Some examples of repetition in Terence

Abstract

The cumulation of synonyms, that is, the use within a sentence of words similar in meaning but different in form, and the securing of various sound effects by the collocation of words different in meaning but similar in form, is a characteristic of Roman Comedy which has received extensive treatment. A reader of the plays of Plautus and Terence cannot fail to be impressed also by the frequent repetition within a sentence, or in succeeding sentences, of an identical word. It is to the discussion of such repetition as found in the plays of Terence that I have devoted the greater part of my paper. I have in conclusion, also noted some examples of the collocation of words different in meaning but derived from a common stem, as well as of words which have no etymological connection but are chosen for the similarity of sound.