Anceps
Encyclopedia
In Greek
and Latin
meter
, an anceps syllable is a syllable in a metrical line which can be either short or long. An anceps syllable may be called "free" or "irrational" depending on the type of meter being discussed.
Anceps syllables can be found in a variety of metrical forms. Anceps syllables in the middle or beginning of a line are characteristic of Aeolic meters
, such as the Sapphic meter. These initial anceps syllables may reflect earlier Indo-European
meters where only the last few syllables of a line were regulated. Anceps syllables are also found in the iambic trimeter
of Greek drama.
Note that the anceps is distinct from the phenomenon of brevis in longo
. The possibility of brevis in longo is found universally across all meters, while the anceps is found only in particular verse forms. Also, a brevis in longo is always felt to be long, while the anceps may be short or long freely.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
meter
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
, an anceps syllable is a syllable in a metrical line which can be either short or long. An anceps syllable may be called "free" or "irrational" depending on the type of meter being discussed.
Anceps syllables can be found in a variety of metrical forms. Anceps syllables in the middle or beginning of a line are characteristic of Aeolic meters
Aeolic verse
Aeolic verse is a classification of Ancient Greek lyric poetry referring to the distinct verse forms characteristic of the two great poets of Archaic Lesbos, Sappho and Alcaeus, who composed in their native Aeolic dialect...
, such as the Sapphic meter. These initial anceps syllables may reflect earlier Indo-European
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
meters where only the last few syllables of a line were regulated. Anceps syllables are also found in the iambic trimeter
Iambic trimeter
iambic trimeter is a meter of poetry consisting of three iambic units per line.In ancient Greek poetry, iambic trimeter is a quantitative meter, in which a line consisted of three iambic metra and each metron consisted of two iambi...
of Greek drama.
Note that the anceps is distinct from the phenomenon of brevis in longo
Brevis in longo
In Greek and Latin meter, a short syllable at the end of a line can be counted as long; this phenomenon is known as brevis in longo.The term comes from Latin, and means "a short [syllable] in place of a long [syllable]." Brevis in longo is possible in any classical meter that requires a long...
. The possibility of brevis in longo is found universally across all meters, while the anceps is found only in particular verse forms. Also, a brevis in longo is always felt to be long, while the anceps may be short or long freely.