[*] 500. Agreement with a synonym. The tendency of the Greek language to sudden changes of subject without the mention by name of the new subject (compare 71), is largely responsible for the few instances that are cited of the agreement of a pronoun with the gender of some synonymous word, instead of with the natural or the grammatical gender of the word that the pronoun represents. SOPH. Ph. 755-9: NE. “δεινόν γε τοὐπίσαγμα τοῦ νοσήματος”. | “ΦΙ. δεινὸν γὰρ οὐδὲ ῥητόν: ἀλλ᾽ οἴκτιρέ με”. | NE. “τί δῆτα δράσω; ΦΙ. μή με ταρβήσας προδῷς:” | “ἥκει γὰρ αὕτη διὰ χρόνου πλάνοις ἴσως” | “ὡς ἐξεπλήσθη”. (Philoctetes does not take up the “νόσημα” idea, but returns with the word “αὕτη” to the “νόσος” of 734: “τῆς παρεστώσης νόσου”. So 765: “τῆς νόσου”. The “νόσος” of our passage is personified as elsewhere in Sophocles.) Tr. 984-7: “ποῖ γᾶς ἥκω; παρὰ τοῖσι βροτῶν” | “κεῖμαι πεπονημένος ἀλλήκτοις” | “ὀδύναις; οἴμοι ἐγὼ τλάμων”. | “ἡ δ᾽ αὖ μιαρὰ” (sc. “νόσος”. Cf. “νόσον”, 981) “βρύκει”. HOM. Il. 11.237-8: “ἐτράπετ᾽ αἰχμή:” | “καὶ τό γε” (sc. “ἔγχος”. Cf. 233) “χειρὶ λαβών. 21.166-8: τῷ δ᾽ ἑτέρῳ” (sc. “δουρί”) “μιν ... βάλε ... ἣ” (sc. “μελίη”. Cf. 162 and 169) “δ᾽ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ” | “γαίῃ ἐνεστήρικτο, λιλαιομένη χροὸς ἆσαι”.
Syntax of Classical Greek from Homer to Demosthenes. Basil L. Gildersleeve. New York. American Book Company. 1900.
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