DISAPPEARANCE OF Σ AND Ϝ
[*] 118. The spirant
ς with a vowel before or after it is often lost. Its former presence is known by earlier Greek forms or from the cognate languages.
[*] 119. Initial
ς before a vowel becomes the rough breathing.
ἑπτά seven, Lat.
septem; ἥμισυς half, Lat.
semi-; ἵστημι put for
σι-στη-μι, Lat.
si-st-o; εἱπόμην I followed from
ἐ-σεπ-ο-μην, Lat.
sequor.
a. When retained, this
ς is due to phonetic change (as
σύν for
ξύν, σι_γή silence for
σ[υγλιδε]ι_γη Grm.
schweigen), or to analogy. On the loss of ( see 125 e.
[*] 120. Between vowels
ς is dropped.
γένους of a race from
γενε（
ς）
-ος, Lat.
gener-is,
λύ_ει thou loosest from
λύ_ῃ for
λυ_ε-（
ς）
αι, ἐλύ_ου from
ἐλυ_ε-（
ς）
ο thou didst loose for thyself,
τιθεῖο for
τιθεῖσο, εἴην from
ἐσ-ιη-ν Old Lat.
siem,
ἀλήθε-ια truth from
ἀληθεσ-ια.
a. Yet
ς appears in some
-μι forms (
τίθεσαι, ἵστασο), and in
θρασύς ῀ θαρσύς 128.
ς between vowels is due to phonetic change (as
ς for
σς 107,
πλούσιος for
πλουτιος 115) or to analogy (as
ἔλυ_σα for
ἐλυ_α, modelled on
ἐδεικ-σ-α), cp. 35 c.
[*] 121.
ς usually disappears in the aorist of liquid verbs (active and middle) with lengthening of the preceding vowel (
37):
ἔστειλα I sent for
ἐστελ-σα, ἔφηνα I showed for
ἐφαν-σα, ἐφήνατο for
ἐφαν-σατο. Cp.
102.
[*] 122. Digamma (3) has disappeared in Attic.
The following special cases are to be noted:
a. In nouns of the third declension with a stem in
αυ, ευ, or
ον (
43). Thus,
ναῦς ship, gen.
νεώς from
νηϝ-ός, βασιλεύς king, gen.
βασιλέως from
βασιλῆϝ-ος (
34).
b. In the augment and reduplication of verbs beginning with
ϝ:
εἰργαζόμην I worked from
ἐ-ϝεργαζομην, ἔοικα am like from
ϝεϝοικα. Cp.
431,
443.
c. In verbs in
εω for
εϝω:
ῥέω I flow, fut.
ῥεύ-σομαι.
[*] 123. Some words have lost initial
σϝ:
ἡδύς sweet (Lat.
sua（
d）
vis),
οὗ, οἷ, ἕ him,
ὅς his (Lat.
suus),
ἔθος custom,
ἦθος character (Lat.
con-suetus).
[*] 123 D. Hom.
εὔαδε pleased stands for
ἐϝϝαδε from
ἐσϝαδε.
Part I: Letters, Sounds, Syllables, Accent
Part II: Inflection
