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 The Alphabet
General Thread
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On the Evolution of Greek Alphabet
This post will not focus on remarks concerning the history of the Greek Alphabet but it will have a look at all the characters comprising the alphabet one by one.
A, a->ALPHA: The origin of this character goes back to the northsemitic 'aleph'(meaning a cow) which however was a consonant pronounced as ['h],a slightly harsh guttral sound. The innovation of the Greeks (besides adding some new consonants) was to introduce the vowels, sound 'a' (both long and short) being the first of them to be represented by alpha.These innovations gave the first systematic alphabet as we understand it today.
B, b->BETA: origin from the northsemetic 'bet' (meaning house and was pronounced as 'b' in English 'bad'. In modern/byzantine Greek it is prounounced as 'v'in 'venom'. But already by the 3rd-4th cent. BC the pronounciation had started to change.
G, g->GAMMA: the origin is from the northsemitic 'gimel'(meaning camel);the sound was that of 'g' as in 'guy';in the years of the Alexandrain Koine or the last pre-chriastianic centuries gamma started being pronounced as 'gh', a softer sound of 'g' and this is its modern pronounciation.
D, d->DELTA: origin from the northsemetic 'dalet'(meaning door);the sound was that of 'd' in 'dog', but already in the prechristianic centuries it started being pronounced as 'th' in 'those', a softer sound of 'd' as 'dh'.
E, e->EPSILON:from the northsemitic [he'](meaning a wicket), but actually a vowel the second after alpha to denote until 403 BC I)the short 'e'(as in legomen), II) the long e as 'ee' (as in melon=apple), and the sound 'ei'. After 403 its used only for the short 'e', whereas the long 'e' ('ee') is denoted by Heta (modern english 'H').The very meaning of 'epsilon' means 'thin e' (e psilon). the invention of E was tremendous if we consider that in the previous Linear B system 14 syllables were used to denote the 'e' sound (pe,te,ke,le,re,me,ne etc)without any distinction between long and short e.
Z, z->ZETA: This is the 6th letter in the modern Greek Alphabet, but in antiquity its place belonged to DIGAMMA (F) later evolved into the so called STIGMA (something of a C with a little tail in the lower edge). the origin o0f zeta is from either the northsemetic 'zayin' or the aramaic 'zayit' and was pronounced not as the modern 'z' (as in zero), but as a double consonant either [zd] or [dz] ( as in 'join'). The changing began already in the 3rd-4th centuries BC. Until then the sound [z] was represented only by 's' before the consonants as m,n,l,r. Eg. 'cosmos' was pronounced as 'cozmos'. This is a peculiarity that has survived until today.
H, h->HETA: This letter was used (according to the dialect) to denote either the sound of exhallation, a harsh breathing sound as in 'Hellas' or the long 'e' (i.e [ee]).After 200 BC the grammarians used the upper part of the form of H to denote the breathing signs. After the alexandrian era Heta started being pronounced as Iota(I) as e in 'me'.It originates from the northsemetic [heth.
Q, q->THETA: Originating from the northsemetic 'teth'(where the 't' sound is emphatic) it denoted the [th]sound pattern as in 'theme' or 'theatre', but the the 't' being more hardly stressed. It very quickly changed into a softer 'th'.
I, i->IOTA: from the nortsemetic 'yod'(meaning hand) it came to denote the sound[i] as i in 'give'. It could be bothe short and long[ii].Many other vowels and diphthogs were merged into the sound of iota, as Heta, Ypsilon, ai, ei, oi, ui and others. This process is known as 'iotakism'.
K, k->KAPPA: Originating from the northsemetic 'kaph' (meaning open hand). In antiquity it was used to denote a soft 'k' sound as in 'cup', but KOPPA was used a harder sound as [kh,Q]Koppa fell out and in later times until now Kappa denotes both soft and hard 'k'.
L, l->LAMDA: (also Lambda(originally)and Labda) Its origins are from the 'lamed' or 'lamedh', northsemetic. No alterations in the pronounciation from antiquity till nowdays.
M, m->MI: From the northsemetic 'mem' (water). No changes.
N, n->NI: From the northsemetic 'nun'(fish).No changes.
X, x->XI: An innovation to denote a double consonant as a single one the sound being [ks]. It originates from the northsemetic 'samekh'. Their forms are similar.
O, o->OMIKRON: Literally meaning 'small o' (o mikron). It oddly originates from the northsemetic 'ayin (eye)in terms of morphology. But the semetic soung was a strong guttral one, whereas the Greeks provided a new vowel.In ancient Greek it was named OU (as it denoted the closed sound[ou]), as Epsilon was named EI (from the closed sound[ei]it initially denoted, it was only after the separation of E and H that it was named Epsilon). Omikron came to be named as such in contrast to Omega (a big ie long O).In the times before the Eucleid Alphabet (before 403) it denoted I)short o, II) long O and III) closed 'ou'. After that the sounds were separated from Omikron.
P, p->PI: from the northsememtic 'pe' meaning 'mouth'. No changes.
R, r->RO: Originates from the northsemetic 'ros' or 'res' (head). It was thought to be a vowel originlly as it was pronounced with a harsh sound of exhalation [hr].
S, s, V->SIGMA: from the northsemetic 'sin' or 'siyn'(tooth). No changes, the sound being[s] and not the semetic [sh].
T, t->TAU: (It is nowdays pronounced asTaf)It originates from the northsemetic 'taw' meaning the 'sign'.It is the last letter to be borroed from the Phoenician alphabet, though its form is very close to its syllabographic equivalent in the Linear B tablets so there might have been an evolution there.
U, u->YPSILON: It denoted the sound [u] as in the french 'une' and 'pure' or the german 'uber'. It was pronounced as so right until the 9/10 century A.D. when the Byzantines called y psilon ( a thin y), instead of its original name which was 'U'.It originates from the northsemetic 'waw' (which in its Samareitan form gave Digamma(F), whereas in its Phoenician form it was used to depict Ypsilon (Y).Digamma and Ypsilon are the consonantal and vowal sound of [w] respectively.
F, f->FI: an innovation of the Greeks to denote the sound[ph](an f with a strong 'p' sound in it). In the Hellenistic era it lapsed into [f].
C, c->KHI: (written as X in Greek) A Greek innovation as well. Initially it denoted the sound[kh]but it gradually lapsed into a strong 'h' as in 'hearth' or'hero'.
Y, y->PSI: Another innnovation to denote the sound [ps].
W, w->OMEGA: The great O, as in [oo]. It was created in contrast to omikron in order to denote the long 'o' sound.
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That's quite correct, Kallistos! n/t (* Tanaquil Sergius, Sep 28, 2004 - 09:17 ) Is This Right? (* Kallistos Alexandros, Sep 27, 2004 - 08:02 )|
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