2. Other Technical Terms
Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘Other Technical Terms’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols [check printed volume for citation].
apo koinou, construction in which the same element has a role in more than one cl.
base-word, member of a kenning (see above) that is modified by a qualifier, called the determinant
byrnie, a coat of mail
cliticise, to add an enclitic syllable to a word (see enclitic below)
desyllabification, syllabic liquids and nasals developing an excrescent vowel, in Icel. usually involving the addition of [u] before [r]
determinant, qualifier of a base-word in a kenning, consisting either of a noun or name in the genitive or of the first element of a compound
dip, a metrically unstressed syllable
dromon, a large Byzantine warship or merchantman
enclitic, monosyllabic word, usually a particle, verb or pron., added as a suffix to another word (see also cliticise and bragarmál above)
enclitic position, post-position (as opposed to proclitic position)
epenthesis (epenthetic, adj.), a sound, usually a vowel, inserted between two others (see excrescent)
excrescent, a sound, usually a vowel, inserted between two others (see epenthesis)
hypermetrical, a poetic l. containing more syllables (metrical positions) than is normal for the metre in question
hypometrical, a poetic l. containing fewer syllables (metrical positions) than is normal for the metre in question
in spe, expected
lectio difficilior, more difficult reading
lectio facilior, easier reading
lift, a metrically stressed syllable
litotes, understatement, in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite
macrologia, a long sentence containing matter irrelevant to the subject at hand
metonymy, the substitution of a word referring to an attribute or adjunct for the whole thing that is meant
neutralisation, a metrical situation in which two short syllables occupy one unstressed metrical position in a l.
nomen agentis, ‘agent noun’, a noun derived from a verb, denoting a person who is carrying out the action implicit in the verb
paragoge, the lengthening of a word by the addition of a letter or syllable
pars pro toto, part for whole
pleonastic, syllable, word, or phrase that is superfluous
proclitic position, pre-position (as opposed to enclitic position)
referent, the unmentioned cognitive meaning value of a kenning, e.g. the referent of the kenning logi fjarðar ‘flame of the fjord’ is gold
resolution, two short syllables occupying one fully stressed metrical position in a l.
siglum (pl. sigla), abbreviation, usually a combination of alphanumerical symbols, used to designate a specific ms. and/or the collection in which it is found
solecism, soloecismus, grammatical irregularity, e.g. change of tense, pl. used in place of sg.
stanza, a group of poetic ll., arranged according to a regular scheme; one of a series of such groups, which together make up a poem
stemma (pl. stemmata), a diagram representing a reconstruction of the relationships between the surviving and postulated witnesses to a text
tmesis, the separation of a word or cpd into two parts, with another word or words between them
base-word, member of a kenning (see above) that is modified by a qualifier, called the determinant
byrnie, a coat of mail
cliticise, to add an enclitic syllable to a word (see enclitic below)
desyllabification, syllabic liquids and nasals developing an excrescent vowel, in Icel. usually involving the addition of [u] before [r]
determinant, qualifier of a base-word in a kenning, consisting either of a noun or name in the genitive or of the first element of a compound
dip, a metrically unstressed syllable
dromon, a large Byzantine warship or merchantman
enclitic, monosyllabic word, usually a particle, verb or pron., added as a suffix to another word (see also cliticise and bragarmál above)
enclitic position, post-position (as opposed to proclitic position)
epenthesis (epenthetic, adj.), a sound, usually a vowel, inserted between two others (see excrescent)
excrescent, a sound, usually a vowel, inserted between two others (see epenthesis)
hypermetrical, a poetic l. containing more syllables (metrical positions) than is normal for the metre in question
hypometrical, a poetic l. containing fewer syllables (metrical positions) than is normal for the metre in question
in spe, expected
lectio difficilior, more difficult reading
lectio facilior, easier reading
lift, a metrically stressed syllable
litotes, understatement, in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite
macrologia, a long sentence containing matter irrelevant to the subject at hand
metonymy, the substitution of a word referring to an attribute or adjunct for the whole thing that is meant
neutralisation, a metrical situation in which two short syllables occupy one unstressed metrical position in a l.
nomen agentis, ‘agent noun’, a noun derived from a verb, denoting a person who is carrying out the action implicit in the verb
paragoge, the lengthening of a word by the addition of a letter or syllable
pars pro toto, part for whole
pleonastic, syllable, word, or phrase that is superfluous
proclitic position, pre-position (as opposed to enclitic position)
referent, the unmentioned cognitive meaning value of a kenning, e.g. the referent of the kenning logi fjarðar ‘flame of the fjord’ is gold
resolution, two short syllables occupying one fully stressed metrical position in a l.
siglum (pl. sigla), abbreviation, usually a combination of alphanumerical symbols, used to designate a specific ms. and/or the collection in which it is found
solecism, soloecismus, grammatical irregularity, e.g. change of tense, pl. used in place of sg.
stanza, a group of poetic ll., arranged according to a regular scheme; one of a series of such groups, which together make up a poem
stemma (pl. stemmata), a diagram representing a reconstruction of the relationships between the surviving and postulated witnesses to a text
tmesis, the separation of a word or cpd into two parts, with another word or words between them