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Lesson at a Glance
Recognize
You will learn to recognize the lower case Greek letters.
Pronounce
You will begin the process of learning to pronounce Greek words.
Write
You will learn to write the lower case letters of the Greek alphabet.
Name
Modern Pronunciation
Erasmian Pronunciation
Alpha
/a:/ as in father
Beta
/v/ as in vat
/b/ as in bat
Gamma
/g/ as in go
Delta
/d/ as in dog
Epsilon
/e/ as in set
/e/ as in set
Zeta
/z/ as in daze
/z/ as in daze
Eta
Theta
Iota
/k/ as in kitchen
Lambda
/l/ as in little
/l/ as in little
Mu
/m/ as in me
/m/ as in me
Nu
/n/ as in knee
/n/ as in knee
Xi
/ks/ as in kicks or x as in ax
/ks/ as in kicks or x as in ax
Omicron
// as in not or cot
Pi
/p/ as in pan
/p/ as in pan
Rho
/r/ as in read.
Sigma
/s/ as in sister
/s/ as in sister
Tau
Upsilon
Phi
Chi
// Not found in English (unless you pronounce the ch in "loch" like some Canadians do!).
Much like Spanish j
Psi
/ps/ as in lips
/ps/ as in lips
Omega
/o/ as in tote
/o/ as in tote
Forms of Sigma
Notice that there are two forms of lower case sigma. One () is used only as the final letter in a word and is thus called final sigma. The other () may be used anywhere else. Some examples are:
(body), (church), (sun).
Diphthongs and Digraphs
Several common combinations of two vowel letters have traditionally been called diphthongs. By the Hellenistic period, they were no longer pronounced as true diphthongs, however (two vowel sounds
slurred together into one continuous, yet shifting sound). Several would more properly be called digraphs (two letters used together to represent a single sound). Others represent the combination of one
vowel sound with a consonantal sound. In this course we will use the traditional terminology, calling these groups of letters diphthongs.
The traditional diphthongs are as follows.
Representing a single vowel sound in the Hellenistic Period:
Letter
Combination
Modern Pronunciation
Erasmian Pronunciation
Greek Example
/e/ as in bet
/a/ as in aisle
(request, demand)
/i/ as in machine
/e/as in eight
(peace)
/i/ as in machine
/o/ as in oil
(house, home)
(heaven, sky)
Letter
Combination
Modern Pronunciation
Erasmian Pronunciation
/y/ as in yet
Greek Example
/u/ as in suite
Modern Pronunciation
Erasmian Pronunciation
Greek Example
/u/ as in feud
(immediately)
Diaeresis. A diaeresis () is placed over the second letter of a pair of vowels which would otherwise form a diphthong to indicate that they do not form a diphthong and are to be pronounced individually.
Example: (Isaiah).
Double Consonants. Several combinations of two consonant letters are worth special attention. These are as follows:
Letter
Combination
Modern Pronunciation
Erasmian Pronunciation
Greek Example
// as in anger or sing
// as in anger or sing
/k/ as in ink
/k/ as in ink
(arm) is pronounedankali.
The rest of the letters, while not causing special confusion, must simply be memorized. , , , , , and bear no particular resemblance to English letters. Look at each one and
pronounce it several times. Learn the name for each letter.
Exercises
Exercise 1
scorpion
David
me
large, big
Rome
Corinth
Corinthian
Cornelius
Joseph
Levi
Amos
Jacob
Isaac
Abraham
Maria, or Mary
apostle
word (logos)
God, or god
Exercise 2
The words in the following exercise may be entirely unfamiliar to you, but in each case we have an English word that is in some sense derived from the Greek word you will see. The
words in parenthesis do not represent the meaning of the Greek word, but may help you remember the correct meaning.
Read More Words (Letter-Sound Correspondence Practice)
Read each Greek word. Try to think of an English word that sounds similar to the Greek word, then click "Turn" to flip the card and see what the Greek word actually means. When a thought bubble
appears in the upper right corner of the card, click it to get a hint or a little extra information. (to be shown as flashcards with the meaning behind)
law, decree
eye
beginning, first
god, or God
life
place, position
Look at the letters on the pdf file for writing practice. Note the relationship of each one to the solid line below it and the dotted line above. Some letters extend below the solid line.
While most lower-case letters fit neatly between the solid line and the dotted line, some extend above the dotted line. A few letters both extend below the solid line and above the
dotted line.
Take a piece of paper and practice writing these letters. You should be able to write all but three of them with a single continuous stroke. The three that require two strokes are , ,
and .
If you are learning Greek in a classroom setting, your instructor may ask to see your work. Write as neatly as you can.