The noun σιωπᾶν is the accusative singular of σιωπή, but the ending -ᾶν (with circumflex) suggests a Doric or comic contraction of the expected Attic form σιωπᾶν from σιωπήν. However, the form is more strikingly attested as a Doric or poetic variant in the comic tradition, where the Attic third declension noun σιωπή (gen. σιωπῆς) appears in the accusative as σιωπᾶν under the influence of the first declension or through dialectal contraction. In Aristophanic comedy, such forms often serve metrical or comic purposes, and here they may be part of a deliberate archaizing or dialectal effect to mock or elevate the subject of the clause. The use of this form in a rhetorical question about being 'silenced' adds a layer of linguistic self-awareness to the passage, characteristic of Aristophanes' engagement with language itself.