Lucilius and Nigidius Figulus on orthographic iconicity

Abstract

Abstract The comic poet Lucilius proposed several orthographic prescriptions in the ninth book of his Satirae, written in the period 115–110 BC. In dealing with this topic, Lucilius severely criticized Accius’ statements on orthography, refusing his proposals of doubling vowels (“geminatio vocalium”) and overgeneralization of <ei> for /i:/. Lucilius’ prescriptions, which were borrowed by the philosopher Nigidius Figulus a century later, clearly follow the iconical principles of the pseudo-Stoic συμπάσχειν-theory. In this paper a new interpretation of the orthographic iconicity in Lucilius’ and Nigidius’ doctrine is proposed, with reference to the case morphemes of *-ŏ- and *-ā- stems. As a matter of fact, “thickening” and “thinning” of the letter-forms (addĕre vs tenuāre, pinguis vs tenuis) can be satisfactorily explained only by taking account of <EI> and<I>spellings in a cursive script (namely <III> vs <I>). Finally, the key to explain the technical terms tenuis ‘thin’ vs pinguis ‘thick’ is traced back to an ancient metaphor of the wool-spinning practices.