The Concepts of ‘Barbarism’ and ‘Solecism’ in the Byzantine Etymologica

This paper shows how the concepts of barbarism and solecism (and hellēnismos) are defined and dealt with in the four main Byzantine Eymologica (Etymologicum Genuinum, Etymologicum Gudianum, Etymologicum Symeonis, Etymologicum Magnum). All these lexica show at least some acquaintance with these topics from a theoretical and terminological point of view; still, the concrete application of this conceptual background varies widely from one etymologicum to another. On the one hand, the Etymologicum Genuinum (along with the closely related Etymologicum Symeonis and Etymologicum Magnum) omits most of the (types of) words/expressions that had been proscribed by the purist tradition; on the other hand, the Etymologicum Gudianum etymologizes many ‘suspicious’ words (especially Latinisms and Semitisms) and avoids any kind of negative remark about their controversial standing. Interestingly enough, these divergences are not likely to be fortuitous; rather, they seem to reflect different purposes and cultural environments, perhaps also mirroring the complex dynamics between the center and peripheries of the Byzantine Empire.