Sophrosyne and the rhetoric of self-restraint : polysemy and persuasive use of an ancient Greek value term /

: While of paramount importance to Ancient Greek society, sophrosyne , the value of self-restraint, constitutes a notoriously complex concept, and provides the speaker of Ancient Greek with a subtle instrument for verbal persuasion. This study provides a new description of the semantics of sophrosyne in Archaic and Classical Greek, based on a model from the field of cognitive linguistics. Besides, the volume shows how such a semantic description can contribute to the analysis and study of our sources: it investigates how speakers in our texts (ab)use the term to achieve their ends, covering most of the main texts, and culminating in a chapter on the dialogues of Plato.
: Based on the author's thesis (doctoral)--Universiteit Leiden, 2004. : 1 online resource (x, 375 pages) : illustrations. : Includes bibliographical references (p. 357-365) and indexes. : 9789047406983 : 0169-8958 ; : Available to subscribing member institutions only.