The letter “Gamma” (Γ, γ), the third of the ancient Greek alphabet, conceals a number of suggestions interweaving glottology, symbolism and graphics. A lot of words starting with “Gamma” refers to the concept of motherhood and birth: “Γῆ” , the Earth, but also Gaia, the primordial goddess which gave birth to Olympus gods by parthenogenesis; in this last word, “genesis” is “γένεσις”, the beginning, the creation; besides, “γίγνομαι” means “I’m born”, “γενεά”, is the birth, but also the lineage. All these words can find a sort if linguistic hub in “γυνή”, the woman. As a matter of fact, the graphema of the minuscule “Gamma”, “γ”, reminds the mystical /mythological chalice, i.e. the female womb, and its triangular shape, with the vertex downwards, sketches the Water, “”, and the Earth, “”, the cold and female among the four alchemic elements. On the other hand, “γηράσκω” means “I grow hold”. The word “γλῶσσα” is “tongue”, but also “language”, “γιγνώσκω” means “I learn, I understand, I know”, and “γεωμετρέω” “I measure theland”. Actually, the graphic of the capital “Gamma”, “Γ”, calls up the shape of a knee, which in turn finds its etymon in “γόνυ”, but also the shape of a set square, “γωνία”, one of the most ancient tools for measuring and drawing. This paper runs across a first approach investigating the associations among linguistic and graphics meanings of “Gamma” as the “root” of the two fundamentals of mankind: life and knowledge.

Life and Knowledge by glottology and graphics: disclosures of the ancient gamma greek letter.

BUONDONNO, Andrea
;
CIRAFICI, Alessandra
;
2014

Abstract

The letter “Gamma” (Γ, γ), the third of the ancient Greek alphabet, conceals a number of suggestions interweaving glottology, symbolism and graphics. A lot of words starting with “Gamma” refers to the concept of motherhood and birth: “Γῆ” , the Earth, but also Gaia, the primordial goddess which gave birth to Olympus gods by parthenogenesis; in this last word, “genesis” is “γένεσις”, the beginning, the creation; besides, “γίγνομαι” means “I’m born”, “γενεά”, is the birth, but also the lineage. All these words can find a sort if linguistic hub in “γυνή”, the woman. As a matter of fact, the graphema of the minuscule “Gamma”, “γ”, reminds the mystical /mythological chalice, i.e. the female womb, and its triangular shape, with the vertex downwards, sketches the Water, “”, and the Earth, “”, the cold and female among the four alchemic elements. On the other hand, “γηράσκω” means “I grow hold”. The word “γλῶσσα” is “tongue”, but also “language”, “γιγνώσκω” means “I learn, I understand, I know”, and “γεωμετρέω” “I measure theland”. Actually, the graphic of the capital “Gamma”, “Γ”, calls up the shape of a knee, which in turn finds its etymon in “γόνυ”, but also the shape of a set square, “γωνία”, one of the most ancient tools for measuring and drawing. This paper runs across a first approach investigating the associations among linguistic and graphics meanings of “Gamma” as the “root” of the two fundamentals of mankind: life and knowledge.
2014
978-88-6542-347-9
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11591/213143
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