The Reduction of ei to i in Homer

Herbert Weir Smyth was one of those rare 19th century classicist whose work is still considered required reading for modern students of Greek, most notably his comprehensive review of Greek grammar. In this paper Smyth focuses on a grammatical feature of the Homeric dialect of Greek viewed as an aberration by other grammarians, namely what seems to be a reduction of the -ei diphthong to -i in certain words. This feature is not found elsewhere until the first century BC, which leads Smyth to question those who explain these words in Homer as -ei to -i reductions. The piece is not only an impressive work of specialized linguistics, but also a useful article for those who read Homer as it provides insight into the ways in which the Homeric dialect differs from the Attic taught in introductory Greek classes.