Lesson 3 | Iota subscript, Accents, Breathings, Sounds

 

 

Iota subscript

 

Sometimes, the vowels α, η, ω   may have a sign under them in the form of a small ι, usually in the syllable at the end of the word. This is known as an iota subscript, and need not be pronounced.

However, it is never used under a capital letter.

In such cases it is written adjacent to the capital, and is called an iota adscript, and still need not be pronounced.

 

Accents

There are three forms of accent:

• acute  (`)  (οξεία – oxia)

• grave (΄) (Βαρεία – varia)

• circumflex (~) (Περισπωμένη – perispomeni)

However, this may have been different in life in Ancient Greece, and the way in which accents affected pronunciation remains unascertained; the usual way to read them aloud is to raise the pitch of the syllable on which you find any accents.

 If a diphthong has an accent, it is placed on its second vowel.

Breathings

When a word begins with a vowel, this initial vowel must have on it a breathing, which resembles a small comma.

There are two types of breathing:

 

• smooth: (᾿)  Ψιλή (Psili)

ὀλιγαρχία	oligarchy
᾿Ηλέκτρα	Electra

 • rough: (῾) Δασεία (Dasia)

ἑξάγωνον	hexagon
῾Ελένη	Helen

 

They are not interchangeable

All words beginning with an upsilon have a rough breathing.

ὑπόθεσις

hypothesis

 

All words beginning with rho (ρ) have a rough breathing

 

ῥητορική	rhetoric
ῥυθμός	rhythm

If a smooth breathing (᾿) is used, the pronunciation is not affected.

But if a rough breathing (῾) is used, this is pronounced as if there were an initial h.

In diphthongs, the same rule for breathings applies: put it on the second letter, but pronounce it as if it were on the first one.

A vowel can have both a breathing and an accent. In this case the breathing is written before the acute or grave, or below if it is a circumflex.

If the initial vowel is a capital, any breathing or accent that would be found on it is written to the left of the top of the letter.

 

Practice: Pronounce the Words Below.

Quantity	Greek	Equivalent
ᾱ, α	δρᾶμα	drama
η, ο	δῆμος	people
ῑ, α, ω	νῑκάω	I conquer
α, ω, ο	ἄνθρωπος	human
ῡ, ω	λύω	I free
α, ι, ᾱ	καρδίᾱ	heart
ε, ε, ο	ἕτερος	other
ι, ο	βίος	life
ο, η, ο	Ὅμηρος	Homer
α, υ, α, ο	ἀδύνατος	unable