Title: Explaining verbal humour to the audience : the case of Plautine neologisms
Source document: Graeco-Latina Brunensia. 2020, vol. 25, iss. 1, pp. 159-178
Extent
159-178
-
ISSN1803-7402 (print)2336-4424 (online)
Persistent identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.5817/GLB2020-1-11
Stable URL (handle): https://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/142628
Type: Article
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 International
Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.
Abstract(s)
Plautus frequently uses new word formations to increase the comicality of his plays. Such facetious neologisms must have been understood by the audience, otherwise the jokes in the comedies would not have made any sense. However, there are a few passages in which the author explains his newly-coined lexemes through the words of the characters in the plays. This article analyses these utterances, trying to explain why Plautus decided to unveil his process of word creation in these particular places, what function the neologisms have in the dramatic text, how the writer denotes and describes the neologisms, and whether it helps spectators to recognise and appreciate his verbal humour. Most of these passages concern legal neologisms (intestabilis – Pl. Cur. 30–32; parenticida – Epid. 349–351; rabo – Truc. 687–690) and one of them contains a comic name/title (Subballio – Ps. 607–609). The playwright explains the etymology of the new Latin words or shows how he has adapted Greek wordplay (arrabo-rabo) for Roman spectators. These riddle–like explanations are composed following the pattern of identification motifs. Their main goal is to intensify the power of the jokes and their impact on the audience.
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[61] Welsh, J. T. (2009). Balli(o)starium: Plautus, "Poenulus" 200–2. Mnemosyne, 62, 94–99. | DOI 10.1163/156852508X321220
[62] Willcock, M. M. (Ed.). (1987). Plautus: Pseudolus. Bristol: Bristol Classical Press and Oak Park.
[63] Wölfflin, E. (1881). Zur Alliteration. Sitzungsberichte der Königlich-Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2, 1–94 [= In G. Meyer (Ed.). (1933). Ausgewählte Schriften (pp. 225–281). Leipzig: Dieterich'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung].
[64] Wright, J. (Ed.). (1993). Plautus' Curculio. Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press.
[65] Zetzel, J. E. G. (1974). Ennian Experiments. American Journal of Philology, 95(2), 137–140 | DOI 10.2307/294196
[2] Adams, J. N. (2007). The Regional Diversification of Latin, 200 BC – AD 600. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[3] Arnott, W. G. (1987). (Rev.). N. W. Slater: Plautus on Performance. The Theatre of Mind. Gnomon, 59(1), 17–20.
[4] Bain, D. (2001). Subvilicus, supromus, subBallio (Plaut. Pseud. 607). Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 134, 70.
[5] Bartol, K., & Danielewicz, J. (Eds.). (2010). Atenajos: Uczta mędrców. Poznań: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie.
[6] Beloe, W. (Ed.). (1785). The Attic Nights of Aulus Gellius (Vol. 2). London: Printed for J. Johnson, St. Paul's Church-Yard.
[7] Busse, U. (1996). Neologismen. Der Versuch einer Begriffsbestimmung. In M. Gellerstam, J. Järborg, S. G. Malmgren, K. Norén, L. Rogström, & C. R. Papmehl (Eds.), Euralex '96. Proceedings I-II (Vol. 2; pp. 645–658). Göteborg: University of Göteborg.
[8] Chantraine, P. (1968). Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque. Histoire des mots. Paris: Klincksieck.
[9] Christenson, D. (Ed.). (2000). Plautus: Amphitruo. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[10] Craig, A. W. (2010). Roman Homosexuality. New York: Oxford University Press.
[11] De Melo, W. (Ed.). (2011). Plautus: Casina, The Casket Comedy, Curculio, Epidicus, The Two Menaechmuses (Vol. 2). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
[12] De Melo, W. (Ed.). (2012). Plautus: The Little Carthaginian, Pseudolus, The Rope (Vol. 4). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
[13] De Melo, W. (Ed.). (2013). Plautus: Stichus, Three-Dollar Day, Truculentus, The Tale of a Travelling-Bag, Fragments (Vol. 5). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
[14] De Vaan, M. (2008). Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages. Leiden: Brill.
[15] Duckworth, G. E. (Ed.). (1979). Plautus T. M.: Epidicus. New York: Arno Press.
[16] Elsen, H. (2004). Neologismen. Formen und Funktionen neuer Wörter in verschiedenen Varietäten des Deutschen. Tübingen: Narr Verlag.
[17] Fontaine, M. (2004). Agnus ΚΟΥΡΙΩΝ (Plautus Aulularia 561–564). Classical Philology, 99(2), 147–153. | DOI 10.1086/423860
[18] Fontaine, M. (2010). Funny Words in Plautine Comedy. New York: Oxford University Press.
[19] Fränkel, E. (1922). Plautinisches im Plautus. Berlin: Weidmann [= Elementi Plautini in Plauto (Transl. F. Munari). Firenze: 'La Nuova Italia' Editrice 1960 = Plautine Elements in Plautus (Transl. T. Drevikovsky, & F. Mücke). Oxford: Oxford University Press 2007].
[20] Fredershausen, O. (1912). Weitere Studien über das Recht bei Plautus und Terenz. Hermes, 47, 199–249.
[21] Gray, J. H. (Ed.). (1893). T. Macci Plauti Epidicus. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[22] Grodziński, E. (1972). Wieloznaczność a homonimia. Poradnik Językowy, 10, 585–592.
[23] Gurlitt, L. (1921). Erotica Plautina. Eine Auswahl erotischer Szenen aus Plautus. München: Georg Müller.
[24] Hammond, M., Mack, A. M., & Moskalew, W. (Eds.). (1968). Plauti T. M. Miles gloriosus. London: Harvard University Press.
[25] Hamp, E. P. (1985). Latin arr(h)a. Glotta, 63(1/2), 109.
[26] Heller, K., Herberg, D., Lange, C., Schnerrer, R., & Steffens, D. (Eds.). (1988). Theoretische und praktische Probleme der Neologismenlexikographie: Überlegungen und Materialien zu einem Wörterbuch der in der Allgemeinsprache der DDR gebräuchlichen Neologismen. Berlin: Akademie der Wissenschaften.
[27] Karakasis, E. (2005). Terence and the Language of Roman Comedy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[28] Katz, J. T. (1998). Testimonia Ritus Italici: Male Genitalia, Solemn Declarations and a New Latin Sound Law. Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, 98, 183–217. | DOI 10.2307/311342
[29] Lefèvre, E. (1997). Plautus' Pseudolus. Tübingen: G. Narr.
[30] Leo, F. (1960). Analecta Plautina: De figuris sermonis (Vol. 2). In E. Fränkel (Ed.), Ausgewählte Kleine Schriften (Vol. 1; pp. 123–162). Roma: Edizioni di storia e letteratura.
[31] Lindner, T. (1996). Lateinische Komposita. Ein Glossar, vornehmlich zum Wortschatz der Dichtersprache (Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft, 89). Innsbruck: Institut für Sprachwissenschaft.
[32] Lindner, T. (2002). Lateinische Komposita. Morphologische, historische und lexikalische Studien (Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft, 105). Innsbruck: Institut für Sprachen und Literaturen.
[33] Lindsay, W. M. (1894). Latin Language. An Historical Account of Latin Sounds, Stems, and Flexion. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
[34] Lindsay, W. M. (Ed.). (1910). Plautus: Comoediae (Vol. 1, 2). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[35] Loch, M. (2019). Pedicare, Studium lingwistyczno-kulturowe z zakresu seksualności starożytnych Rzymian. Poznań: Diss. [retrieved 13.04.2020 from: https://repozytorium.amu.edu.pl/bitstream/10593/24958/1/Loch%20Marcin%20-%20PEDICARE.%20Studium%20lingwistyczno-kulturowe%20z%20zakresu%20seksualno%C5%9Bci%20staro%C5%BCytnych%20Rzymian.pdf].
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[38] Lorenz, A. (Ed.). (1876). Ausgewählte Komödien des T. Maccius Plautus (Vol. 4). Berlin: Weidmann.
[39] LSJ = Liddell, H. G., Scott, R., & Jones, H. S. (Eds.). (1996). Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
[40] Maltby, R. (1985). The Distribution of Greek Loan-Words in Terence. Classical Quarterly, 35(1), 110–123. | DOI 10.1017/S0009838800014609
[41] Mendelsohn, C. J. (1907). Studies in the Word-play in Plautus. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania.
[42] Nörenberg, W. (1975). Einige Beobachtungen zur Lucrio-Szene des plautinischen Miles gloriosus. Rheinisches Museum, 118(3/4), 285–310.
[43] O'Bryhim, S. (1989). The Originality of Plautus' Casina. The American Journal of Philology, 110(1), 81–103. | DOI 10.2307/294954
[44] OLD = Glare, P. G. W. (Ed.). (1996). The Oxford Latin Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
[45] Olson, S. D. (Ed.). (2006). Athenaeus: The Learned Banqueters, Book III, 106e-V. London: Loeb Classical Library.
[46] Opelt, I. (1965). Die lateinischen Schimpfwörter und verwandte sprachliche Erscheinungen. Heidelberg: Carl Winter.
[47] Pieczonka, J. (2012). Parricida a parenticida – hipoteza etymologiczna na podstawie żartu w passusie Pl. Epid. 349–351. Czasopismo Prawno-Historyczne, 64(1), 89–93. | DOI 10.14746/cph.2012.64.1.04
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[49] Przychocki, G. (Ed.). (1937). Plautus T. M.: Komedje (Vol. 4). Kraków: Krakowska Spółka Wydawnicza.
[50] Questa, C. (2007). La metrica di Plauto e di Terenzio. Urbino: Quattro Venti.
[51] Schippan, T. (1992). Lexikologie der deutschen Gegenwartssprache. Tübingen: M. Niemeyer.
[52] Schmidt, K. (1902). Griechische Personennamen bei Plautus (Vol. 1). Hermes, 37(2), 173–211.
[53] Slater, N. W. (2000). Plautus on Performance: The Theatre of Mind. New York: Harwood Academic Publishers.
[54] Stein, J. P. (1971). Compound Word Coinages in the Plays of Plautus. Latomus, 30(3), 598–606.
[55] Tierney, J. T. (1943/44). The Miles gloriosus and Greek New Comedy. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archeology, Culture, History, Literature, 49, 167–185.
[56] Urbanová, D., Poláčková, E., Weissar, T., & Černoch, R. (Eds.). (2019). Titus Maccius Plautus: Curculio aneb Darmojed. Brno: Bilingua.
[57] Walde, A., & Hofmann, J. B. (1938). Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: C. Winter.
[58] Warmington, E. H. (Ed.). (1935). Remains of Old Latin, Ennius and Caecilius (Vol. 1). London: The Loeb Classical Library.
[59] Watson, A. (1971). The Imperatives of the Aedilician Edict. Tijdschrift voor Rechtsgeschiedenis, 39, 73–83 [= A. Watson (1991). The Imperatives of the Aedilician Edict. In A.Watson, Studies in Roman Private Law (pp. 334–343). London: Bloomsbury Academic]. | DOI 10.1163/157181971X00046
[60] Weise, O. (1882). Die griechischen Wörter im Latein. Leipzig: Fürstlich Jablonowski'sche Gesellschaft.
[61] Welsh, J. T. (2009). Balli(o)starium: Plautus, "Poenulus" 200–2. Mnemosyne, 62, 94–99. | DOI 10.1163/156852508X321220
[62] Willcock, M. M. (Ed.). (1987). Plautus: Pseudolus. Bristol: Bristol Classical Press and Oak Park.
[63] Wölfflin, E. (1881). Zur Alliteration. Sitzungsberichte der Königlich-Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2, 1–94 [= In G. Meyer (Ed.). (1933). Ausgewählte Schriften (pp. 225–281). Leipzig: Dieterich'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung].
[64] Wright, J. (Ed.). (1993). Plautus' Curculio. Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press.
[65] Zetzel, J. E. G. (1974). Ennian Experiments. American Journal of Philology, 95(2), 137–140 | DOI 10.2307/294196