User:Muke/grc

Ancient Greek

Alphabet

Native	Α	Β	Γ	Δ	Ε	Ϝ	Ζ	Η	Θ	Ι	Κ	Λ	Μ	Ν	Ξ	Ο	Π	Ϻ	Ϙ	Ρ	Σ	Τ	Υ	Φ	Χ	Ψ	Ω	Ϡ
Romanized	a	b	g	d	e	v	z	ē	th	i	c	l	m	n	x	o	p	s	q	r	s	t	y	ph	ch	ps	ō	(ss)

Digraphs

Native	ΑΙ	ΕΙ	ΟΙ	ΑΥ	ΕΥ	ΗΥ	ΟΥ	ΡΡ	ΓΓ	ΓΚ	ΓΧ	ΓΞ
Romanized	ae	ī	oe	au	eu	ēu	ū	rrh	ng	nc	nch	nx

Note: This may look weird, but that's because it's a Romanization, not a strict transliteration. Following this practice is why we have dinosaurs and not *deinosaurs (δεινός), music not *mousic (μουσική), and archaeology and not *archaiology (ἀρχαῖος).

• h for the rough breathing.

• Use -os, -ē, -on, not Latinate -us, -a, -um.

• Don't transliterate iota subscript unless relevant.

Pronunciation

Classical

Consonants

	approx	fric	vl stop	vl aspirate	vd stop	nasal
labials	(w)		p	pʰ	b	m
dentals	j l r	s	t	tʰ	d	n
velars			k	kʰ	ɡ	ŋ
glottal		h

• Length is distinctive in consonants, thus /sː (s:)/

• Gamma is /ŋ/ before /m/ (and /n/, too, I think).

• The clusters represented by ψ, ξ were originally (where those letters had not been introduced) spelt ΦΣ, ΧΣ, implying that they were [pʰs kʰs]; for simplicity's sake and common practice it will probably be better to write /ps ks/ as the aspiration appears to be secondary.

• Use /zd/ for ζ. Like it or not, that's the generally proclaimed value.

Vowels

	front	back
high	i iː y yː	uː
close-mid	e eː	o
open-mid	ɛː	ɔː
low	a aː

• The digraphs ει and ου were originally diphthongs ("genuine diphthongs"). The diphthong ει soon became /eː/, opposed to the plain letter η /ɛː/. ου was originally /oː/ opposed to ω /ɔː/, but soon became /uː/. After the genuine diphthongs monophthongized, their spellings began to be used for their homophones, sounds previously spelled ε and ο (long, but like the other vowels α ι υ, not marked as such). Thus the "spurious diphthongs".

• During this period iota subscript was still pronounced, though perhaps in the process of being lost. Thus, /aːj/, /ɛːj/, /ɔːj/, or perhaps like /ɔː(j)/.

Pitch

• Acute accent, high pitch, e.g. IPA /é/.
• Circumflex accent, falling pitch, e.g. IPA /ê/.
• Grave accent, no pitch, e.g. IPA /e/.

Koine

Consonants

	approx	vl stop	vl fricative	vd fricative	nasal
labials		p	f	β	m
dentals	j l r	t	s θ	z ð	n
velars		k	x	ɣ	ŋ

Vowels

	front	back
high	i	u
mid	e	o
low	a

Accent

• The Koine greatly simplified the sound system of Greek.... Besides the obliteration of nearly all diphthongs, the pitch accent was replaced by a stress accent, ordinary /ˈ/. If there was a secondary accent I don't know how it would be placed...

Citation Form

λέξις, -εως, ἡ f (lexis)

• Mark the long vowels here; don't use macrons in page titles.
• Link to the appropriate declension.
• Transliteration goes on this line also.
• A word with a digamma should link to that as an ===Alternative spelling===.