Editing Prodicus (section)

===Linguistics===
Several of [[Plato]]'s dialogues focus upon Prodicus' linguistic theory, and his insistence upon the correct use of names. He paid special attention to the correct use of words,<ref>Plato, ''Euthyd.'' 187e, ''Cratyl.'' 384b, comp. Galen, ''in Hippocr. de Articul.'' iv. p. 461. 1</ref> and the distinction of expressions related in sense.<ref>Plato, ''Lach.'' 197d, ''Prot.'' 340a, 341a, ''Charmid.'' 163d; comp. [[Themistius]], ''Orat.'' iv. p. 113</ref> In ''Meno'', Plato has Socrates observe that Prodicus might more tightly distinguish certain words which Socrates was happy to treat as sharing broadly the same meaning.<ref>Plato, ''Meno'', 75e</ref> [[Thucydides]] is said to have gained from him his accuracy in the use of words.<ref>Marcell. ''Vit. Thuc.''; comp. Scholium ap. Hemsterhus. ''Annot. in Lucian.'', App. 3; Maxim. Tyr. ''Dissert.'' vii.</ref> In the ''[[Cratylus (dialogue)|Cratylus]]'',<ref>Plato, ''Cratylus'', 384b</ref> [[Socrates]] jokes that if he could have afforded the fifty drachma lectures he would now be an expert on "the correctness of names". In several of the Platonic dialogues Socrates appears as the friend and companion of Prodicus, which reveals at least that the two did have close personal relations, and that Socrates did attend at least a few of his lectures. "For Socrates, correct language was the prerequisite for correct living (including an efficient government). But Prodicus, though his linguistic teaching undoubtedly included semantic distinctions between ethical terms, had stopped at the threshold. The complete art of ''logoi'' embraced nothing less than the whole of philosophy."<ref name="guthrie276">Guthrie, William., ''The Sophists''. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1971. {{ISBN|0-521-09666-9}}. p. 276.</ref>