You will need your subscription password to sign in again on this browser.
Verify your email
We've already sent a confirmation link to your inbox. If you don't see it, you can resend it.
Unit 2 · From the first vowel letters to modern print · Read
From the first vowel letters to modern print
Place the modern alphabet in its historical setting.
Greek inscriptions survive from the 8th century BCE
Borrowed letters, new vowels
The Greek alphabet developed from Phoenician writing and adapted letters to represent vowels, so consonants and vowels are both written.
α β γa b cа б в
Greek, Latin and Cyrillic: related alphabets
A parent of other alphabets
Latin and Cyrillic draw on Greek writing through different historical routes. Some shapes look familiar, but their Greek values must still be learned.
c. 200 BCEAccents and breathings
1982Monotonic: one accent
One accent since 1982
The monotonic spelling adopted in 1982 uses a single stress accent rather than the older accent and breathing system. Modern print and this course use the monotonic system.
βδγ
Modern values: v · th in “this” · gh
Modern sounds, not maths names
This course teaches Modern Greek pronunciation; familiar mathematical letter names do not tell you the modern sound. β is v in βάρκα, boat, and δ is th as in this in δέμα, parcel.
Greek inscriptions survive from the 8th century BCE
LernLaterne