Παρέλκον : μια υφολογική παρατήρηση του Αίλιου Δονάτου στον Τερέντιο

Abstract

Donatus, the commentator of Terence, uses the term παρέλκον meaning pleonasm in comments on 41 lines of Terence's comedies. The analysis of these lines shows that: a number of them are expressions and constructions common in Old Latin and consequently in Terence (i. e. Andr. 55, 90; Eun. 884, 1032; Ilea 67, 400; Adel. 366; Phor. 80, 172, 250); most of them are real pleonasms but the fact that they are commonly used (especially in everyday language) made undetectable that they are pleonasms (i.e: Andr. 29, 184, 201, 205, 291, 579, 591, 823; Eun. 356, 694; Hec. 131, 192, 250, 734; Adel. 290, 887, 975; Phor. 228, 325); some of them are emphatic constructions which look like pleonasms (i.e. Eun. 150, 393, 721; Adel. 306, 382); and in some cases Donatus is wrong (i. e. Andr. 70; Adel. 528; Phor. 88, 89, 90, 332, 659). Also we can find Greek equivalents of some of these expressions and constructions. Studying these lines we realize that Terence very skifully uses Latin language and Donatus on his part analyzes all the peculiarities of Terence's language and the elements of his style in the way of a modern scholar. Finally statistics can show that old people use παρέλκον more than other characters and we may say that Terence uses this figure of speech in his effort at differentiating characters by linguistic means.