Description

This article is from the Greece FAQ, by Nikolaos (Nick) C. Fotis, nfotis@theseas.ntua.gr with numerous contributions by others.

25 Part 1.8 - Difference between Ancient Greek pronunciationsand modern Greek pronunciations?

SUMMARY OF
RECOMMENDED PRONUNCIATIONS

(`English' refers to the standard or `received' pronunciations of
Southern British English. Asterisks indicate less accurate
approximations.)

alpha (short) As first `a' in Italian `amare'
*As vowel of English `cup'
(N.B. not as vowel of `cap')

alpha (long) As second `a' in Italian `amare'
*As `a' in English `father'

alpha with iota subscript As `alpha (long)'

alpha-iota As in English `high'

alpha-upsilon As in English `how'

alpha (long)- upsilon As `alpha-upsilon'

beta As English `b'

gamma (1) As English "hard" `g'
(2) Before kappa, chi, gamma, mu:
as `n' in English `ink' or `ng' in `song'

delta As French `d'
*As English `d'

epsilon As in English `pet'

epsilon-iota As in German `Beet'

epsilon-upsilon Pronounce as two vowels: `epsilon' `upsilon'

zeta [zd] as in English `wisdom'

eta As in French `t^ete'

eta with iota subscript As `eta'

eta-upsilon As `epsilon-upsilon'

theta As `t' in English `top' (emphatically pronounced)
*As `th' in English `thin'

iota (short) As in French `vite'
*As in English `bit'

iota (long) As in French `vive'
*As in English `bead'

kappa As French "hard" `c', or English (non-initial)
`k', `ck', or "hard" `c'

lambda As French `l', or English `l' before vowels
*As English `l' in other contexts

mu As English `m'

nu As `n' in French or *English `net'

xi As `x' in English `box'

omicron As in German `Gott'
*As in English `pot'

omicron-iota As in English `boy', `coin'

omicron-upsilon As in English `pool' or French `rouge'

pi As French `p', or English (non-initial) `p'

rho As Scottish "rolled" `r'

sigma (1) As `s' in English `sing', or `ss' in `less',
`lesson'
(2) Before `beta', `gamma', `delta', `mu': as
English `z' (N.B. but not elsewhere)

sigma-sigma As `sigma' `sigma'

tau As French `t'
*As English (non-initial) `t'

upsilon (short) As in French `lune'

upsilon (long) As in French `ruse'

upsilon-iota [no pronunciation rule given]

phi As `p' in English `pot' (emphatically pronounced)
*As `f' in English `foot'

chi As `c' in English `cat' (emphatically pronounced)
*As `ch' in Scottish `loch'

psi As `ps' in English `lapse'

omega As in English `saw'

omega with iota subscript As `omega'

[The author of this monography discusses also how to pronounce the
accented vowels and the double consonants. In conclusion, he says
that the accents should not be pronounced in a `melodic' way -- which,
he states, was the way Ancient Greek was spoken --, but rather in
a `stress-based' way like Byzantine and Modern Greek, because the
Ancient Greek melodic pronounciation of accents is not known. He
also states that the iota-subscript should not have any effect on the
pronounciation of the vowel it accompanies. Finally, he says that
double consonants should be pronounced the same as single ones, only
a bit longer.]

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