Re:First English dictionary of ancient Greek since Victorian...
by twic on Friday May 28, 2021 @06:32AM
(#27313729)
> What even is "a kind of slipper worn by fops"? It's far easier to understand it's just a common slipper.
No, if the new lexicon removes useful information, that's bad. Say you read a passage which mentions "Miletus, city of βλαύτη-wearers". With the new definition, all you know is it's a city where people wear simple sandals, which tells you nothing. With the old definition, you understand that the author is saying that Miletus is a decadent city.
Now, if that information is inaccurate, it's not useful, and it's right to remove it. But ease of understanding is not a reason to do this.
No, if the new lexicon removes useful information, that's bad. Say you read a passage which mentions "Miletus, city of βλαύτη-wearers". With the new definition, all you know is it's a city where people wear simple sandals, which tells you nothing. With the old definition, you understand that the author is saying that Miletus is a decadent city.
Now, if that information is inaccurate, it's not useful, and it's right to remove it. But ease of understanding is not a reason to do this.