Arrian, Atticism, and Koine, Part 2: Syntax

Part 2, devoted to syntax, continues the investigation of the presence of Attic & Ionic elements in Arrian's writings. The amalgamation of koine & archaic features in this Greek historian's language is noted; Gemeinsprache (common language) elements appearing in other texts, both earlier & contemporary, coexist with features distinctive of the Attic Standard of rhetorical literature. Archaisms that do not belong to the Attic dialect but are traceable to the Ionic variety are also found. The analysis provides data in support of the thesis that Atticism is a stylistic movement that attracts both old & new literary genres in which the koine is utilized as the basic means of expression. Thus, Ancient Greek historiography moves from cultivated Hellenic language to a new language based on the Gemeinsprache influenced by Attic literary rhetoric & incorporating elements from other dialects. 61 References. Z. Dubiel