ELEMENTARY GREEK GREK 1001 MTh 8 40 9

ELEMENTARY GREEK GREK 1001 M-Th 8: 40 -9: 30 ***

ELEMENTARY GREEK Writing the Greek alphabet

ELEMENTARY GREEK • Greek has twenty-four letters. – upper-case: ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΦΥΧΨΩ – lower-case: αβγδεζηθικλμνξοπρσςτφυχψω

An inscription in the upper-case letters Classical Greek represent the versions used in stone-cut inscriptions law code of Gortyn 5 th century BC

An inscription in the upper-case. Greek letters Classical were also used in early writing on papyrus of the poet Archilochus P. Oxy. LXIX 4708: see http: //www. papyrology. ox. ac. uk

the lower-case letters represent the hand-writing from later manuscripts page of medieval manuscript of Euripides’ Hekabe

From manuscript to modern printed edition

modern printed editions began as reproductions of manuscripts, so they retain this use of the lower-case letters modern printed edition of Euripides’ Hekabe

ELEMENTARY GREEK We use lower-case letters normally. Use upper-case letters for only two reasons: • the first letter of a proper name (person, place, κτλ) • the first letter of a direct quotation κτλ = Greek for “etc” = “and the rest, and so on”

ELEMENTARY GREEK Imagine if English were printed in a cursive script all the time. This is why printed Greek texts can look like chicken scratch, but once you know the alphabet, it is just like reading someone’s handwriting.

letter name sound English Α α “alpha” = “ah” = A a

letter name sound English Β β “beta” = “b” = B b

letter name sound English Γ γ “gamma”= “g” = G g

letter name sound English Δ δ “delta” = “d” = D d

letter name sound English Ε ε “epsilon” = “eh” = E e

letter name sound English Ζ ζ “zeta” = “z” = Z z

letter name sound English Η η “eta” = “ay” = E e

letter name sound English Θ θ “theta” = “th” = Th th

letter name sound English Ιι “iota” = “ih” = I i

letter name sound English Κ κ “kappa” = “k” = C c (Latin) or Kk

letter name sound English Λ λ “lambda” = “l” = L l

letter name sound English Μ μ “mu” = “m” = M m

letter name sound English Ν ν “nu” = “n” = N n

letter name sound English Ξ ξ “xi” = “ks” = X x

letter name sound English Ο ο “omicron” = “o” = O o

letter name sound English Π π “pi” = “p” = P p

letter name sound English Ρ ρ “rho” = “r” = R r

letter name sound English Σ σ ς “sigma” = “s” = S s use ς only at the end of words (σ is a cursive formed designed to continue into the next letter; at the end of the word, this link is unnecessary)

letter name sound English Τ τ “tau” = “t” = T t

letter name sound English Υ υ “upsilon” = “u” = Y y

letter name sound English Φ φ “phi” = “f” = Ph ph

letter name sound English Χ χ “chi” = “kh” = Ch ch (Latin) or Kh kh

letter name sound English Ψ ψ “psi” = “ps” = Ps ps

letter name sound English Ω ω “omega” = “oh” = O o

Sing the Greek alphabet to “Itsy Bitsy Spider”!

Sing the Greek alphabet to “Frère Jacques”!

ELEMENTARY GREEK for tomorrow (Wednesday, August 24, 2005): • Quiz: *** • Look over the sounds and diacritical marks in Shelmerdine (pp. 2 -3) or “Alphabet Sounds” in Moodle