| 词汇 | demosthenic |
| 词源 | Demosthenic. There are legends that the great Greek orator Demosthenes was a stammerer, that he could not pronounce the letter p, that he overcame his impediment by practicing with pebbles in his mouth against the sound of the surf, or by declaiming as he ran uphill. According to still another tradi- tion, Demosthenes also mastered language by copying Thucy- dides’ direct and graphic History of the Peloponnesian War eight times. Whatever the truth of these stories—and there is little doubt that Demosthenes did have some speech defect as a boy—the Greek statesman ranks as the greatest orator of all time, surpassing even Cicero, who patterned himself on the Athenian. Demosthenes (ca. 383–322 b.c.) is particularly noted for his denunciations of Philip of Macedonia (see philippic), which roused his countrymen to the danger of the subjugation of Greece. The word Demosthenic refers to his oratory and also means eloquent, patriotic speech, for his two most constant themes were the greatness of Athens and the need to preserve her traditions. |
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