Semantics of tibicen, -inis As well as the primary meaning of 'a performer on the tibia', the Latin word tibicen can also mean 'a prop or strut in shoring up a building' (OLD), a meaning that Festus interpreted as a metaphor patterned after the musical metaphor of instrumental music as a 'support' for the voice. Although this explanation, which was first suggested by Verrius Flaccus, has never gained much authority among scholars, it seems worth reconsidering in the light of the ubiquitous metaphor of 'support' in musical literature. The explanation is further illuminated by a parallel with the Italian word 'bordone' ('drone' in English), which belongs to a semantic family typologically comparable to that of tibicen.
Semantica di tibicen, -inis
stefano grazzini
2019
Abstract
Semantics of tibicen, -inis As well as the primary meaning of 'a performer on the tibia', the Latin word tibicen can also mean 'a prop or strut in shoring up a building' (OLD), a meaning that Festus interpreted as a metaphor patterned after the musical metaphor of instrumental music as a 'support' for the voice. Although this explanation, which was first suggested by Verrius Flaccus, has never gained much authority among scholars, it seems worth reconsidering in the light of the ubiquitous metaphor of 'support' in musical literature. The explanation is further illuminated by a parallel with the Italian word 'bordone' ('drone' in English), which belongs to a semantic family typologically comparable to that of tibicen.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
