Dionysius Thrax
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Dionysius Thrax was a Greek grammarian active around 120 BCE. He is associated with the Alexandrian school of grammar, which emphasized analogy in language. His work, if genuine, shows the influence of the Stoics on Alexandrian grammar.1
Dionysius Thrax produced the first systematic grammar in the Western tradition, focusing on word morphology. His definition of grammar was "the acquaintance with [or observation of] what is uttered by poets and writers". His work covered topics such as pronunciation, poetic figurative language, difficult words, and the exposition of form-classes. The study of sentence syntax, which Dionysius touched upon, was later developed by Apollonius Dyscolus in the 2nd century CE.23
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grammarAncient and medieval grammarsDionysus Thrax of Alexandria later wrote an influential treatise called The Art of Grammar, in which he analyzed literary texts in terms of letters, syllables, and eight parts of speech.
Read MoreDionysus Thrax of Alexandria later wrote an influential treatise called The Art of Grammar, in which he analyzed literary texts in terms of letters, syllables, and eight parts of speech.
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linguisticsGreek and Roman antiquityDionysius Thrax, in the 2nd century bce, produced the first systematic grammar of Western tradition; it dealt only with word morphology. The study of sentence syntax was to wait for Apollonius Dyscolus, of the 2nd century ce. Dionysius called grammar “the acquaintance with [or observation…
Read MoreDionysius Thrax, in the 2nd century bce, produced the first systematic grammar of Western tradition; it dealt only with word morphology. The study of sentence syntax was to wait for Apollonius Dyscolus, of the 2nd century ce. Dionysius called grammar “the acquaintance with [or observation…
Read More