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Article published In:
Historiographia Linguistica
Vol. 47:2/3 (2020) ► pp.137–168

An ablative for the Greeks?

A grammar dispute in Tübingen (1585/1586) and its implications

| Center for the Historiography of Linguistics, KU Leuven | University of Oslo

In this article, I discuss a grammar dispute that took place between Philipp Nicodemus Frischlin and Martin Crusius in Tübingen in the winter of 1585/1586. I argue that their diverging views on the ablative case reflect a disagreement on two levels, in addition to their obvious personal rivalry: (1) the foundations of grammar, which Frischlin based on meaning rather than form, following J. C. Scaliger, and (2) contrasting attitudes toward the Greek people and heritage. Additionally, I discuss Frischlin’s views on the article and the optative mood, while also tracing a popular misquote from Scaliger’s work to Frischlin.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Context: The ablative and Renaissance grammatical thought
  • 3.Frischlin’s Greek ablative
  • 4.Beyond the ablative: The article and the optative
  • 5.By way of conclusion: The ablative as smoking gun
  • 6.Appendix – The Greek article as flabellum: A bon mot and its vicissitudes
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 7 April 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/hl.00067.roo
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