HOMER'S WINGED AND WINGLESS WORDS: [Pi][Tau][Epsilon][Rho][Omicron][Epsilon][Iota][Sigma] / [Alpha][Pi][Tau][Epsilon][Rho][Omicron][Sigma]

Reece discusses Homer's winged and wingless words used in his epics. He examines the variations of the formula that occur in the Iliad and Odyssey. Moreover, he notes that the thirty-two occurrences for the force of digamma is metrically necessary, while twelve occurrences is metrically prohibited. Furthermore, he believes that the formulaic system began evolving some generations before Homer, when the force of the digamma was strong, and continued to develop right up to Homer's own time, when its force was weak or even negligible. Finally, he stresses that the incomprehensible distinction often made between "winged words" and "wingless speech" is a figment of the philological imaginations.