Black Doves Speak: Herodotus and the Languages of Barbarians

132 Pages·2005·2.705 MB·

by  Rosaria Vignolo Munson

Hellenic Studies 9
BLACK DOVES SPEAK

BLACK DOVES SPEAK
HERODOTUS AND THE LANGUAGES OF BARBARIANS
Rosaria Vignolo Munson
CENTER FOR HELLENIC STUDIES
Trustees for Harvard University
Washington, DC
Distributed by Harvard University Press
Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England
2005
Black Doves Speak: Herodotus and the Languages of Barbarians
by Rosaria Vignolo Munson
Copyright © 2005 Center for Hellenic Studies, Trustees for Harvard University
All Rights Reserved.
Published by Center for Hellenic Studies, Trustees for Harvard University,
Washington, DC
Distributed by Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and
London, England
Volume Editor: Casey Dué
Production Editor: Ivy Livingston
Cover Design and Illustration: Joni Godlove
EDITORIAL TEAM:
Senior Advisors: W. Robert Connor, Gloria Ferrari Pinney, Albert Henrichs,
James O’Donnell, Bernd Seidensticker
Editorial Board: Gregory Nagy (Chair), Christopher Blackwell, Christopher
Dadian, Casey Dué, Mary Ebbott, Olga Levaniouk, Anne Mahoney, Leonard
Muellner, Ross Scaife
Managing Editor: Gregory Nagy
Executive Editors: Casey Dué, Mary Ebbott
Production Editors: M. Zoie Lafis, Ivy Livingston, Jennifer Reilly
Web Producer: Mark Tomasko
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Munson, Rosaria Vignolo.
Black doves speak : Herodotus and the languages of Barbarians / by Rosaria
Vignolo Munson.
p. cm. — (Hellenic Studies ; 9)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-674-01790-0
1. Herodotus—Knowledge—Language and languages. 2. Language and
languages. I. Author. II. Title. HI. Series.
D56.52.H45M86 2005
938’.0072’02—dc22
2005010512
To Stephe

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ...... 0. ccc ccc ccc cece cence eet neeeaeeeteeeeeeeenneegs 1
Chapter One: Greek Speakers ......... νιν κε νννννννν νον νννννν νυν ννννννον 7
Greeks and Pelasgians ....0. se.cs .εν νιν. νν κ.εν ννν. νυν. νν κ.εν ε ενον 7
Pelasgians and ῬΑ ΑΓίΔΠ5........ Ὁ 0ὐνννννν εν νννενν γεν νννννννον 10
Greek language and ἰδηριιαροϑ......... 0 0ν νιν εν ν εν εν νννν εν νννν εν νον 13
Barbarians and strangers ..........cccscceccceceecceeceeceensencs 15
Chapter Two: The Ethnographer and Foreign Languages ................. 19
Another histor: Psammetichus and the origin of language ............. 19
Languages and cultures ......... ν νιν κεν ενν εν εν ν εν σε νννν εν ννν νον 23
Foreign languages and historié.νον. εν. νν.ννν. ν.υ νν. ν.υν. .σεν .νν ον 27
Chapter Three: Herodotos Ηογπιξησιιδ............. «νον νιν εν νννεν εν εν νενενον 30
Metalinguistic glosses ......... νννννννννννεν νεν νκενν νκ nνenν uνne 30
Questioning Greek Κηον δάσο... .... {00 ννννννν εκ εν νννν κεν κεν νννννον 33
Names as logoi and πιμίμοί... .. «Ὁ. .ννν νειν cece cece cet eesenceseeceace 36
Metaphorical names ....εν .νν.ννεν.νννν.ν σε.ν ον .εν νυν. νυν .νον νον 39
Correct ΠΔΠΊΘ5...... {00 ν νον εν κεν eee eee κεν εν eee νειν rennen 41
NOMEN ΟΠΊΕΙΙ...ce.ce .enc.e .rer.e ε.ν .ν.νεν.ν .εν .ενὐ νννν ὐεν ννν κ ων 46
Giving the “right” word ....00. .cscs. cec.e ce.ce e.ner e.rent. ea ees 51
Orientalism and anti-orientalism .....νν.ννν.ννν. σ.εν ε.ν ον. νν.ννν ον 56
Language and relativity ......... 0c cece cece cece cent een ce neeeees 63
Chapter Four: The Meaning of Language Difference ................004: 67
On misunderstanding language difference ..............0ceeseeeeees 67
Language makes no difference .....0. .ess .εν νε.ιν .εν ν.ννν.ννν.νν νον 70
Language difference as paradigm ..............cecceceeceeseeeeenes 78
Transcending culture ............ccccecececeeeeececetetneeeeceees 79
Bibliography .......... cc cece cee cece cece reece ence sete eeeeeenenteeees 85
Index of Passages .......... ccc ενννννν εν εν ννννεννννννννν εν εν εν εν εν ον νον 101
General Index .......... cece eee ect eee c cece enteetaesesneteeteceeees 111
Vii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My warmest thanks go to Gregory Nagy, Casey Dué, Alexander Hollmann, Ryan
Hackney, Ivy Livingston, and the entire CHS publication team.