Grice on the ptosis aitiatike (Tom kicked Jerry)

Taylor, Daniel (Lawrence University): Why the Accusative Case is called the Accusative Case

Varro's translation of Greek ptosis aitiatike as Latin casus accusativus has been severely criticized. Yet Varro�s choice of accusativus over causativus--and he had no others, as Priscian understands--can be readily explained, or so this paper argues. We need to understand that Varro thinks and writes both etymologically and analog ically. That is to say, he is constantly subject to a tyrannie du mot, and he incessantly pursues linguistic and verbal rationes of one sort or another. We must also assume that he is reading Aristotle carefully, as we know he did, for at least one typically idiosyncratic Aristotelian technical usage is germane, indeed, crucial, to explaining the Varronian adjective. The criticism directed at Varro�s calque is based on modern, not ancient, linguistic notions, however, and is thus misguided. This paper therefore surveys both the history of grammatical nomenclature for case in Greek and Roman antiquity and the misunderstanding of that tradition in 19th century classical philology and linguistics.