈττικαὶ λέξεις, Λακωνικαὶ γλῶσσαι, and the like. From the school of Aristophanes issued more than one glossographer of name,—Diodorus, Artemidorus (Γλῶσσαι, and a collection ofλέξεις ὀψαρτυτικαί), Nicander of Colophon (Γλῶσσαι, of which some twenty-six fragments still survive), and Aristarchus (c.210B.C.), the famous critic, whose numerous labours included an arrangement of the Homeric vocabulary (λέξεις) in the order of the books. Contemporary with the last named was Crates of Mallus, who, besides making some new contributions to Greek lexicography and dialectology, was the first to create at Rome a taste for similar investigations in connexion with the Latin idioms. From his school proceeded Zenodotus of Mallus, the compiler ofἘθνικαὶ λέξειςorγλῶσσαι, a work said to have been designed chiefly to support the views of the school of Pergamum as to the allegorical interpretation of Homer.2Of later date were Didymus (Chalcenterus,c.50B.C.), who made collections ofλέξεις τραγωδουμέναι κωμικαί, &c.; Apollonius Sophista (c.20B.C.), whose Homeric Lexicon has come down to modern times; and Neoptolemus, known distinctively asὁ γλωσσογράφος. In the beginning of the 1st century of the Christian era Apion, a grammarian and rhetorician at Rome during the reigns of Tiberius and Claudius, followed up the labours of Aristarchus and other predecessors withΓλῶσσαι Ὁμηρικαί, and a treatiseΠερὶ τῆς Ῥωμαΐκῆς διαλέκτου; Heliodorus or Herodorus was another almost contemporary glossographer; Erotian also, during the reign of Nero, prepared a special glossary for the writings of Hippocrates, still preserved. To this period also Pamphilus, the author of theΛειμών, from which Diogenian and Julius Vestinus afterwards drew so largely, most probably belonged. In the following century one of the most prominent workers in this department of literature was Aelius Herodianus, whose treatiseΠερὶ μονήρους λέξεωςhas been edited in modern times, and whoseἘπιμερισμοίwe still possess in an abridgment; also Pollux, Diogenian (Λέξις παντοδαπή), Julius Vestinus (Ἐπιτομὴ τῶν Παμφίλου γλωσσῶν) and especially Phrynichus, who flourished towards the close of the 2nd century, and whoseEclogae nominum et verborum Atticorumhas frequently been edited. To the 4th century belongs Ammonius of Alexandria (c.389), who wroteΠερὶ ὁμοίων καὶ διαφόρων λέξεων, a dictionary of words used in senses different from those in which they hadbeen employed by older and approved writers. Of somewhat later date is the well-known Hesychius, whose often-editedΛεξικόνsuperseded all previous works of the kind; Cyril, the celebrated patriarch of Alexandria, also contributed somewhat to the advancement of glossography by hisΣυναγωγὴ τῶν πρὸς διάφορον σημασίαν διαφόρως τονουμένων λέξεων; while Orus, Orion, Philoxenus and the two Philemons also belong to this period. The works of Photius, Suidas and Zonaras, as also theEtymologicum magnum, to which might be added theLexica Sangermaniaand theLexica Segueriana, are referred to in the articleDictionary.
To a special category of technical glossaries belongs a large and important class of works relating to the law-compilations of Justinian. Although the emperor forbade under severe penalties all commentaries (ὑπομνήματα) on his legislation (Const. Deo Auctore, sec. 12;Const. Tanta, sec. 21), yet indices (ἴνδικες) and references (παράτιτλα), as well as translations (ἑρμηνεῖαι κατὰ πόδα) and paraphrases (ἑρμηνεῖαι εἰς πλάτος), were expressly permitted, and lavishly produced. Among the numerous compilers of alphabetically arrangedλέξεις ῬωμαΐκαίorΛατεινικαί, andγλῶσσαι νομικαί(glossae nomicae), Cyril and Philoxenus are particularly noted; but the authors ofπαραγραφαί, orσημειώσεις, whetherἔξωθενorἔσωθεν κείμεναι, are too numerous to mention. A collection of theseπαραγραφαί τῶν παλαιῶν, combined withνέαι παραγραφαίon the revised code calledτὰ βασιλικά, was made about the middle of the 12th century by a disciple of Michael Hagiotheodorita. This work is known as theGlossa ordinariaτῶν βασιλικῶν.3
In Italy also, during the period of the Byzantine ascendancy, various glossae (glosae) and scholia on the Justinian code were produced4; particularly the Turin gloss (reprinted by Savigny), to which, apart from later additions, a date prior to 1000 is usually assigned. After the total extinction of the Byzantine authority in the West the study of law became one of the free arts, and numerous schools for its cultivation were instituted. Among the earliest of these was that of Bologna, where Pepo (1075) and Irnerius (1100-1118) began to give their expositions. They had a numerous following, who, besides delivering exegetical lectures (“ordinariae” on theDigestandCode, “extraordinariae” on the rest of theCorpus juris civilis), also wrote Glossae, first interlinear, afterwards marginal.5The series of these glossators was closed by Accursius (q.v.) with the compilation known as theGlossa ordinariaormagistralis, the authority of which soon became very great, so that ultimately it came to be a recognized maxim, “Quod non agnoscit glossa, non agnoscit curia.”6For some account of the glossators on the canon law, seeCanon Law.
In late classical and medieval Latin,glosawas the vulgar and romanic (e.g.in the early 8th century Corpus Glossary, and the late 8th century Leiden Glossary),glossathe learned form (Varro,De ling. Lat.vii. 10; Auson.Epigr. 127. 2 (86. 2), written in Greek, Quint, i. 1. 34). The diminutiveglossulaoccurs in Diom. 426. 26 and elsewhere. The same meaning hasglossarium(Gell. xviii. 7. 3glosaria=γλωσσάριον), which also occurs in the modern sense of “glossary” (Papias, “undeglossariumdictum quod omnium fere partium glossas contineat”), as do the wordsglossa,glossae,glossulae,glossemata(Steinmeyer,Alth. Gloss.iv. 408, 410), expressed in later times bydictionarium,dictionarius,vocabularium,vocabularius(seeDictionary).Glossaandglossema(Varro vii. 34. 107; Asinius Gallus, ap. Suet.De gramm.22; Fest. 166b. 8, 181a. 18; Quint. i. 8. 15, &c.) are synonyms, signifying (a) the word which requires explanation; or (b) such a word (calledlemma) together with the interpretation (interpretamentum); or (c) the interpretation alone (so first in theAnecd. Helv.).
Latin, like Greek glossography, had its origin chiefly in the practical wants of students and teachers, of whose names we only know a few. No doubt even in classical times collections of glosses (“glossaries”) were compiled, to which allusion seems to be made by Varro (De ling. Lat.vii. 10, “tesca, aiunt sancta esse qui glossas scripserunt”) and Verrius-Festus (166b.6, “naucum ... glossematorum ... scriptures fabae grani quod haereat in fabulo”), but it is not known to what extent Varro, for instance, used them, or retained their original forms. Thescriptores glossematorumwere distinguished from the learned glossographers like Aurelius Opilius (cf. hisMusae, ap. Suet.De gramm.6; Gell. i. 25. 17; Varro vii. 50, 65, 67, 70, 79, 106), Servius Clodius (Varro vii. 70. 106), Aelius Stilo, L. Ateius Philol., whoseliber glossematorumFestus mentions (181a. 18).