| Vowels |
|
The respelling method of denoting pronunciation will be employed to clarify
how the seven vowels are pronounced.
- a = AH as in farmer, car, heart.
- e = EH as in ebb, wreck, bread.
- h = AY as in ace, aid, cane.
- i = IH as in bit, myth, build
or
i = EE as in beet, eat, shriek.
- o = AW as in law, taught, God.
- u = OO (short) as in book, bull,
woman.
- w = OH as in home, coat, abode.
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| Diphthongs |
|
A diphthong consists of two vowels which comprise
one sound value. There are seven proper diphthongs in Greek:
- ai = ai in aisle.
- ei = ei in freight (note
that ei = h).
- oi = oi in oil.
- au = au in sauer kraut.
- eu = eu in feud.
- ou = ou in group.
- ui = ui in suite.
Although vowels with iota subscript (a|
h| w|) are regarded as diphthongs (cf. Black, Learn §4), the iota is
silent and the vowel is pronounced as normal.
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| Drill,
Drill, Drill! |
|
A helpful way to learn the sounds of
Greek is to drill them.
Students typically have more
difficulty learning the sounds of the vowels and diphthongs than
they do the consonants. For this reason, the student should
concentrate on learning the vowel and diphthong sounds until (s)he
can pronounce Greek words with ease.
A failure to master Greek
"phonics" will greatly hamper further progress in one's
study of Greek.
The Practice Drills page will
hopefully put you well on your way to becoming a fluent reader of
Greek!
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|
| Liquid
Consonants |
| Liquid consonants are
pronounced with a smooth, easy flow of air.
They are called liquids because of
the fluid-like flow of air through the oral passage as they are
pronounced.
There are four liquid consonants:
l m n
r |
| Sibilant
Consonants |
| Sibilant consonants contain the
s sound:
s
z x y
Three of these sibilants are compound consonants, comprised of an
s
sound plus one of the respective classes of mute consonants:
- z
= dental (t(
d( or q)
+ j
- x
= guttural (k(
g( or c)
+ j
- y = labial (p(
b( or f)
+ j
|
|
| Mute
Consonants |
| Mute consonants are
called plosives by modern linguists because of the way their
sounds explode from the mouth.
There are three classes of mutes,
which also fall under three orders:
|
Class |
Order |
| |
Smooth
(flat) |
Middle
(sharp) |
Rough
(aspirate) |
| Gutturals or Palatals |
k |
g |
c |
| Labials |
p |
b |
f |
| Dentals |
t |
d |
q |
You will do well to commit this table to memory. Later you will see how
important these classifications are for understanding patterns of
word formation.
- Gutturals or palatals are so-named because their sounds proceed from the
back of the mouth or the soft palate.
- Labials are so-named because their sounds are associated with the lips.
Note, however, that the letter Phi may be classified as a labio-dental
because the bottom lip and upper front teeth are used to make its sound.
- Dentals are so-named because their sounds are formed with the use of one's
teeth. Theta is an interdental consonant, since the tongue is placed between
both the top and bottom front teeth when pronouncing it.
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