Rhesis. International Journal of Linguistics, Philology and Literature

L’arte del decidere: la codifica di norme in diritto, linguistica e letteratura

Mauro Aresu — 2025-06-02

Introduction to the Special Issue From Anomie to Norm. Strategies of Codification from Antiquity to the Present Day

Of the wretched comrades, I invoked each three times. A historical-anthropological analysis of Od. 9.60-66

Emanuele Garsia — 2025-06-02

This work examines a particular funeral rite in the Odyssey to analyze its modalities and anomalies. Starting from the meaning of νόµος as law and custom, the study explores funeral rites in ancient Greece through various historical and regional phases. Examples of funeral customs and anthropological theories on the genesis of these rites will be analyzed. A short passage from the Odyssey (9.60-66) is examined, where a “condensed funeral rite” is found. After losing companions in battle with the Cicones, Odysseus flees with the survivors but does not proceed until the fallen have been invoked three times. The analysis focuses on the terms used (ἀῦσαι for lamentation, δειλῶν for the fate of the fallen, κίω referring to the ship) and the key moments of Greek funeral lamentation. Ancient commentaries on the passage are examined, including a citation in a scholion to Pindar (Pyth. 4.156-161). The conclusion demonstrates how the “condensed funeral rite” reflects a ritual form that was already obscure to ancient commentators, reserved for those who fell far from their homeland.

"Revenge", ἀνομία and παρανομία in Greek Tragedy: Some Remarks

Luca Fiamingo — 2025-06-02

Starting from the analysis of ἀνομία and παρανομία (and their derivatives) in the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, this paper tries to isolate some cultural, political and legal assumptions essential to understand the contemporary debate on the νόμος and ‘deviations’ from the polis’ system. Focusing on the relationship / overlap between private and public generated by the absence, in ancient thought, of firm conceptual demarcations such as that between violence and justice, private retaliation and trial, this paper offers an initial classification of the linguistic and lexical elements commonly related to the notion of vengeance. This latter does not exist in ancient Greek but can be reconstructed from terms and expressions widely attested in tragedy, which gave voice to traits well rooted in the coeval political and legal imaginary.

The new taxis of Dioscorides' De materia medica: between scientific accuracy and popular knowledge

Giulia Freni — 2025-06-02

Dioscorides’ De materia medica aims at giving a new order to pharmacology, unlike the collector Crateuas, the physician Andreas, and other Dioscorides’ contemporaries. As it emerges in the preface, all these authors have dealt with things that everyone knew: they did not rely on their own experience and, in some cases, preferred an alphabetical order for the substances. According to Dioscorides, their organization would not have allowed to understand the δυνάμεις (‘properties’), on which are instead based the five books of De materia medica. As already noted by Riddle, Dioscorides tends to follow the same order when describing a plant: in particular, he deals with issues ranging from physical description to habitat, from medical to magical uses, from preparation to conservation. On the contrary, for the animals in the second book or the minerals in the fifth one we find several internal classifications. Nevertheless, the accuracy of this structure contrasts with two methodological problems: the fact that Dioscorides does not distinguish internal sections and tends not to cite his sources, with some exceptions. This paper intends to examine the concept of τάξις in Dioscorides’ De materia medica, showing the contrast between an ordered structure on the one hand and a scientific and popular knowledge on the other.

Genesis of an anomie: notes on the aretalogy of Maroneia

Andrea Careddu — 2025-06-02

The Isiac Aretalogy of Maroneia (I. Thrake Aeg. E 205) is a prose hymn inscribed on stone and addressed to Isis. Scholars have often questioned the identity of the author and it is commonly accepted that he was a professional rhetorician active between the end of the 2nd and the beginning of the 1st century BC, when the inscription can be paleographically dated. After exploring the limits of these thesis, Ι will focus on the analysis of part of the local Isiac epigraphic documentation. This approach seeks to privilege the delineation of the specific socio-cultural environment, so as to look not for an author of the text as for its context of origin. I will use a recently theorized methodological paradigm in which the Isiac Aretalogies are conceived as an example of codification or canonization.

Re-evaluating the Roman orator’s rules through the lens of (im)politeness

Emilia Moccia — 2025-06-02

This paper examines select passages from De Oratore and Cicero’s post reditum speeches using pragmatic and politeness theories. By applying these analytical tools to Cicero’s rhetorical and oratorical works, we can re-evaluate the rules for the ideal orator and the expressive strategies present in the speeches that have come down to us. Rhetorical treatises, indeed, set out the linguistic norms that govern interactions in public contexts where codified conflict takes place and provide guidelines on the correct way to formulate linguistic acts – even potentially aggressive ones – permitted within those contexts. In concrete communicative exchanges, speakers are primarily influenced by the need to conform to the expected linguistic behaviour dictated by the public arenas of the Roman Republic. Only subsequently, they must balance personal objectives: engaging the audience emotionally without causing unintended offense, maintaining their own dignitas, and strategically attacking that of the opponents, when necessary.

On the reception of Ovid's Halieutica in the imperial age. A case of reuse and re-adaptation

Francesco Testa — 2025-06-02

Through the concept of literary genre the ancients defined a specific textual class, whose rules had been established by an inventor; then, when his successors legitimased and adapted them, those rules became a literary tradition. However, themes could cross genre boundaries and be transmitted between technically very different works, such as in the didactic genre, through a kind of trans-coding, so to speak. Readers and scholars were therefore involved in a de-coding operation; authors, for their part, carried out a codification as inventores of the genre or a re-codification, especially if we think of the reception in the Roman imperial age. This article focuses on the reception of Ovid’s Halieutica, a short poem of 135 lines attributed to him. It became source for Pliny the Elder in HN. 32,11-13 and 32,152-153, where he speaks of fish mirabilia, and also for Ausonius, who evokes this poem in his Mosella, especially in the section called catalogue of fishes by scholars. In these two cases we can speak not only of reception or codification, but even of literary re-use and adaptation. The troubled fortune of Ovid’s Halieutica in the imperial age can be considered an interesting case study of such strategies.

Verbal inflection in the Greek tradition: an imperfect system?

Valeria Bacigalupo — 2025-06-02

The paper retraces the main steps leading to the codification of a system of rules governing verbal conjugation, which finds full expression in the Κανόνες εἰσαγωγικοὶ περὶ κλίσεως ὀνομάτων καὶ ῥημάτων by Theodosius of Alexandria (4th-5th century AD). The documentation offered by papyri is examined, showing how verbal conjugations were taught in school classrooms and the variations to which the inflectional system was subject. Overall, the inflectional system described and prescribed by Theodosius, as well as that documented by the papyri, presents a highly artificial character, making it distant from the language found in literature and, very likely, also from the spoken language. However, the papyri also reveal that practice imposed some adjustments to the rules canonized in the treatises.

Corpus-based analysis of the definite article with nomina unica in Classical Greek

Silvia Zampetta — 2025-06-02

This study examines the functional rules governing the use of the definite article with unique nouns (e.g., “sun”, “moon”, etc.) in Classical Greek (5th-4th centuries B.C.). Traditionally, the use of the definite article with unique nouns has been considered optional, with the same noun appearing with or without the definite article in similar contexts. Previous research has often attributed this phenomenon to stylistic or authorial preference. This study attempts to provide a more systematic explanation through both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Using a corpus of 845.097 tokens and 328 nominal occurrences, and applying a logistic regression model, the research identifies factors that influence the use of the definite article. The results show that in the classical period the definite article is still expanding in contexts of logical definiteness (with unique nouns, proper nouns, abstract nouns and generic nouns). Significant correlations are found between the presence of the definite article and factors such as agency, coordination, direct anaphora, literary genre, and idiomatic expressions. This research enhances our understanding of the use of the definite article in Classical Greek and contributes to broader typological studies of the development and functions of the definite article.

Compounded loanwords between historical morphophonology and semantics: the ancient Greek (and Latin) names of Candragupta Maurya

Leonardo Montesi — 2025-06-02

Among Classical sources (Phylarcus, Strabo, Arrian, Plutarch, Justin, and Orosius), there seems to be no common spelling of Candragupta’s name. The spelling Σανδρόκοττος (i.e., the canonical one) is used by Phylarchus (FGrHist 81 F 35b), Strabo (II.1.9; XV.1.53; XV.1.57), and Justin (Epit. XV.4.13) in its Latin transcription Sandrocottus. Then, the spelling Σανδράκοττος is adopted by Arrian (Anab. V.6.2; Ind. 5.3; 9.9), whereas that of Ἀνδρόκοττος by Mnaseas (fr. 14 FHG), Plutarch (Alex. 62.4; Mor. 542d), Appian (Syr. 55.282), and Orosius (III.23) in its Latin transcription Androcottus. This article aims at investigating the reasons behind these different spellings in the light of a wider dynamic involving morphophonological and semantic processes towards compounded loanwords in ancient Greek (and Latin). In order to do that, we carry out an in-depth analysis of the different spellings of Candragupta’s name in Classical sources within the framework of the language-contact linguistics: after focusing on the socio-historical context underlying the language-contact dynamic, we take into account several elements that may contribute to justify the lack of uniformity in the various spellings (e.g., the compounded nature of the name, the constituents’ semantics, and the accent pattern). Finally, we conclude that the spellings of the Classical sources depend on ancient Greek morphophonological processes involving (compounded) loanwords, that end up with a process of folk etymology, thanks to which Candragupta’s name is definitely integrated in the ancient Greek compound system.

Speaking the Forbidden: mlecchavāc in Mahābhārata 1.135

Diletta Falqui — 2025-06-02

In Indian xenology, the term mleccha refers to an individual who does not conform to the social and linguistic norms of the Āryas. Studies have analysed its multiple uses, including its role in toponymy, religious taboos, and ethnicity. The Brahmanical perspective considers the mleccha languages to be distorted versions of Sanskrit, and advocates social and linguistic segregation, including a ban on teaching Sanskrit to non-Āryas. In the Mahābhārata, Vidura secretly uses a mleccha language to foil an assassination plot against the Pāṇḍavas. This episode, which seems to contradict the norm, has been analysed for its narrative significance but not normatively. This paper aims to contribute to the discourse on the normative aspects of the Mahābhārata, particularly with regard to the mlecchas and their cultural assimilation and adaptation, by reinterpreting the episode and asking whether it represents a normative grey area or a justified act.

Divergent Interpretations in the Dharmaśāstra: The Case of Gautamadharmasūtra 13.12-13

Alessandro Giudice — 2025-06-02

There are instances in the Dharmaśāstra where medieval commentators, as well as contemporary scholars, propose different interpretations of certain passages in the root-texts (Dharmasūtras and Dharmaśāstras or Smṛtis). A notable example is Gautamadharmasūtra 13.12–13, where the term śapatha has been interpreted in various ways. The two main commentators on the text, Maskarin and Haradatta, offer differing explanations, as do modern scholars. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the interpretations proposed for these two sūtras and to suggest textual parallels that may help to identify the most accurate reading.

The taddhita affixes prescribed for pronominal stems: Analysis of pre-Pāṇinian ātI (A 5.3.34) occurrences

Valentina Ferrero — 2025-06-02

The present article can be inserted in a broader line of research, where specific pre-Pāṇinian occurrences of sarvanāmans + taddhita affixes are analysed to show how Pāṇini explains what in appearance was anomie and immediately transforms it into a strict norm. A previous analysis focused on several instances of the affix aka̲C (A 5.3.71), which all the translators of Ṛgveda and Śaunakīya Saṁhitā interpret as ka (A 5.3.70), with a generic diminutive meaning; even though the affix aka̲C can be understood as a pure device created by Pāṇini to deal with an internal sandhi problem in a systematic way, that is, it can be considered equivalent to ka, it is important to also consider what the several meanings aka̲C can bring (see Ferrero 2023). This regulatory process can be found also in the prescription of other taddhita affixes; for this reason, the affixes ātI / enaP / āC (A 5.3.34 – A 5.3.36) have been generally examined in this article. Moreover, some examples of the application of the affix ātI to pronominal stems have been specifically studied in the Vedic saṃhitās. The aim is to understand why Pāṇini needs to introduce these further rules in an already standardised grammatical system.

Explicit codification in Pāṇini and generative grammar

Davide Mocci — 2025-06-02

Generative grammar and Pāṇini’s grammar – so-called Aṣṭādhyāyī, dating from ca. 4th century B.C. – differ in scope and goals: while generative grammarians search for the limits of variation in natural languages to explain what makes language acquisition possible in the first place, Pāṇini provides a distributional and variationist account of old Indo-Aryan, with the twofold goal of faithfully recording that language and of regularizing its usage in the relevant sacred texts. Despite these important differences, the codification of linguistic phenomena operated by generative grammarians bears some resemblance to the one operated by Pāṇini. Thus, in this study I analyze the codification of long-distance agreement in generative grammar and the codification of compounding in the Aṣṭādhyāyī. I show that both instances of codification are explicit, in the technical sense that they specify (rigorously formulate) the rules – filters and operations – that license all well-formed tokens of long-distance agreement and compounding while simultaneously excluding all ill-formed ones. Finally, I argue that the explicit character of these instances of codification is a major part of the reason why they are still likewise considered as successful in the contemporary scientific community.

Around the Roman des romans: essential coordinates and analysis of the prologue

Nicola Chiarini — 2025-06-02

This paper presents the analysis and edition of the prologue of the Roman des romans. The edition is based on the manuscript New Haven, Yale University, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Beinecke MS 590, the oldest and best complete manuscript of the text, unknown to previous critical editors. Additionally, an overview is offered to provide the essential outlines for a correct contextualization of the work.

Literary catalogues and definition of the vernacular canon in medieval France

Silvia Cavadini — 2025-06-02

This study investigates the gradual and implicit codification of the vernacular literary canon in France between the 12th and 14th centuries from a diachronic perspective. The research employed the comparative analysis of literary catalogues included in the following texts: Estoire de la guerre sainte, Roman de Renart, Chanson de Guillaume, Sacristine, Deus bordeors ribauz, Richard le Beau, Roman du Comte d’Anjou, Wistasse le Moine. For these lists to be effective the texts cited had to been sufficiently well-known to be recognized by the public. Given the literary nature of these catalogues, the results were compared with the textual tradition of each work to verify the results from a documentary point of view. The study revealed the presence of a canon that expands in accordance with the developments of vernacular literature itself and becomes increasingly structured over time. This process highlights a growing awareness of what is now referred to as the “literary genre system”.

Listing minor historical texts in French: the issue of title

Alessio Marziali Peretti — 2025-06-02

Some Italian manuscripts from the late 13th century include a chronicle of emperors and a French annalistic text following the Faits des Romains. These two short historical texts in French prose stem from two different Latin traditions. The chronicle of emperors is a partial translation of Gilbert’s Chronicon pontificum et imperatorum Romanorum, while the French annals trace back to the Latin Annales mineures de Fécamp through the intermediary of their French translation known as the Annales brèves universelles. This paper builds on the information derived from the recently identified Latin sources to suggest new titles for the French historical texts. By considering both the genres in medieval Latin and vernacular historiography, as well as modern taxonomic requirements and common practices for titling historical texts, I propose assigning the title Chronique des empereurs d’Octavien à Frédéric II to the chronicle of emperors and Annales mineures abrégées jusqu’en 1239 en français to the annalistic text previously known as Chronologie depuis Adam jusqu’à 1239.

Reflections on the aesthetics of tardiness: Le Chevalier aux deux épées and the Arthurian canon

Rita Porqueddu — 2025-06-02

Building on Géraldine Toniutti’s research (2021) on late Arthurian verse romances, this paper explores the aesthetics of tardiness (tardivité) in Le Chevalier aux deux épées. In this 13^th-century Arthurian verse romance, the reuse of earlier tradition does not always conform to the Norm of the genre, as codified in the canonical works of Chrétien de Troyes, but rather aligns with the Anomie characteristic of the last Arthurian verse romances.

An example of fifteenth-century reception of Petrarch: Francesco Palmario, Isottean poetry and a rewriting of the Canzone delle metamorfosi

Jacopo Pesaresi — 2025-06-02

This paper aims to carry out a survey of the state of anomie of Italian vernacular lyricism in the 15th century by analysing the ways in which Francesco Petrarch’s production was taken up, imitated and reworked. To do this, we will use as a case study the Rime of Francesco Palmario, a poet from Ancona active at the court of Rimini between the 1450s and 1460s, author of a canzoniere written largely in the name of his lord, Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, and dedicated to his lover Isotta degli Atti. The influence of the Rerum vulgarium fragmenta will be analysed, as well as the ways in which the Petrarchan model interacted with Isottean vernacular poetry, concluding with an in-depth analysis of canzone 102, an interesting example of a rewriting of Petrarch’s canzone 23, known as delle metamorfosi, on which Dantean cues are grafted.

«Non si può fare regola alcuna»: the Ragionamento sopra le difficultà del mettere in regole la nostra lingua by Giovan Battista Gelli

Francesco Donato — 2025-06-02

In 1552, Giovan Battista Gelli published the Ragionamento sulle difficultà del mettere in regole la nostra lingua, stating the impossibility of reducing the Florentine language to a system of rules. This contribution aims to analyze Gelli’s linguistic positions, linking them to the context of the contemporary Questione della lingua and investigating the author’s perspective in relation to the thought of 16th-century Florentine authors, particularly Niccolò Machiavelli, Lodovico Martelli and Benedetto Varchi. Further space will be devoted to an examination of the author’s position regarding the authenticity of the De vulgari eloquentia, which Gelli did not consider to be Dante’s work.

More on «funzione Gadda»: Lune storte by Giancarlo Leucadi

Isabel Zamboni — 2025-06-02

The paper briefly problematizes the Contini’s critical definition of the «funzione Gadda» and its great critical success. Then it intends to analyze an explicit case of ‘neogaddism’: Lune storte by Giancarlo Leucadi (1995). This detective novel has many quotes from Gadda’s works, a narrative structure which echoes the one of Pasticciaccio and it closely follows Gadda’s plurilinguism in a comical way.