General History
Greek is one of the oldest languages spoken today. It is also one of the oldest Indo-European languages. Sanskrit and a few others are older. Because of the age and continuous use of the language, it has gone through many different iterations. Some things that have changed are the alphabet, the sounds, and how vital the language was to know. Greek evolved from many different languages. Starting with Indo-European, then evolving into Hellenic, then Ancient Greek, and lastly reaching modern Greek. This means that Greek is related to many languages like Armenian, German, English, and Latin which includes all of Latin’s subsidies.
Currently, Greek is the official language of Greece and Cyprus. Greek is also recognized as a minority language in other countries including Armenia, Albania, and Italy. The language is also spoken by the diaspora in other countries including the United States. Greek has great historical importance. The New Testament was also written in Greek. Lastly, Greek still holds a basis in many languages. For example, it is estimated that 150,000 English words are based in Greek. There are four major eras of the Greek language. The first is Ancient Greek. This is further divided into two sub-eras, the Mycenaean and Archaic/Classical periods. Second is Koine Greek, which was the language of the Bible. This phase also had simplified grammar because of the Greek expansion due to Alexander the Great. Next is Byzantine Greek. This was spoken in the Byzantine Empire and was written very similarly to Archaic Greek; however, its speech was still developing. Lastly, Modern Greek, which is spoken today. Modern Greek has many dialects, but the most common is called Standard Modern Greek. This is based on Demotic Greek which was used every day and Katharevousa Greek which was used more in government. Greek romanization is still a point of uncertainty because modern romanization comes from the Romans who lacked certain letters to differentiate between sounds. Also, the language has changed so some romanizations do not match up with their current sounds. For example, the Greek letter χ was and still is romanized as “ch” when it is more accurately romanized as “k” or “kh”. Another example is the Greek letter β which was pronounced like a “b” in classical times but is now pronounced like a “v”. Lastly, the Greek letter υ is romanized as a “y” because it was different from the Roman “i” however in Modern Greek υ is pronounced like an “i”.
The Phonology (Sounds) of Greek
Terms
Modern Greek has 21 consonant sounds, 18 of which are shared with English. Every sound has three criteria: voiceless or voiced, placement, and manner. Voiceless refers to when one makes a sound without the use of the vocal cords. For example, “s,” as in snake. Voiced refers to when one makes a sound with the use of the vocal cords. For example, “z,” as in zoo. Placement is where in the mouth and throat the sound is being made. This can range from the lips to the larynx. In Modern Greek, there are five placements. Finally, manner is how a sound is made. For example, the sound /p/ is called a voiceless bilabial plosive. In layman’s terms, it is a sound made without vocal cords, using only the lips, and a burst of air.
Plosives
Plosives are sounds made when one stops airflow and then releases it in a burst of air. In Modern Greek, there are six plosives. First are the voiceless and voiced bilabial plosives /p/ and /b/ which are just like they look. /p/ as in pack or πόδι (póði), and /b/ as in aback or μπόχα (bókha). Next are the voiceless and voiced alveolar plosives /t/ and /d/ which again sound just like they look. /t/ as in tick or τρία (tría), and /d/ as in dash or ντροπή (dropí). Lastly, there are the voiceless and voiced velar plosives /k/ and /g/ which sound how they look /k/ as in kiss or καλόγερος (kalóyeros) and /g/ as in good or γκάρισμα (gárizma).
Fricatives
Fricatives are defined by closing the mouth to the point where only a small airstream can be pushed out, creating friction and therefore a sound. The first two sounds are the voiceless and voiced labiodental fricatives /f/ and /v/. These are pronounced just like in English. /f/ can be seen in the words fill or φύση (físi), and /v/ can be seen in words like vote or βερνίκι (verníki). Then are the voiceless and voiced dental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/. These both make the English “th” sound. For example, /θ/ as in thin or θάλασσα (thálassa) and /ð/ as in this or δάφνη (ðáfni). The next sounds are the voiceless and voiced alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/. Ding! Ding! You are correct that they are also s and z in English. /s/ can be seen in words like sit or σαν (san), and /z/ can be heard in zoo or μάζα (máza). Lastly, there is the voiced palatal fricative /ʝ/. This sound is not pronounced like the English “j’ but instead the English “y”. It is seen in words like you or γεια (yα).
Affricates
The next sounds are affricates, meaning one must make a plosive sound immediately followed by a fricative. The only affricates are the voiceless voiced alveolar affricate /ts/ and /dz/ which is the sound of, you guessed it, a /t/,/d/ and /s/,/z/ combined. /ts/ can be seen in the word pits or κορίτσι (korítsi). /dz/ can be seen in the word day (certain dialects) or τζάκι (dzáki)
Nasals
Next are the nasal sounds, which are defined as air stream passing through the nose in order to make the sound. The nasal sounds are the voiced bilabial nasal sound /m/ and the voiced alveolar nasal sound /n/. Both sound like how they look in English. /m/ can be seen in words like him or μάζα (máza). /n/ can be found in words like nice or άνθος (ánthos).
Approximants
The next group is the approximants. This is more of a catch-all term for anything that does not nicely fit into the other categories. The only sound is the voiced alveolar approximant /l/. This sounds like an “l”. /l/ is in words like let or λέξη (léxi).
Greek Sounds
There are three last sounds that do not exist in English and could be hard for English speakers to pronounce. The first are the voiceless and voiced velar fricative /x/ and /ɣ/. /x/ is the sound of the French “r” in très, the German word dach, the European Spanish word ojo, and the Greek word τέχνη (tékhni). /ɣ/ is the sound of the European Portuguese “g” in agora, the Irish word dhorn, the European Spanish word amigo, and the Greek word γάλα (ghála). The last sound is the voiced alveolar tap /ɾ/. This sounds like the “r” in the Spanish word caro, the Irish word fear, the Portuguese word prato, and the Greek word μηρός (mirós).
Interactive Pulmonic Consonant IPA Chart
Vowels
Vowels are very simple in Greek – aside from the digraph and diphthongs – and the language works on a five-vowel system: a, e, i, o, and u. All of which are in English. The first sound is the open-front unrounded vowel /a/. It sounds like the English “a” in at or πας (pas). The next sound is the mid-front unrounded vowel /e/. It is found in words like bit and πες (pes). Then there is the close front unrounded vowel /i/. It sounds like the English “e” in free or κήπος (kípos). Furthermore, there is the mid-back rounded vowel /o̞/. This makes the English “o” sound like in Cambodia or πως (pos). Lastly, the close back rounded vowel /u/. This makes the English “oo” sound like in boot or που (pu).
The Orthography (Writing) of Greek
Alphabet – Αλφάβητο
Greek, just like English, is written from left to right. The Greek script consists of 24 letters. You may be asking yourself, what about the vowels that we just covered? Greek, unlike Hebrew, uses an alphabet. This means that there are letters for the vowels and consonants. Now let’s get into the αλφάβητο (alfávito)
The first letter of the alfa-vito is alfa, of course. Álfa/Άλφα it looks like this Αα. It makes the “a” sound. The next letter is Víta/Βήτα it looks like this Ββ and it makes the “v” sound. The next letter is Gháma/Γάμα and it looks like this Γγ, it makes the “gh” sound. Gháma is a little weird because when it is followed by an “i” or “e” sound it makes a “y” sound instead of a “gh” sound. For example, γύρος is pronounced yíros, not ghíros. Then is Ðélta/Δέλτα which looks like this Δδ and makes the “dh” sound. Furthermore, Épsilon/Έψιλον which looks like this Εε and makes the “e” sound. Next is Zíta/Ζήτα which looks like this Ζζ and makes the “z” sound. Íta/Ήτα looks like this Ηη and makes the “i” sound. Then is Thíta/Θήτα which looks like this Θθ and makes the “th” sound. Additionally, Yióta/Γιώτα looks like this Ιι and makes the “i” sound. Then is Káppa/Κάππα which looks like this Κκ and makes the “k” sound. Next is Lámdha/Λάμδα which looks like this Λλ. Lamdha makes the “l” sound. Next is Mi/Μι which looks like this Μμ and makes the “m” sound. Then is Ni/Νι which looks like this Νν and makes the “n” sound. After is Xi/Ξι which looks like this Ξξ and makes the “x” sound. Then is Ómikron/Όμικρον which looks like this Οο and makes the “o” sound. Pi/Πι looks like this Ππ, it makes the “p” sound. Next is Ro/Ρο which looks like this Ρρ and makes the “r” sound. This letter is Sígma/Σίγμα it looks like this Σσ. Sígma is a little special, when it is at the end of a word it has a different form and it looks like this ς. For example, θάλασσες (thálasses). Taf/Ταυ looks like this Ττ and makes the “t” sound. Then is Ípsilon/Ύψιλον which looks like this Υυ and makes the “i” sound. Next is Phi/Φι which looks like this Φφ and makes the “f” sound. The letter is Khi/Χι. It looks like this Χχ and makes the “kh” sound. Then is the letter Psi/Ψι which looks like this Ψψ and makes the “ps” sound. Lastly, the letter Oméga/Ωμέγα which looks like this Ωω and makes the “o” sound.
Digraphs
A digraph is when two letters come together and make a new sound. For example, in English “t” and “h” come together to make “th” or “c” and “h” come together to make “ch”. Greek has twelve digraphs. The first is when “μ” and “π” come together to make a “b” sound. Next is when “ν” and “τ” come together to make a “d”. Then when “γ” and “k” come together to make a “g” sound. Lastly, when “t” and “z” come together to make a “dz” (this can sometimes be read “j” in non-native words/names). The next eight are vowel digraphs ΑΙ/αι makes the “e” sound, ΕΙ/ει and ΟΙ/οι make the “i” sound, ΟΥ/ου makes the “u” sound, ΥΙ/υι makes the “ui” sound, ΑΥ/αυ makes the “av” or “af” sound, and ΕΥ/ευ and ΗΥ/ηυ both make the “ev” or “ef” sound.
Positives
As you have probably noticed, the Greek alphabet is very similar to the Latin that is used in English. This makes it a little bit easier to learn. Greek has some special punctuation. The question looks like this ; and the quotation marks look like this «». Greek does have accent marks; however, if you pronounce the word then you should be able to place it. It is important to note that accent marks are important, χάλι means bad while χαλί means carpet. Lastly, something that makes Greek easier to learn is that many words are similar in English and the language is spelled phonetically (aside from the digraphs and diphthongs).
Useful Phrases
- What’s up? – Τι λέει;
- Hello/Good-bye – Γεια σας
- I’m Sorry – Συγνώμη
- My name is _____ – Με λένε
- How much is this? – Πόσο κοστίζει αυτό
- I don’t speak Greek – Δεν μιλάω ελληνικά
- Do you speak English? – Μιλάτε αγγλικά;
- What time is it? – Τι ώρα είναι;
- Yes – Ναι
- No – Όχι
- Good morning– Καλημέρα
- Good evening – Καλησπέρα
- One – Ένα
- Two – Δύο
- Three – Τρία
- Four – Τέσσερα
- Five – Πέντε
- Six – Έξι
- Seven – Επτά
- Eight – Οκτώ
- Nine – Εννέα
- Ten – Δέκα
The Finale
In all, Greek is one of the oldest languages, it is closely related to languages like German, English, and Latin. Greek is a thriving language with it being used in many pop songs and showing up on the international stage. The Greek language contains 21 consonant sounds and five vowels, combining for 26 sounds: /p, b, t, d, k, g, ts, dz, f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʝ, x, ɣ, m, n, l, ɾ /. The Greek language uses its own script with 24 characters: Αα Ββ Γγ Δδ Εε Ζζ Ηη Θθ Ιι Κκ Λλ Μμ Νν Ξξ Οο Ππ Ρρ Σσ Ττ Υυ Φφ Χχ Ψψ Ωω. Greek has twelve diphthongs. Greek is a very interesting language as it brings up many unique challenges; however, the language has so much history and culture behind it. You cannot lose if you choose to learn it.