Cinoglossa

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Cinoglossa grece lingua canis a cinos ut dicunt quod est canis et glossa lingua sed kinos est canis grece unde omnia hujus corrupte proferuntur.


Apparatus:

Cinoglossa | Cinaglosa f

{Cinoglossa} grece | .i. {= id est} f

{dicunt} quidam add. e

glossa | glosa B

kinos | chinos ms. e

huius | hec AC


Translation:

Cinoglossa is a Greek word, translated into Latin it is: lingua canis {"tongue of dog"}; it is composed of Greek cinos as they say it, which is Latin canis {"dog"} and Greek glossa, in Latin: lingua {"tongue"}, but really the Greek word for dog is kinos, and this is why all these words containing this element are pronounced wrongly.


Commentary:

Cinoglossa is a Greek compound word containing κύων /kýōn/ {"dog"}, which has a genitive form κυνóς /kynós/; the compound form is κυνó- /kynó-/ + the second element being γλῶσσα /glôssa/ {"tongue"}, resulting in κυνόγλωσσον /kynóglōsson/ "hound’s tongue". The word was adopted into Latin as cynoglossos, -glosson, -glossum and with change of gender cynoglossa.; e.g. cynoglossos is found in Pliny, 25, 81, ed. Rackham (1938-63: 194), cinoglossa in Pseudo-Apuleius, Herbarius, 97, ed. Howald (1927: 176), Herba lingua canis, and cynoglossae in Pseudo-Theodorus p.272 {André (1985: 84)}.

Simon transcribes the word in the itacist pronunciation υ > ι {/y/ > /i/}: "cinos" or "kinos". He is commenting on the pronunciation of Italian speakers, where "c" + /i,e/ was pronounced /tš/ as "ch" in English "chest". The word would have been pronounced by speakers untutored in Greek as it is in Modern Italian: /tšinoglós(s)a/ {IPA: [ʧino'glɔs(s)a]}, which he finds to be corrupt and he sees a more Greek pronunciation, i.e. /kinoglós(s)a/, as more "correct".


Botanical identification:

Most authors assume that it is Cynoglossum officinale L. "houndstongue" [[1]], [[2]]. André (1985: 84), s.v. cynoglossum also considers Cynoglossum creticum Miller et C. a further possibility [[3]], [[4]], [[5]].

Under a different herb in Pseudo-Apuleius, Herb I, Plantago, Nomina herbae, ed. Howald (1927: 25). cinoglossa is mentioned as a synonym for arnoglossa, i.e. a Plantago {"plantain"} species; cf. Arnoglossa.

WilfGunther 22/11/13


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