Against the Grammarians by Sextus Empiricus: annotated translation, part three (M 1. 169-247)

Annotated partial translation (M 1. 169-247) of the treatise Against the Grammarians written by the Pyrrhonian skeptical philosopher Sextus Empiricus (II C.E.). In this section, the philosopher continues his attack against the technical part of grammar, addressing the grammatical treatment of orthog...

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Bibliographic Details
Author: Prezotto, Joseane Mara
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2018
Country:Brasil
Institution:Universidade de Brasília (UnB)
Repository:Revista Archai (Online)
Language:Portuguese
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/20234
Online Access:https://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/archai/article/view/20234
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Sexto Empírico
ceticismo
epicurismo
gramática
helenismo
Sextus Empiricus
Scepticism
Epicureanism
Grammar
Hellenism
Description
Summary:Annotated partial translation (M 1. 169-247) of the treatise Against the Grammarians written by the Pyrrhonian skeptical philosopher Sextus Empiricus (II C.E.). In this section, the philosopher continues his attack against the technical part of grammar, addressing the grammatical treatment of orthography, Hellenism and etymology and advocating, against the technical criterion of the grammarians, the practical criterion of common use. The space he assigns to arguments that are most likely to be of epicurean origin rather than skeptical is considerable. This might suggest that its main source was a work of attack on grammatical doctrine, along the lines of the epicurean tradition of polemic against disciplines that would claim to be at the forefront of philosophy. The notes of the translation seek to clarify questions underlying the Sextian argument, to justify our translational choices, and to provide information that makes it possible to draw parallels between the passage in question and other works by the author or the period.