Greek W Marks Flashcards
ᾰ
alpha: like the first a in English aha (or the first a in Italian amare): a short open central vowel
ᾱ
like the second a in English aha (or the second a in Italian amare): a long open central vowel
αι
alpha: like the vowel in English high: a diphthong
ᾳ (ᾱι)
alpha: generally pronounced by present-day students exactly like a plain long
alpha: a so-called long diphthong. The classical pronunciation was a
long alpha gliding into iota.
αυ
alpha: like the vowel in English how: a diphthong
β
beta: like English b: a voiced labial plosive
γ
gamma: like hard g in go: a voiced velar plosive, except before γ, κ, χ, and
perhaps μ, where it is a velar nasal, like n in ink or ng in song
δ
delta: like French d (similar to English d, but English d tends to have a slight aspiration absent in the Greek): a voiced dental plosive
ε
like e in English pet: a short front mid vowel
ει
epsilon: like the vowel of German Beet (similar to the vowel in English
eight): a digraph (two-letter symbol) representing a single sound
(monophthong): a long front close-mid vowel
ευ
epsilon: a diphthong pronounced by combining ε with [u] (i.e., oo as in English
pool) in one syllable. (Compare the vowel in English feud.)
ζ
zeta: like [zd] in English wisdom: a monograph (single symbol) representing a double-consonant group. From about 350 b.c.e. on, ζ came to be pronounced as a single fricative, [z] as in English doze or rose, and you will often hear it pronounced that way.
η
eta: like the ê in French tête: a long open vowel (similar to ει, but η is more open and more central)
ῃ (ηι)
eta: generally pronounced nowadays exactly like plain η: a so-called long diphthong. The classical pronunciation was eta gliding into iota.
ηυ
eta: a diphthong very similar in sound to ευ, made up of η gliding into [u] (i.e., oo as in English pool): very hard for English speakers to distinguish from ευ, and the Greeks themselves lost the distinction of these two sounds in the fourth century b.c.e.
θ
theta: pronounced by most people today like fricative th in English thin, but pronounced in classical Attic like the t in English top: an aspirated voiceless dental plosive (i.e., an aspirated tau). The fricative pronunciation arose in Attic and Koine during the Roman imperial period (or even earlier in some dialects) and is recommended in
this course because it avoids confusion between τ and θ for English speakers.
ῐ
iota: like i in French vite: a short close front vowel, unrounded. (The sound in English bit is similar, but more open.)
ῑ
like i in French vive: a long close front vowel, unrounded
κ
kappa: like English k (but completely unaspirated): a voiceless velar plosive. In the preposition ἐκ, kappa is assimilated in pronunciation to the following consonant: that is, it is aspirated to [ekh] before θ or φ, or voiced to [eg] before β, δ, λ, and sometimes γ.
λ
lambda: like a clear l in French, or like English l before vowels: a liquid
μ
mu: like a clear l in French, or like English l before vowels: a liquid
ν
nu: like a clear l in French, or like English l before vowels: a liquid
ξ
xi: like a clear l in French, or like English l before vowels: a liquid
ο
omicron: like a clear l in French, or like English l before vowels: a liquid
οι
omicron: like the vowel in English boy or coin: a diphthong
ου
omicron: like oo in English pool or ou in French rouge: a digraph representing (during most of the classical period) a long close back vowel, [υ]
