MOVABLE CONSONANTS
[*] 134.
Movable N may be added at the end of a word when the next word begins with a vowel. Movable
ν may be annexed to words ending in
-σι; to the third person singular in
-ε; and to
ἐστί is.
Thus,
πᾶσιν ἔλεγεν ἐκεῖνα he said that to everybody (but
πᾶσι λέγουσι ταῦτα),
λέγουσιν ἐμοί they speak to me (but
λέγουσί μοι),
ἔστιν ἄλλος there is another (187 b),
᾿ Αθήνησιν ἦσαν they were at Athens.
a. Except
ἐστί, words that add
ν do not elide their final vowel (
73).
b. Verbs in
-εω never (in Attic) add
-ν to the 3 sing. of the
contracted form:
εὖ ἐποίει αὐτόν he treated him well. But
ἤει went and pluperfects (as
ᾔδει knew) may add
ν.
N.—Movable
ν is called
ν ἐφελκυστικόν (
dragging after).
[*] 134 D. Hom. has
ἐγώ (
ν)
I,
ἄμμι (
ν)
to us,
ὔμμι (
ν)
to you,
σφί (
ν)
to them. The suffixes
-φι and
-θε vary with
-φιν and
-θεν:
θεόφι（
ν),
πρόσθε（
ν). Also
κέ（
ν) = Attic
ἄν, νύ (
ν)
now. The Mss. of Hdt. avoid movable
ν, but it occurs in Ionic inscriptions. Hdt. often has
-θε for
-θεν (
πρόσθε before,
ὄπισθε behind).
[*] 135. Movable
ν is usually written at the end of clauses, and at the end of a verse in poetry. To make a syllable long by position (
144) the poets add
ν before words beginning with a consonant. Prose inscriptions frequently use
ν before a consonant.
[*] 136.
Movable Σ appears in
οὕτως thus,
ἐξ out of, before vowels,
οὕτω, εκ́ before consonants. Thus,
οὕτως ἐποίει he acted thus but
οὕτω ποιεῖ he acts thus; ἐξ ἀγορᾶς but
ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς out of the market-place.
a. εὐθύς means
straightway,
εὐθύ straight towards.
[*] 136 D. Several adverbs often omit
ς without much regard to the following word:
ἀμφί about,
ἀμφίς (poet.),
μέχρι, ἄχρι until (rarely
μέχρις, ἄχρις),
ἀτρέμας and
ἀτρέμα quietly,
πολλάκις often (
πολλάκι Hom., Hdt.).
[*] 137.
οὐκ not is used before the smooth breathing,
οὐχ (cp.
124) before the rough breathing:
οὐκ ὀλίγοι, οὐχ ἡδύς. Before all consonants
οὐ is written:
οὐ πολλοί, οὐ ῥᾴδιος. Standing alone or at the end of its clause
οὐ is written
οὔ (rarely
οὔκ), as
πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
for how not? Cp. 180 a.
a. A longer form is
οὐχί (Ion.
οὐκί) used before vowels and consonants.
b. μηκέτι no longer derives its
κ from the analogy of
οὐκέτι no longer.
Part I: Letters, Sounds, Syllables, Accent
Part II: Inflection
