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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 October 2013
The combination of these words: ήδύν–ἄλυπον was labelled ‘litoteslike’ in a former note in this journal (JHS civ [1984] 177); the present note aims at suggesting a more fitting label.
The meaning of the words is clear: Kritias describes the poet Anakreon as an extremely pleasant man: ‘sweet, not sour’, ‘pleasant, not a sore-head’. This high degree of pleasantness is made clear by stating the central idea of pleasantness (ἡδύν) and juxtaposing to it the negation (ἀ-) of its opposite (-λυπ-); this is tantamount to the use of a litotes, which points in its turn to extra emphasis: cf. e.g. Hom. Il. xviii 46, where ‘the meaning of the name Nemertes seems to be strengthened by the immediately following name Apseudes' (JHS civ [1984] 177).
1 Literature:
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2 Of great importance is Lyons (n. 1) chap. 9: Semantics ii: sense relations, and from this chapter esp. I: Opposition and contrast (pp. 270–80).
3 ῾Ηδονἡ and λὺπη are opposites in Greek: cf. Plato, Phaedo 60 b: . . . τοῦτο ὂ καλουσιν οὶ ἂνθρωποι ὴδὺ ὼς θαυμασὶως πὲφυκε πρὸς τὸ δοκου ὲναντὶον ειναι, τὸ λυπηρὸν κτλ cf. also Arist. Eth. Nic. 1110 B 11–3: . . . καὶ οὶ μὲν [πρὰττουσι]λυπηρῶς οὶ δὲ . . . μεθ᾿ ὴδονῆς κτλ and id De Motu An. 701 b 33 ff.: τὸ μὲν γὰρ λυπηρὸν φευκτὸν τὸ δ᾿ ὴδὺ διωκτὸν . . . ἒστι δὲ τὰ λυπηρὰ λαὶ ὴδὶα σχεδὸν μετὰ ψυξεὼς τινος καὶ θερμὸτὴτος τινος; furthermore Gorgias, Helena 10: . . . ὲπαγωγοὶ ὴδονῆς, ὰπαγωγοὶ λὺπης, and finally SVF iii 378.19–21: ὴδονὴν μὲν ὂταν τυγχἀνωμεν ὢν ἐπεθυμοῦμευ ἢ ἐκφὺγωμεν ἂ ὲφοβοὺμεθα λὺπην δὲ, ὂταν ὰποτυγχὰνωμεν ῶν ὲπεθυμοῡμεν η̄ περι πὲσωμεν οῑς ἐφοβοὺμεθα
4 For the emphatic effects of heaping negatives, ‘a device common in 〈Black〉, Chaucerian and Shakespearian English, and in many languages in the world’, fulfilling ‘a need for vividness and emphasis’ cf. Aitchison, Jean, Language change: progress or decay? (Fontana paperback 1981, 126).Google Scholar In the present case the effect is further heightened by asyndeton.
5 The following symbols will be used:
(Q)=opposite of Q, =all non-Q in the same universe-of-discourse.
∼ =negation,
& = ‘and’—(καὶ, (-)δὲ, -τε)
↔ = ‘but’—(ὰλλὰ)
6 Equipollent opposition is usual in Greek, while privative opp. is rare: cf. Dawe (n. 1) ad v. 58; cf. furthermore Lyons (n. 1) 275 and 279.
7 Cf. Kneale-Kneale (n. 1) 57; dejong-de Pater (n. 1) 92–3.
8 K.G. ii 586.8.
9 Cf. Lyons (n. 1) 277.
10 Cf. Lyons (n. 1) 276; the same is implied by Denn.; 2—see note 11.
11 Denniston, 2, observes: ‘In rhetorical questions the order of relative importance is reversed, and the ὰλλ᾿οὐ clause bears the stress'. This holds, to my mind, for all ὰλλ᾿οὐ clauses under consideration, i.e. for all ὰλλ᾿οὐ clauses of my type B.
12 Cf. Lyons (n. 1) 160.
13 Cf. Lyons (n. 1) 175 (referring to Ogdcn and Richards).
14 Denn., 2.
15 Denn., ibid.
16 Fehling (n. 1) 272 n. 1.