The Greek Alphabet
The Greek Alphabet
Part One: Some Basic Knowledge
In the Greek language, there are 24 letters in all: 17 consonants and seven vowels. There is an accent mark that is found on every Greek word that has more than one syllable, and it is known as the tonos (ÏÎżÎœÎżÏ). The tonos dictates which syllable gets the most stress and can differentiate between similar-sounding words or spellings.
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Part Two: The Vowels
Remember that there are seven vowels in all, which is a little different from English (English speakers use five vowels). Some of them are similar to English sounds, and a few of them sound similar to each other.
Πα (alpha | ΏλÏα): ah, as in "father"
ΠΔ (epsilon | ÎÏÎčÎ»ÎżÎœ): eh, as in "sell"
Î Îč (iota/yota | ÎłÎčÏÏα): ee, as in "peel"
Î Îż (omicron | ÏÎŒÎčÎșÏÎżÎœ): oh, as in "old"
Πη (eta | ÎźÏα): ee, as in "tree"
΄ Ï (upsilon | ÏÏÎčÎ»ÎżÎœ): ee, as in "bee"
Ω Ï (omega | ÏÎŒÎγα): oh, as in "show"
The Greek alpha (α) is pronounced at the front of the mouth, instead of in the back (like it is in English).
A lowercase iota (Îč) is written with a mini tail but does not include the dot above. Now as you can probably tell, there are a few letters that sound like an iota -- more specifically the letters eta (η) and upsilon (Ï ). In transliterated Greek, an eta can look like a regular iota but with a line on top (so, basically this: Ä«), a trait that helps it be differentiated from a standard iota. As for the upsilon, because many English words derive from Greek, we've borrowed some of their letters, AKA their "y" and their "u", which resemble the characters used for the Greek upsilon. In English, they represent separate sounds that aren't really related. However, in Greek, both of those characters simply sound like the standard iota.
Another sound gets a similar treatment in Greek: oh. Two letters are known as the Greek omicron (Îż) and omega (Ï) represent this sound. In transliterated Greek, the omega looks like an omicron with a line on top (Ć). Omicron goes by the nickname "small o", whilst "big o" refers to omega.
There are also vowel combinations that make new or familiar sounds, but I'll discuss them in a later post.
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Part Three: The Consonants
Now, we move on to the 17 other letters, which happen to be consonants. Some of them look familiar and/or sound familiar, but several are definitely a bit new. Take a look:
Î ÎČ (vita | ÎČÎźÏα): v, as in "vitamin"
Î Îł (gamma | ÎłÎŹÎŒÎŒÎ±): no English equivalent
Î ÎŽ (dhelta | ÎŽÎλÏα): th, as in "this"
Πζ (zita | ζίÏα): z, as in "zoo"
ΠΞ (thita | ΞΟÏα): th, as in "thanks"
Î Îș (kappa | ÎșÎŹÏÏα): k, as in "cow"
Πλ (lamda | Î»ÎŹÎŒÎŽÎ±): l, as in "leave"
Î ÎŒ (mu | ÎŒÎč): m, as in "move"
Î Îœ (nu | ÎœÎč): n, as in "new"
ΠΟ (xi | ΟÎč): x, as in "exit"
Î Ï (pi | ÏÎč): p, as in "pie"
ÎĄ Ï (rho | ÏÎż): no English equivalent
ÎŁ Ï (Ï) (sigma | ÏÎŻÎłÎŒÎ±): s, as in "see"
΀ Ï (taf | ÏÎ±Ï ): t, as in "too"
Ί Ï (fi | ÏÎč): f, as in "fear"
Χ Ï (chi | ÏÎč): no English equivalent
Κ Ï (psi | ÏÎč): ps, as in "lips"
Most of the letters are relatively comprehensible, with only three of them having little to no English equivalents. One of these letters is known as gamma (Îł), a very tricky letter. The pronunciation of gamma depends on the following letter. If the letter is a soft vowel, so the letter iota or epsilon, the gamma will pronounced like an English "y" (such as the one in "year"). If the letter is a hard vowel -- an alpha, omicron, omega, or upsilon -- it has a more difficult pronunciation, where a growl-like vibration is produced at the back of the throat near your uvula. It's best if you look up a few videos on how to properly pronounce the Greek gamma because it is quite a common letter. But, don't give up or get too frustrated if you can't get it as a beginner! Proper pronunciation and your accent will become much better as you study.
Delta (ÎŽ) is the next letter we'll discuss. A little less tricky than gamma, delta is pronounced more closely like the "th" in the English word "the". It has a very stunted and subtle "d" sound, but it's not omitted completely, which is why you'll see transcriptions using a "dh" for representation.
Thita (Ξ) sounds similar to delta except that it has a more authentic-sounding "th". This "th" sound is much softer and more like the English pronunciation of "thorough".
Sigma (Ï) may seem to be complicated with its three various forms, but the only one to worry about is Ï, which is explicitly used at the end of a word. Despite that difference, they are pronounced the same way you would pronounce an English "s".
Tau (Ï), the Greek "t", is a little less aspirated than it is in English and therefore has no extra air at the end. So, it should sound just slightly muted.
Chi (Ï) may look like an "x" but is pronounced nothing like it. This is one of the other fairly difficult pronunciations but should be relatively easier to understand. When next to a soft vowel (epsilon or iota, remember?), it sounds like an English "h" with a bit of a hiss to it; it can almost sound like a "y'" sound is also being added. When it's next to a hard vowel (alpha, upsilon, or omega/omikron), it sounds a bit harsher, like a German "ch" combination.
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Part Four: The Conclusion
And that's it! It might be a lot to take in, but with a bit of practicing and memorization, you should be able to get the hang of it soon. If you're confused about any of the pronunciation, I recommend looking up some videos of native speakers and trying to repeat after them as they say something. I'll be making worksheets to go along with each of the lessons I cover, so check back for those. Otherwise, have a nice day; γΔÎčα ÏÎżÏ !
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