INTERDISCIPLINARITY IN ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS: THE CASE OF ALPHA

  • Maria Mertzani UFPEL
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15210/lepaarq.v12i24.4888
Palavras-chave: Greek alphabet, history of alphabet, letter alpha, phonosemantics of alpha, interdisciplinary methodology

Resumo

RESUMO: Through a comparative analysis of archaic Greek alphabets with Minoan hieroglyphs, the Linear A and B signs, the Cypro-Minoan and Classical Cypriot syllabaries, as well as other ancient scripts in Mediterranean and Mesopotamia areas (e.g., Egyptian hieroglyphs), the paper examines (a) the graphical shaping of the letter alpha, and (b) its suggested phonetic value throughout the years.  In doing so, an interdisciplinary approach is applied, combining research from the areas of historical linguistics, epigraphy archaeology, and phonosemantics-linguistics.  This is an ongoing research and its existing data so far combat the wide spread belief that the archaic Greek alphabet is originated by the Phoenician alphabet, demonstrating evidence of language similarities (in terms of (a), and (b)), even in early Neolithic Greece and the Balkans.  The paper proposes the adoption of an interdisciplinary methodology in examining and revisiting research in epigraphy and historical linguistics.ABSTRACT: Through a comparative analysis of archaic Greek alphabets with the Minoan hieroglyphs, the Linear A and B signs, the Cypro-Minoan and Classical Cypriot syllabaries, as well as other ancient scripts in Mediterranean and Mesopotamia areas (e.g., Egyptian hieroglyphs), the paper examines (a) the graphical shaping of the letter alpha, and (b) its suggested phonetic value throughout the years. In doing so, an interdisciplinary approach is applied, combining research from the areas of historical linguistics, epigraphy archaeology, and phonosemantics-linguistics. This is an ongoing research and its existing data so far combat the wide spread belief that the archaic Greek alphabet is originated by the Phoenician alphabet, demonstrating evidence of language similarities (in terms of (a), and (b)), even in early Neolithic Greece and the Balkans. The paper proposes the adoption of an interdisciplinary methodology in examining and revisiting research in epigraphy and historical linguistics.

Biografia do Autor

Maria Mertzani, UFPEL
Maria Mertzani, PhD, is a Research Associate at the Centro de Letras e Comunicação, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas - RS, Brasil; and Director of GreekForYou Ltd, UK.  Her current research project is funded by CAPES, Brasil (Programa Nacional de Pós-Doutorado-PNPD/Capes). 

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Publicado
2015-10-27
Como Citar
Mertzani, M. (2015). INTERDISCIPLINARITY IN ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS: THE CASE OF ALPHA. Cadernos Do LEPAARQ (UFPEL), 12(24), 269-290. https://doi.org/10.15210/lepaarq.v12i24.4888
Edição
V. 12, N. 24 (2015): JUL-DEC
Seção
Dossiê Arqueologia Clássica e História Antiga

 

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