Greek alphabet 715909 225738666 2008-07-15T04:20:34Z ClueBot 4928500 Reverting possible vandalism by [[Special:Contributions/210.11.81.228|210.11.81.228]] to version by Gwalla. False positive? [[User:ClueBot/FalsePositives|Report it]]. Thanks, [[User:ClueBot]]. (440543) (Bot) {{SpecialChars}} {{Infobox WS |name=Greek alphabet |type=[[Alphabet]] |languages=[[Greek language|Greek]], with many modifications covering many languages |time=~[[800 BC]] to the present<ref>Pierre Swiggers, ''Transmission of the Phoenician Script to the West,'' in Daniels and Bright, ''The World's Writing Systems,'' 1996</ref> |fam1=[[Proto-Canaanite alphabet]] |fam2=[[Phoenician alphabet]] |children=[[Gothic alphabet|Gothic]]<br />[[Glagolitic alphabet|Glagolitic]]<br />[[Cyrillic alphabet|Cyrillic]]<br />[[Coptic alphabet|Coptic]]<br />[[Armenian alphabet]]<br />[[Old Italic alphabet]]<br />[[Latin alphabet]]<br /> |iso15924=Grek |sample=Greekalphabet.svg |image_size=250px }} {{Table Greekletters|letter=}} The '''Greek alphabet''' ({{lang-el|Ελληνικό αλφάβητο}}) is a set of twenty-four letters that has been used to write the [[Greek language]] since the late [[9th century BC|9th]] or early [[8th century BC]]. It was the first [[alphabet]] in the narrow sense, that is, a writing system that uses a separate symbol for each vowel and consonant.<ref name="Blackwell">{{cite book|last= Coulmas|first= Florian|title= The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems|year= 1996|publisher= Blackwell Publishers Ltd.|location= Oxford|id= ISBN 0-631-21481-X}}</ref> It is the oldest alphabetic script in continuous use today. The letters were also used to represent [[Greek numerals]], beginning in the [[2nd century BC]]. The Greek alphabet is descended from the [[Phoenician alphabet]], and unrelated to [[Linear B]] and the [[Cypriot syllabary]], earlier writing systems for Greek. It has given rise to many other alphabets used in [[Europe]] and the [[Middle East]], including the [[Latin alphabet]].<ref name="Blackwell" /> In addition to being used for writing [[Modern Greek]], its letters are today used as [[Greek letters used in mathematics|symbols in mathematics and science]], [[particle physics|particle names]] in physics, as [[Astronomical naming conventions#Names of stars|names of stars]], in the names of [[fraternities and sororities]], in the [[Lists of tropical cyclone names|naming of supernumerary tropical cyclones]], and for other purposes. == History == {{Main|History of the Greek alphabet}} The Greek alphabet emerged several centuries after the fall of the [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] civilization and consequent abandonment of its [[Linear B]] script, an early [[Greek language|Greek]] writing system. Linear B is descended from [[Linear A]], which was developed by the [[Minoan civilization|Minoans]], whose language was probably unrelated to Greek; consequently the Minoan syllabary did not provide an ideal medium for the transliteration of the sounds of the Greek language. The Greek alphabet we recognize today arose after the [[Greek Dark Ages]] — the period between the downfall of [[Mycenae]] (ca. [[1200 BC]]) and the rise of [[Ancient Greece]], which begins with the appearance of the epics of [[Homer]], around [[800 BC]], and the institution of the [[Ancient Olympic Games]] in [[776 BC]]. Its most notable change, as an adaptation of the [[Phoenician alphabet]], is the introduction of vowel letters, without which Greek would be illegible.<ref name="Blackwell" /> Vowel signs were originally not used in Semitic alphabets. Whereas in the earlier West Semitic family of scripts ([[Phoenician language|Phoenician]], [[Hebrew]], [[Moabite language|Moabite]] etc.) a letter always stood for a consonant in association with an unspecified vowel or no vowel. The Greek alphabet divided the letters into two categories, [[consonant]]s ("things that sound along") and [[vowel]]s, where the consonant letters always had to be accompanied by vowels to create a pronounceable unit. Although the old [[Ugaritic alphabet]] did develop ''[[matres lectionis]]'', i.e., use of consonant letters to denote vowels, they were never employed systematically. {{alphabet}} The first vowel [[Letter (alphabet)|letters]] were Α ([[Alpha (letter)|alpha]]), Ε ([[epsilon]]), Ι ([[iota]]), Ο ([[omicron]]), and Υ ([[upsilon]]), modifications of Semitic glottal, pharyngeal, or glide [[consonant]]s that were mostly superfluous in Greek: {{Unicode|/ʔ/}} (''[[aleph|'aleph]]''), {{IPA|/h/}} (''[[he (letter)|he]]''), {{IPA|/j/}} (''[[yodh]]''), {{Unicode|/ʕ/}} (''[[Ayin|{{IPA|ʿayin}}]]''), and {{IPA|/w/}} (''[[waw (letter)|waw]]''), respectively. In eastern Greek, which lacked aspiration entirely, the letter Η ([[Eta (letter)|eta]]), from the Semitic glottal consonant {{IPA|/ħ/}} (''[[heth]]'') was also used for the [[vowel length|long vowel]] {{IPA|/εː/}}, and eventually the letter Ω ([[omega]]) was introduced for a long {{IPA|/ɔː/}}. Greek also introduced three new consonant letters, Φ ([[Phi (letter)|phi]]), Χ ([[Chi (letter)|chi]]) and Ψ ([[Psi (letter)|psi]]), appended to the end of the alphabet as they were developed. These consonants made up for the lack of comparable [[Aspiration (phonetics)|aspirates]] in Phoenician. In western Greek, Χ was used for {{IPA|/ks/}} and Ψ for {{IPA|/kʰ/}} — hence the value of the Latin letter ''X'', derived from the [[western Greek alphabet]]. The origin of these letters is disputed. The letter {{Unicode|Ϻ}} ([[San (letter)|san]]) was used at variance with Σ ([[sigma]]), and by classical times the latter won out, san disappearing from the alphabet. The letters {{Unicode|Ϝ}} (wau, later called [[digamma]]) and {{Unicode|Ϙ}} ([[qoppa]]) also fell into disuse. The former was only needed for the western dialects and the latter was never truly needed at all. These lived on in the [[Ionic numeral system]], however, which consisted of writing a series of letters with precise numerical values. {{Unicode|Ϡ}} ([[sampi]]), apparently is a rare local [[glyph]] form from Ionia, was introduced at latter times to stand for 900. Thousands were written using a mark at the upper left ('A for 1000, etc). Because Greek [[Lower case|minuscules]] arose at a much later date, no historic minuscule actually exists for san. Minuscule forms for the other letters were only used as numbers. For the number 6, modern Greeks use an old [[ligature (typography)|ligature]] called [[stigma (letter)|stigma]] <font size=2>({{polytonic|Ϛ}}, {{polytonic|ϛ}})</font> instead of digamma, or ΣΤ/στ if this is not available. For 90 the modern ''Z''-shaped qoppa forms were used: <font size=3> {{polytonic|Ϟ}}, {{polytonic|ϟ}}</font>. (Note that some web browser/font combinations will show the other qoppa here.) Originally there were several variants of the Greek alphabet, most importantly [[Western Greek alphabet|western]] (Chalcidian) and eastern (Ionic) Greek. The former gave rise to the [[Old Italic alphabet]] and thence to the [[Latin alphabet]], while the latter is the basis of the present Greek alphabet. [[Athens]] originally used the Attic script for official documents such as laws and the works of Homer: this contained only the letters from alpha to upsilon, and used the letter eta for the sound "h" instead of the long "e". In [[403 BC]] Athens adopted the Ionic script as its standard, and shortly thereafter the other versions disappeared. By then Greek was written left to right, but originally it had been written right to left (with asymmetrical characters flipped), and in-between written either way — or, most likely, in the so-called ''[[boustrophedon]]'' style, where successive lines alternate direction. [[Image:NAMA Alphabet grec.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Early Greek alphabet on pottery in the [[National Archaeological Museum of Athens]]]] In the [[Hellenistic civilization|Hellenistic period]], [[Aristophanes of Byzantium]] introduced the process of [[diacritic|accenting]] Greek letters for easier pronunciation. During the [[Middle Ages]], the Greek scripts underwent changes paralleling those of the Latin alphabet: while the old forms were retained as a monumental script, [[Uncial script|uncial]] and eventually minuscule hands came to dominate. The letter σ is even written ς at the ends of words, paralleling the use of the Latin [[Long s|long and short ''s'']]. === Letter names === Each of the Phoenician letter names was a word that began with the sound represented by that letter; thus ''[[aleph (letter)|'aleph]]'', the word for “ox”, was adopted for the glottal stop {{Unicode|/ʔ/}}, ''[[bet (letter)|bet]]'', or “house”, for the {{IPA|/b/}} sound, and so on. When the letters were adopted by the Greeks, most of the Phoenician names were maintained or modified slightly to fit Greek phonology; thus, '' 'aleph, bet, gimel'' became ''alpha, beta, gamma''. These borrowed names had no meaning in Greek except as labels for the letters. However, a few signs that were added or modified later by the Greeks do in fact have names with a meaning. For example, ''o mikron'' and ''o mega'' mean “small o” and “big o”. Similarly, ''e psilon'' and ''u psilon'' mean “plain e” and “plain u”, respectively. == Main letters == Below is a table listing the modern Greek letters, as well as their forms when [[romanization|romanized]]. The table also provides the equivalent [[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician letter]] from which each Greek letter is derived. Pronunciations transcribed using the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]]. The classical pronunciation given below is the reconstructed pronunciation of Attic in the late 5th and early 4th century (BC). Some of the letters had different pronunciations in pre-classical times or in non-Attic dialects. For details, see [[History of the Greek alphabet]] and [[Ancient Greek phonology]]. For details on post-classical Ancient Greek pronunciation, see [[Koine Greek phonology]]. {|border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse;text-align:center" !rowspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|Letter !rowspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|Corresponding<br />[[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]]<br />letter !colspan="4" style="background:#ccf;"|Name !colspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|[[Transliteration of Greek to the Latin alphabet|Transliteration]]<sup>1</sup> <!-- footnote explains caveats --> !colspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|Pronunciation !rowspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|[[Greek numerals|Numeric<br/>value]] |- !style="background:#ccffff;"|English !style="background:#ccffff;"|Ancient<br />Greek !style="background:#ccffff;"|Medieval<br />Greek<br />(polytonic) !style="background:#ccffff;"|{{audio-nohelp|Ell-AlphabitosUpload.ogg|Modern<br />Greek<br />}} !style="background:#ccffff;"|Ancient<br />Greek !style="background:#ccffff;"|Modern<br />Greek !style="background:#ccffff;"|Classical<br />Ancient<br />Greek !style="background:#ccffff;"|Modern<br />Greek |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Α α |[[Image:Phoenician aleph.svg|20px|Aleph]] [[Aleph (letter)|Aleph]] |[[Alpha (letter)|Alpha]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|ἄλφα}} |άλφα |colspan="2"|a |{{IPA|[a] [aː]}} |{{IPA|[a]}} |1 |- |<span style="font-size:133%;">Β β |[[Image:Phoenician beth.svg|20px|Beth]] [[Beth (letter)|Beth]] |[[Beta (letter)|Beta]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|βῆτα}} |βήτα |b |v |{{IPA|[b]}} |{{IPA|[v]}} |2 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Γ γ |[[Image:Phoenician gimel.svg|20px|Gimel]] [[Gimel (letter)|Gimel]] |[[Gamma (letter)|Gamma]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|γάμμα}} |γάμμα<br />γάμα |g |gh, g, y |{{IPA|[g]}} |{{IPA|[{{unicode|ɣ}}], [{{unicode|ʝ}}] |3 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Δ δ |[[Image:Phoenician daleth.svg|20px|Daleth]] [[Daleth]] |[[Delta (letter)|Delta]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|δέλτα}} |δέλτα |d |d, dh |{{IPA|[d]}} |{{IPA|[ð]}} |4 |- |<span style="font-size:133%;">Ε ε |[[Image:Phoenician he.svg|20px|He]] [[He (letter)|He]] |[[Epsilon]] |{{polytonic|ε{{unicode|ἶ}}}} |{{polytonic|{{unicode|ἒ}} ψιλόν}} |έψιλον |colspan="2"|e |colspan="2"|{{IPA|[e]}} |5 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Ζ ζ |[[Image:Phoenician zayin.svg|20px|Zayin]] [[Zayin]] |[[Zeta (letter)|Zeta]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|ζήτα}} |ζήτα |colspan="2"|z |{{IPA|[zd]}}<br />([[Zeta (letter)#Pronunciation|or {{IPA|[dz]}}]])<br />later {{IPA|[zː]}} |{{IPA|[z]}} |7 |- |<span style="font-size:133%;">Η η |[[Image:Phoenician heth.svg|20px|Heth]] [[Heth (letter)|Heth]] |[[Eta (letter)|Eta]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|ἦτα}} |ήτα |e, ē |i |{{IPA|[{{unicode|ɛ}}ː]}} |{{IPA|[i]}} |8 |- |<span style="font-size:133%;">Θ θ |[[Image:Phoenician teth.svg|20px|Teth]] [[Teth]] |[[Theta (letter)|Theta]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|θῆτα}} |θήτα |colspan="2"|th |{{IPA|[t{{unicode|ʰ}}]}} |{{IPA|[θ]}} |9 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Ι ι |[[Image:Phoenician yodh.svg|20px|Yodh]] [[Yodh]] |[[Iota (letter)|Iota]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|ἰῶτα}} |ιώτα<br />γιώτα |colspan="2"|i |{{IPA|[i] [iː]}} |{{IPA|[i], [{{unicode|ʝ}}]}} |10 |- |<span style="font-size:133%;">Κ κ |[[Image:Phoenician kaph.svg|20px|Kaph]] [[Kaph]] |[[Kappa (letter)|Kappa]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|κάππα}} |κάππα<br />κάπα |colspan="2"|k |{{IPA|[k]}} |{{IPA|[k], [c]}} |20 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Λ λ |[[Image:Phoenician lamedh.svg|20px|Lamedh]] [[Lamedh]] |[[Lambda (letter)|Lambda]] |{{polytonic|λάβδα}} |{{polytonic|λάμβδα}} |λάμδα<br />λάμβδα |colspan="2"|l |colspan="2"|{{IPA|[l]}} |30 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Μ μ |[[Image:Phoenician mem.svg|20px|Mem]] [[Mem]] |[[Mu (letter)|Mu]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|μῦ}} |μι<br />μυ |colspan="2"|m |colspan="2"|{{IPA|[m]}} |40 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Ν ν |[[Image:Phoenician nun.svg|20px|Nun]] [[Nun (letter)|Nun]] |[[Nu (letter)|Nu]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|νῦ}} |νι<br />νυ |colspan="2"|n |colspan="2"|{{IPA|[n]}} |50 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Ξ ξ |[[Image:Phoenician samekh.svg|20px|Samekh]] [[Samekh]] |[[Xi (letter)|Xi]] |{{polytonic|ξεῖ}} |{{polytonic|ξῖ}} |ξι |x |x, ks |colspan="2"|{{IPA|[ks]}} |60 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Ο ο |[[Image:Phoenician ayin.svg|20px|Ayin]] [[Ayin|'Ayin]] |[[Omicron]] |{{polytonic|οὖ}} |{{polytonic|ὂ μικρόν}} |όμικρον |colspan="2"|o |colspan="2"|{{IPA|[o]}} |70 |- |<span style="font-size:133%;">Π π |[[Image:Phoenician pe.svg|20px|Pe]] [[Pe (letter)|Pe]] |[[Pi (letter)|Pi]] |{{polytonic|πεῖ}} |{{polytonic|πῖ}} |πι |colspan="2"|p |colspan="2"|{{IPA|[p]}} |80 |- |<span style="font-size:133%;">Ρ ρ |[[Image:Phoenician res.svg|20px|Res]] [[Resh]] |[[Rho (letter)|Rho]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|ῥῶ}} |ρω |r ({{polytonic|ῥ}}: rh) |r |{{IPA|[r]}}, {{IPA|[r̥]}} |{{IPA|[r]}} |100 |- |<span style="font-size:133%;">Σ σ ς |[[Image:Phoenician sin.svg|20px|Sin]] [[Shin (letter)|Sin]] |[[Sigma (letter)|Sigma]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|σῖγμα}} |σίγμα |colspan="2"|s |colspan="2"|{{IPA|[s]}} |200 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Τ τ |[[Image:Phoenician taw.svg|20px|Taw]] [[Taw (letter)|Taw]] |[[Tau (letter)|Tau]] |colspan="2"|{{polytonic|ταῦ}} |ταυ |colspan="2"|t |colspan="2"|{{IPA|[t]}} |300 |- |<span style="font-size:133%;">Υ υ |[[Image:Phoenician waw.svg|20px|Waw]] [[Waw (letter)|Waw]] |[[Upsilon (letter)|Upsilon]] |{{polytonic|ὗ}} |{{polytonic|ὓ ψιλόν}} |ύψιλον |u, y |y, v, f |{{IPA|[y] [yː]<br />(earlier [ʉ] [ʉː])}} |{{IPA|[i]}} |400 |- |<span style="font-size:133%;">Φ φ |rowspan="3"|origin disputed<br />(see text) |[[Phi (letter)|Phi]] |{{polytonic|φεῖ}} |{{polytonic|φῖ}} |φι |ph |f |{{IPA|[pʰ]}} |{{IPA|[f]}} |500 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Χ χ |[[Chi (letter)|Chi]] |{{polytonic|χεῖ}} |{{polytonic|χῖ}} |χι |ch |ch, kh |{{IPA|[kʰ]}} |{{IPA|[x], [ç]}} |600 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Ψ ψ |[[Psi (letter)|Psi]] |{{polytonic|ψεῖ}} |{{polytonic|ψῖ}} |ψι |colspan="2"|ps |colspan="2"|{{IPA|[ps]}} |700 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Ω ω |[[Image:Phoenician ayin.svg|20px|Ayin]] [[Ayin|'Ayin]] |[[Omega]] |{{polytonic|ὦ}} |{{polytonic|ὦ μέγα}} |ωμέγα |o, ō |o |{{IPA|[ɔː]}} |{{IPA|[o]}} |800 |- !rowspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|Letter !rowspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|Corresponding<br />[[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]]<br />letter !style="background:#ccffff;"|English !style="background:#ccffff;"|Ancient<br />Greek !style="background:#ccffff;"|Medieval<br />Greek<br />(polytonic) !style="background:#ccffff;"|{{audio-nohelp|Ell-AlphabitosUpload.ogg|Modern<br />Greek<br />}} !style="background:#ccffff;"|Ancient<br />Greek !style="background:#ccffff;"|Modern<br />Greek !style="background:#ccffff;"|Classical<br />Ancient<br />Greek !style="background:#ccffff;"|Modern<br />Greek !rowspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|[[Greek numerals|Numeric<br/>value]] |- !colspan="4" style="background:#ccf;"|Name !colspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|[[Transliteration of Greek to the Latin alphabet|Transliteration]]<sup>1</sup> <!-- footnote explains caveats --> !colspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|Pronunciation |} # For details and different transliteration systems see [[Romanization of Greek]]. === Variant forms === Some letters can occur in variant shapes, mostly inherited from medieval [[History of the Greek alphabet#later developments|minuscule]] handwriting. While their use in normal typography of Greek is purely a matter of font styles, some such variants have been given separate encodings in [[Unicode]]. *The symbol {{Unicode|ϐ}} ("curled beta") is a cursive variant form of [[beta]] (β). *The letter [[epsilon]] can occur in two equally frequent stylistic variants, either shaped <math>\epsilon\,\!</math> ('lunate epsilon', like a semicircle with a stroke) or <math>\varepsilon\,\!</math> (similar to a reversed number 3). The symbol {{Unicode|ϵ}} (U+03F5) is designated specifically for the lunate form, used as a technical symbol. *The symbol {{Unicode|ϑ}} ("script theta") is a cursive form of [[theta]] (θ), frequent in handwriting, and used with a specialised meaning as a technical symbol. *The symbol {{Unicode|ϰ}} ("kappa symbol") is a cursive form of [[kappa]] (κ), used as a technical symbol. *The symbol {{Unicode|ϖ}} ("omega-shaped pi") is an archaic script form of [[pi]] (π), also used as a technical symbol. *The letter [[rho]] (ρ) can occur in different stylistic variants, with the descending tail either going straight down or curled to the right. The symbol {{Unicode|ϱ}} (U+03F1) is designated specifically for the curled form, used as a technical symbol. *The letter [[sigma]], in standard orthography, has two variants: ς, used only at the ends of words, and σ, used elsewhere. The form {{Unicode|ϲ}} ("lunate sigma", resembling a Latin ''[[c]]'') is a medieval stylistic variant that can be used in both environments without the final/non-final distinction. *The capital letter [[upsilon]] (Υ) can occur in different stylistic variants, with the upper strokes either straight like a Latin ''Y'', or slightly curled. The symbol {{Unicode|ϒ}} (U+03D2) is designated specifically for the curled form, used as a technical symbol. *The letter [[Phi (letter)|phi]] can occur in two equally frequent stylistic variants, either shaped as <math>\textstyle\phi\,\!</math> (a circle with a vertical stroke through it) or as <math>\textstyle\varphi\,\!</math> (a curled shape open at the top). The symbol {{Unicode|ϕ}} (U+03D5) is designated specifically for the closed form, used as a technical symbol.<ref>The latter may display incorrectly in some browsers.</ref> == Obsolete letters == The following letters are not part of the standard Greek alphabet, but were in use in pre-classical times in certain dialects. The letters digamma, san, qoppa, and sampi were also used in [[Greek numerals]]. {|border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse;text-align:center" !rowspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|Letter !rowspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|Corresponding<br />[[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]]<br />letter !colspan="3" style="background:#ccf;"|Name !rowspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|[[Transliteration of Greek to the Latin alphabet|Transliteration]] !rowspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|Pronunciation !rowspan="2" style="background:#ccf;"|[[Greek numerals|Numeric value]] |- !style="background:#ccffff;"|English !style="background:#ccffff;"|Early<br />Greek<br /> !style="background:#ccffff;"|Later<br />Greek<br />(polytonic) |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Ϝ ϝ<br />Ͷ ͷ</span> (alternate) |[[Image:Phoenician waw.svg|20px|Waw]] [[Waw (letter)|Waw]] |[[Digamma]] |{{polytonic|ϝαῦ}} |{{polytonic|δίγαμμα}} |w |{{IPA|[w]}} |6 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Ϻ ϻ |[[Image:Phoenician sade.svg|20px|Sade]] [[Tsade]] (position)<br />[[Image:Phoenician sin.svg|20px|Sin]] [[Shin (letter)|Sin]] (name) |[[San (letter)|San]] |{{polytonic|ϻάν}} |{{polytonic|σάν}} |s |{{IPA|[s]}} |90 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Ϟ ϟ<br />Ϙ ϙ</span> (alternate) |[[Image:Phoenician qoph.svg|20px|Qoph]] [[Qoph]] |[[Qoppa]] |{{polytonic|ϙόππα}} |{{polytonic|κόππα}} |q |{{IPA|[q]}} |90 |- |style="font-size:133%;"|Ͳ ͳ<br />Ϡ ϡ</span> (alternate) |Origin disputed,<br />possibly [[Image:Phoenician sade.svg|20px|Sade]] [[Tsade]] |[[Sampi]] |{{polytonic|δίσιγμα}} |{{polytonic|σαμπῖ}} |ss |probably affricate,<br />but exact value debated;<br />{{IPA|[sː]}}, {{IPA|[ks]}}, {{IPA|[ts]}} are proposed |900 |} *Digamma disappeared from the alphabet because the sound it notated, the [[voiced labial-velar approximant]] {{IPA|[w]}}, had disappeared from the [[Ionic Greek|Ionic dialect]] and most of the others. It remained in use as a numeric sign denoting the number six. In this function, it was later conflated in medieval Greek handwriting with the ligature sign ''stigma'' ({{unicode|ϛ}}), which had a similar shape in its lower case form. *Sampi (also called ''disigma'') notated a [[Gemination|geminated]] [[Affricate consonant|affricate]] that later evolved to {{polytonic|-σσ-}} (probably {{IPA|[sː]}}) in most dialects, and {{polytonic|-ττ-}} (probably {{IPA|[tː]}}) in [[Attic Greek|Attic]]. Its exact value is heavily discussed, but {{IPA|[ts]}} is often proposed. Its modern name is derived from its shape: (ω)σαν πι = like (the letter) pi.<ref name="titleGreek Letter Sampi">{{cite web|url=http://www.parthia.com/fonts/sampi.htm|title=Greek Letter Sampi|accessdate=2008-01-04|format=|work=}}</ref> The order of the letters up to Τ follows that in the [[Phoenician]] or [[Hebrew]] alphabet. == Diacritics == {{main|Greek diacritics}} In the polytonic orthography traditionally used for ancient Greek, vowels can carry [[diacritic]]s, namely accents and breathings. The accents are the [[acute accent]] (´), the [[grave accent]] (`), and the [[circumflex accent]] ({{Unicode|῀}}). In Ancient Greek, these accents marked different forms of the [[pitch accent]] on a vowel. By the end of the Roman period, pitch accent had evolved into a [[Stress (linguistics)|stress accent]], and in later Greek all of these accents marked the stressed vowel. The breathings are the [[Spiritus asper|rough breathing]] ({{Unicode|῾}}), marking an {{IPA|/h/}} sound at the beginning of a word, and the [[Spiritus lenis|smooth breathing]] ({{Unicode|᾽}}), marking the absence of an {{IPA|/h/}} sound at the beginning of a word. The letter rho (ρ), although not a vowel, always carries a rough breathing when it begins a word. Another diacritic used in Greek is the [[Umlaut (diacritic)|diaeresis]], indicating a [[Hiatus (linguistics)|hiatus]]. In 1982, the old spelling system, known as polytonic, was simplified to become the monotonic system, which is now official in Greece. The accents have been reduced to one, the ''tonos'', and the breathings were abolished. == Ligatures == {{main|Greek ligatures}} [[Scribe]]s made use of a number of [[Ligature (typography)|ligatures]] to save space and time, in Greek as in other languages. Early Greek typefaces such as [[Claude Garamond]]'s ''Les Grecs du Roi'' included a large number of ligatures, but modern typography uses none of them, except occasionally the {{Unicode|Ȣ}} ligature for ου — resembling a ''V'' above an ''O''; some modern alphabets based on the [[Latin alphabet]] use this as a letter, [[Ou (letter)|Ou]]. In printed 17th-century English works, there sometimes occurs a ligature of Ο with ς (a small sigma ''inside'' a capital omicron) for a terminal ος. Other ligatures include [[ϗ]] for [[kai (conjunction)|καί]], (equivalent to an [[ampersand]]) and stigma {{polytonic|[[Ϛ]]}} for στ, also used as noted above to replace digamma as a numeral. == Digraphs and diphthongs == {{further|[[Greek orthography]]}} A [[Digraph (orthography)|digraph]] is a pair of letters used to write one sound or a combination of sounds that does not correspond to the written letters in sequence. The orthography of Greek includes several digraphs, including various pairs of vowel letters that used to be pronounced as [[diphthong]]s but have been shortened to [[monophthong]]s in pronunciation. Many of these are characteristic developments of modern Greek, but some were already present in Classical Greek. None of them is regarded as a letter of the alphabet. During the [[Medieval Greek|Byzantine period]], it became customary to write the [[silent letter|silent]] iota in digraphs as an [[iota subscript]] ({{polytonic|ᾳ, ῃ, ῳ}}). == Use of the Greek alphabet for other languages == The primary use of the Greek alphabet has always been to write the Greek language. However, at various times and in various places, it has also been used to write other languages.<ref>see S. Macrakis, 1996 for bibliography</ref> === Early examples === *Most of the [[alphabets of Asia Minor]], in use c. 800-300 BC to write languages like [[Lydian language|Lydian]] and [[Phrygian language|Phrygian]], were the early Greek alphabet with only slight modifications — as were the original [[Old Italic alphabet]]s. *Some [[Paleo-Balkan languages]], including [[Thracian language|Thracian]]. For other neighboring languages or dialects, such as [[Ancient Macedonian language|Ancient Macedonian]], isolated words are preserved in Greek texts, but no continuous texts are preserved. *Some Narbonese [[Gaulish language|Gaulish]] inscriptions in southern France use the Greek alphabet (c. 300 BC). *The [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] text of the [[Bible]] was written in Greek letters in [[Origen]]'s [[Hexapla]]. *An 8th century [[Arabic language|Arabic]] fragment preserves a text in the Greek alphabet. *An [[Ossetic language|Old Ossetic]] inscription of the 10-12c CE found in [[Arxyz]], the oldest known attestation of an Ossetic language. === With additional letters === Several alphabets consist of the Greek alphabet supplemented with a few additional letters: *The Bactrian alphabet adds the letter [[Sho (letter)|Sho]] and was used to write the [[Bactrian language]] under the [[Kushan Empire]] (AD 65-250).<ref>[http://www.gengo.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~hkum/bactrian.html New Findings in Ancient Afghanistan — the Bactrian documents discovered from the Northern Hindu-Kush], lecture by Prof. Nicholas Sims-Williams (University of London)</ref> *The [[Coptic alphabet]] adds eight letters derived from [[Demotic (Egyptian)|Demotic]]. It is still used today, mostly in Egypt, to write the [[Coptic language]]. Letters usually retain an [[Uncial script|uncial form]] different from the forms used for Greek today (compare with the forms of the Latin letters used in [[Gaelic script]]). *The [[Old Nubian language]] of [[Makuria]] (modern Sudan) adds three Coptic letters, two letters derived from [[Meroitic script]], and a digraph of two Greek gammas used for ng. === In more modern times === *[[Coptic]] (see above). *[[Turkish language|Turkish]] spoken by [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]] (''[[Karamanlides]]'') was often written in Greek script, and called ''[[Karamanlidika]]''. *[[Tosk language|Tosk]] [[Albanian language|Albanian]] was often written using the Greek alphabet, starting in about 1500 (Elsie, 1991). The printing press at [[Moschopolis]] published several Albanian texts in Greek script during the 18th century. It was only in 1908 that the [[Bitola|Monastir]] conference standardized a [[Albanian alphabet|Latin orthography]] for both Tosk and [[Gheg language|Gheg]]. The Greek-based [[Arvanitic alphabet]] is now only used in Greece. *Various [[South Slavic languages|South Slavic]] dialects, similar to the modern [[Bulgarian|Bulgarian language]] and [[Macedonian|Macedonian language]] languages, have been written in Greek script. The modern South Slavic languages now use modified [[Cyrillic alphabet]]s.<!--see footnote in Macrakis 1996--><ref>"Dva balgarski rakopisa s gracko pismo", ''Balgarski starini'' '''6''', 1920; André Mazon and André Vaillant, ''L'Evangelaire de Kulakia, un parler slave de Bas-Vardar'', Bibliothèque d'études balkaniques '''6''', 1938; Jürgen Kristophson, "Das Lexicon Tetraglosson des Daniil Moschopolitis", ''Zeitschrift für Balkanologie'' '''9''':11; Max Demeter Peyfuss, ''Die Druckerei von Moschopolis, 1731-1769: Buchdruck und Heiligenverehrung in Erzbistum Achrida'', Wiener Archiv für Geschichte des Slawentums und Osteuropas '''13''', 1989.</ref> *[[Aromanian language|Aromanian]] (Vlach) has been written in Greek characters. There is not yet a standardized orthography for Aromanian, but it appears that one based on the [[Romanian language|Romanian]] orthography will be adopted. *[[Gagauz language|Gagauz]], a [[Turkic language]] of the northeast Balkans. *[[Surguch]], a [[Turkic language]] spoken by a small group of [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]] in northern Greece. *[[Urum language|Urum]] or Greek Tatar. == Derived alphabets == The Greek alphabet gave rise to various others:<ref name="Blackwell" /> *The [[Latin alphabet]], an offshoot of the archaic [[Cumae alphabet|western form]] of the Greek alphabet; *The [[Gothic alphabet]], devised in [[Late Antiquity]] to write the [[Gothic language]]; *The [[Glagolitic alphabet]], devised in the [[Middle Ages]] for writing [[Slavic languages]]; *The [[Cyrillic alphabet]], which replaced the Glagolitic alphabet shortly afterwards; It is also considered a possible ancestor of the [[Armenian alphabet]], and had an influence on the development of the [[Georgian alphabet]]. == Greek encodings == For the usage in computers, a variety of encodings have been used for Greek online, many of them documented in RFC 1947. The two principal ones still used today are [[ISO/IEC 8859-7]] and [[Unicode]]. ISO 8859-7 supports only the monotonic orthography; Unicode supports the polytonic orthography. === ISO/IEC 8859-7 === For the range A0-FF (hex) it follows the Unicode range 370-3CF (see below) except that some symbols, like ©, ½, § etc are used where Unicode has unused locations. Like all ISO-8859 encodings it is equal to ASCII for 00-7F (hex). === Greek in Unicode === Unicode supports polytonic orthography well enough for ordinary continuous text in modern and ancient Greek, and even many archaic forms for [[epigraphy]]. With the use of [[combining character]]s, Unicode also supports Greek [[philology]] and [[dialectology]] and various other specialized requirements. However, most current text rendering engines do not support combining characters well, so, though alpha with [[macron]] and [[acute accent|acute]] can be ''represented'' as U+03B1 U+0304 U+0301, this rarely renders well: {{Polytonic|ᾱ́}}.<ref>For extended discussion of problematic Greek letter forms in Unicode see [http://www.tlg.uci.edu/~opoudjis/unicode/unicode.html Greek Unicode Issues].</ref> There are 2 main blocks of Greek characters in [[Unicode]]. The first is "Greek and Coptic" (U+0370 to U+03FF). This block is based on [[ISO 8859-7]] and is sufficient to write Modern Greek. There are also some archaic letters and Greek-based technical symbols. This block also supports the [[Coptic alphabet]]. Formerly most Coptic letters shared codepoints with similar-looking Greek letters; but in many scholarly works, both scripts occur, with quite different letter shapes, so as of Unicode 4.1, Coptic and Greek were disunified. Those Coptic letters with no Greek equivalents still remain in this block. To write polytonic Greek, one may use [[combining diacritical mark]]s or the precomposed characters in the "Greek Extended" block (U+1F00 to U+1FFF). ==== Greek and Coptic ==== {|border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;" |----- style="background:#ddd" !width="7.2%"|&nbsp;!!width="5.8%"|0!!width="5.8%"|1!!width="5.8%"|2!!width="5.8%"|3!!width="5.8%"|4!!width="5.8%"|5!!width="5.8%"|6!!width="5.8%"|7!!width="5.8%"|8!!width="5.8%"|9!!width="5.8%"|A!!width="5.8%"|B!!width="5.8%"|C!!width="5.8%"|D!!width="5.8%"|E!!width="5.8%"|F |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|0370 |[[Ͱ]]||[[ͱ]]||[[Ͳ]]||[[ͳ]]||{{Polytonic|ʹ}}||{{Polytonic|͵}}||[[Ͷ]]||[[ͷ]]||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|ͺ}}||ͻ||ͼ||ͽ||{{Polytonic|;}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp; |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|0380 |style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|΄}}||{{Polytonic|΅}}||{{Polytonic|[[Ά]]}}||{{Polytonic|·}}||{{Polytonic|[[Έ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[Ή]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[Ί]]}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|[[Ό]]}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|[[Ύ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[Ώ]]}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|0390 |{{Polytonic|[[ΐ]]}}||[[Α]]||[[Β]]||[[Γ]]||[[Δ]]||[[Ε]]||[[Ζ]]||[[Η]]||[[Θ]]||[[Ι]]||[[Κ]]||[[Λ]]||[[Μ]]||[[Ν]]||[[Ξ]]||[[Ο]] |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|03A0 |[[Π]]||[[Ρ]]||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||[[Σ]]||[[Τ]]||[[Υ]]||[[Φ]]||[[Χ]]||[[Ψ]]||[[Ω]]||{{Polytonic|[[Ϊ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[Ϋ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ά]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[έ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ή]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ί]]}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|03B0 |{{Polytonic|[[ΰ]]}}||[[α]]||[[β]]||[[γ]]||[[δ]]||[[ε]]||[[ζ]]||[[η]]||[[θ]]||[[ι]]||[[κ]]||[[λ]]||[[μ]]||[[ν]]||[[ξ]]||[[ο]] |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|03C0 |[[π]]||[[ρ]]||{{Polytonic|[[ς]]}}||[[σ]]||[[τ]]||[[υ]]||[[φ]]||[[χ]]||[[ψ]]||[[ω]]||{{Polytonic|[[ϊ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ϋ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ό]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ύ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ώ]]}}||[[Ϗ]] |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|03D0 |{{Polytonic|ϐ}}||{{Polytonic|ϑ}}||{{Polytonic|ϒ}}||{{Polytonic|[[ϓ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ϔ]]}}||{{Polytonic|ϕ}}||{{Polytonic|ϖ}}||{{Polytonic|[[ϗ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[Ϙ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ϙ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[Ϛ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ϛ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[Ϝ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ϝ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[Ϟ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ϟ]]}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|03E0 |{{Polytonic|[[Ϡ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ϡ]]}}||colspan="14" style="background:#bbb;"|''([[Coptic alphabet|Coptic letters]] here)'' |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|03F0 |{{Polytonic|ϰ}}||{{Polytonic|ϱ}}||{{Polytonic|ϲ}}||{{Polytonic|[[ϳ]]}}||{{Polytonic|ϴ}}||{{Polytonic|ϵ}}||{{Polytonic|϶}}||{{Polytonic|[[Ϸ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ϸ]]}}||{{Polytonic|Ϲ}}||{{Polytonic|[[Ϻ]]}}||{{Polytonic|[[ϻ]]}}||{{Polytonic|ϼ}}||{{Polytonic|Ͻ}}||{{Polytonic|Ͼ}}||{{Polytonic|Ͽ}} |} ==== Greek Extended (precomposed polytonic Greek) ==== {|border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;" |----- style="background:#ddd" !width="7.2%"|&nbsp;!!width="5.8%"|0!!width="5.8%"|1!!width="5.8%"|2!!width="5.8%"|3!!width="5.8%"|4!!width="5.8%"|5!!width="5.8%"|6!!width="5.8%"|7!!width="5.8%"|8!!width="5.8%"|9!!width="5.8%"|A!!width="5.8%"|B!!width="5.8%"|C!!width="5.8%"|D!!width="5.8%"|E!!width="5.8%"|F |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1F00 |{{Polytonic|ἀ}}||{{Polytonic|ἁ}}||{{Polytonic|ἂ}}||{{Polytonic|ἃ}}||{{Polytonic|ἄ}}||{{Polytonic|ἅ}}||{{Polytonic|ἆ}}||{{Polytonic|ἇ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἀ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἁ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἂ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἃ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἄ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἅ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἆ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἇ}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1F10 |{{Polytonic|ἐ}}||{{Polytonic|ἑ}}||{{Polytonic|ἒ}}||{{Polytonic|ἓ}}||{{Polytonic|ἔ}}||{{Polytonic|ἕ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|Ἐ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἑ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἒ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἓ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἔ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἕ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp; |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1F20 |{{Polytonic|ἠ}}||{{Polytonic|ἡ}}||{{Polytonic|ἢ}}||{{Polytonic|ἣ}}||{{Polytonic|ἤ}}||{{Polytonic|ἥ}}||{{Polytonic|ἦ}}||{{Polytonic|ἧ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἠ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἡ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἢ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἣ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἤ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἥ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἦ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἧ}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1F30 |{{Polytonic|ἰ}}||{{Polytonic|ἱ}}||{{Polytonic|ἲ}}||{{Polytonic|ἳ}}||{{Polytonic|ἴ}}||{{Polytonic|ἵ}}||{{Polytonic|ἶ}}||{{Polytonic|ἷ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἰ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἱ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἲ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἳ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἴ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἵ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἶ}}||{{Polytonic|Ἷ}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1F40 |{{Polytonic|ὀ}}||{{Polytonic|ὁ}}||{{Polytonic|ὂ}}||{{Polytonic|ὃ}}||{{Polytonic|ὄ}}||{{Polytonic|ὅ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|Ὀ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὁ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὂ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὃ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὄ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὅ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp; |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1F50 |{{Polytonic|ὐ}}||{{Polytonic|ὑ}}||{{Polytonic|ὒ}}||{{Polytonic|ὓ}}||{{Polytonic|ὔ}}||{{Polytonic|ὕ}}||{{Polytonic|ὖ}}||{{Polytonic|ὗ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|Ὑ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|Ὓ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|Ὕ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|Ὗ}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1F60 |{{Polytonic|ὠ}}||{{Polytonic|ὡ}}||{{Polytonic|ὢ}}||{{Polytonic|ὣ}}||{{Polytonic|ὤ}}||{{Polytonic|ὥ}}||{{Polytonic|ὦ}}||{{Polytonic|ὧ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὠ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὡ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὢ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὣ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὤ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὥ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὦ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὧ}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1F70 |{{Polytonic|ὰ}}||{{Polytonic|ά}}||{{Polytonic|ὲ}}||{{Polytonic|έ}}||{{Polytonic|ὴ}}||{{Polytonic|ή}}||{{Polytonic|ὶ}}||{{Polytonic|ί}}||{{Polytonic|ὸ}}||{{Polytonic|ό}}||{{Polytonic|ὺ}}||{{Polytonic|ύ}}||{{Polytonic|ὼ}}||{{Polytonic|ώ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp; |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1F80 |{{Polytonic|ᾀ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾁ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾂ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾃ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾄ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾅ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾆ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾇ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾈ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾉ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾊ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾋ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾌ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾍ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾎ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾏ}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1F90 |{{Polytonic|ᾐ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾑ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾒ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾓ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾔ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾕ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾖ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾗ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾘ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾙ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾚ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾛ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾜ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾝ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾞ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾟ}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1FA0 |{{Polytonic|ᾠ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾡ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾢ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾣ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾤ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾥ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾦ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾧ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾨ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾩ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾪ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾫ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾬ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾭ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾮ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾯ}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1FB0 |{{Polytonic|ᾰ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾱ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾲ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾳ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾴ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|ᾶ}}||{{Polytonic|ᾷ}}||{{Polytonic|Ᾰ}}||{{Polytonic|Ᾱ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὰ}}||{{Polytonic|Ά}}||{{Polytonic|ᾼ}}||{{Polytonic|᾽}}||{{Polytonic|ι}}||{{Polytonic|᾿}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1FC0 |{{Polytonic|῀}}||{{Polytonic|῁}}||{{Polytonic|ῂ}}||{{Polytonic|ῃ}}||{{Polytonic|ῄ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|ῆ}}||{{Polytonic|ῇ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὲ}}||{{Polytonic|Έ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὴ}}||{{Polytonic|Ή}}||{{Polytonic|ῌ}}||{{Polytonic|῍}}||{{Polytonic|῎}}||{{Polytonic|῏}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1FD0 |{{Polytonic|ῐ}}||{{Polytonic|ῑ}}||{{Polytonic|ῒ}}||{{Polytonic|ΐ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|ῖ}}||{{Polytonic|ῗ}}||{{Polytonic|Ῐ}}||{{Polytonic|Ῑ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὶ}}||{{Polytonic|Ί}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|῝}}||{{Polytonic|῞}}||{{Polytonic|῟}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1FE0 |{{Polytonic|ῠ}}||{{Polytonic|ῡ}}||{{Polytonic|ῢ}}||{{Polytonic|ΰ}}||{{Polytonic|ῤ}}||{{Polytonic|ῥ}}||{{Polytonic|ῦ}}||{{Polytonic|ῧ}}||{{Polytonic|Ῠ}}||{{Polytonic|Ῡ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὺ}}||{{Polytonic|Ύ}}||{{Polytonic|Ῥ}}||{{Polytonic|῭}}||{{Polytonic|΅}}||{{Polytonic|`}} |----- align="center" !style="background:#ddd"|1FF0 |style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|ῲ}}||{{Polytonic|ῳ}}||{{Polytonic|ῴ}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp;||{{Polytonic|ῶ}}||{{Polytonic|ῷ}}||{{Polytonic|Ὸ}}||{{Polytonic|Ό}}||{{Polytonic|Ὼ}}||{{Polytonic|Ώ}}||{{Polytonic|ῼ}}||{{Polytonic|´}}||{{Polytonic|῾}}||style="background:#bbb"|&nbsp; |} ==== Combining and letter-free diacritics ==== [[Combining diacritical mark|Combining]] and spacing (letter-free) [[diacritical mark]]s pertaining to [[Greek language]]: {|class="wikitable" !combining!!spacing!!sample!!description |- |U+0300||U+0060||( {{polytonic|&nbsp;̀}} )||"varia / [[grave accent]]" |- |U+0301||U+00B4, U+0384||( {{polytonic|&nbsp;́}} )||"oxia / tonos / [[acute accent]]" |- |U+0304||U+00AF||( {{unicode|&nbsp;̄}} )||"[[macron]]" |- |U+0306||U+02D8||( {{unicode|&nbsp;̆}} )||"vrachy / [[breve]]" |- |U+0308||U+00A8||( {{unicode|&nbsp;̈}} )||"dialytika / [[diaeresis]]" |- |U+0313||||( {{unicode|&nbsp;̓}} )||"psili / comma above" ([[spiritus lenis]]) |- |U+0314||||( {{unicode|&nbsp;̔}} )||"dasia / reversed comma above" ([[spiritus asper]]) |- |U+0342||||( {{unicode|&nbsp;͂}} )||"perispomeni" ([[circumflex]]) |- |U+0343||||( {{unicode|&nbsp;̓}} )||"[[Coronis (diacritic)|koronis]]" (= U+0313) |- |U+0344||U+0385||( {{unicode|&nbsp;̈́}} )||"dialytika tonos" (deprecated, = U+0308 U+0301) |- |U+0345||U+037A||( {{unicode|&nbsp;ͅ}} )||"ypogegrammeni / [[iota subscript]]". |} == See also == {{Commons|Greek alphabet}} *[[Ancient Greek phonology]] *[[Arvanitic alphabet]] *[[Attic numerals]], a system of acrophonic representing numbers using letters of the Greek alphabet *[[Cumae alphabet]] *[[English pronunciation of Greek letters]] *[[Greek Font Society]] *[[Greek letters used in mathematics, science, and engineering]] *[[Greeklish]] *[[Greek numerals]], a system of sequential representing numbers using letters of the Greek alphabet *[[List of Greek words with English derivatives]] *[[List of XML and HTML character entity references]] *[[Phoenician alphabet]] *[[Romanization of Greek]] *[[:Category:Hellenic scripts]] == Bibliography == *{{cite book|last=Graves|first=Robert|title=The Greek Myths|publisher= Penguin (Non-Classics)|year=1955—Cmb/Rep edition 1993|id=ISBN 0-14-017199-1}} *{{cite journal|first=Robert|last=Elsie|title=Albanian Literature in Greek Script: the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth-Century Orthodox Tradition in Albanian Writing|journal=Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies|volume=15|issue=20|year=1991|url=http://www.elsie.de/pub/pdf_articles/A1991AlbLitGreek.pdf|format=PDF 0.0&nbsp;bytes<!-- text/html, 0 bytes -->}} *{{cite book|last=Humez|first=Alexander|coauthors=Nicholas Humez|title=Alpha to omega: the life & times of the Greek alphabet|publisher=Godine|year=1981|isbn=0-87923-377-X}} — A popular history, more about Greek roots in English than about the alphabet itself. *{{cite book|last=Jeffery|first=Lilian Hamilton|title=The local scripts of archaic Greece: a study of the origin of the Greek alphabet and its development from the eighth to the fifth centuries B.C.|publisher=Oxford|year=1961|isbn=0-19-814061-4}} *{{cite book|first=Michael S. (ed.)|last=Macrakis|title=Greek letters: from tablets to pixels: proceedings of a conference sponsored by the Greek Font Society|publisher=Oak Knoll|year=1996|isbn=1-884718-27-2}} — Includes papers on history, typography, and character coding by [[Hermann Zapf]], [[Matthew Carter]], Nicolas Barker, John A. Lane, Kyle McCarter, Jerôme Peignot, Pierre MacKay, Silvio Levy, ''et al.'' *{{cite book|last=Hansen and Quinn|title=Greek - An Intensive Course, Second Revised Edition|publisher=Fordham University Press|year=1992 - especially noted for an excellent discussion on traditional accents and breathings, as well as verbal formation}} *{{cite book|last=Powell|first=Barry B.|title=Homer and the Origin of the Greek Alphabet|year=1991|}} — discusses dating, early inscriptions, and ties to origin of texts of Homer. ISBN:052158907X *{{cite book|last=Macrakis|first=Stavros M.|title=Character codes for Greek: Problems and modern solutions|year=1996|url=http://www.writingsystems.net/systems/greek/languages.htm}} — Includes discussion of the Greek alphabet used for languages other than Greek. *C. J. Ruijgh (1998) Sur la date de la création de l’alphabet grec. Mnemosyne, 51, 658–687 </small> === Notes === {{reflist}} == External links == *[http://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0370.pdf Unicode 5.1] Greek range *[http://ellinikasimera.dartmouth.edu/resources/texts/shapes1.html Examples of Greek handwriting] *[http://ptolemy.tlg.uci.edu/~opoudjis/unicode/unicode.html Greek Unicode Issues] *[http://www.unicode.org/faq/greek.html Unicode FAQ - Greek Language and Script] *[http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/greek.html Unicode 5.1 alphabetic test for Greek Unicode range] *[http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/ancient-greek-numbers.html Unicode 5.1 numeric test for Greek Unicode range] *[http://www.tlg.uci.edu/~opoudjis//unicode/unicode_stories.html Unicode 5.1 test for all Greek-related Unicode ranges] === Typography === *Collection of free fonts: [http://www.greekfontsociety.gr/pages/en_typefaces1.html greekfontsociety.gr] *{{El icon}} Collection of free truetype polytonic fonts: [http://enoriaka.gr/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=748 enoriaka.gr] {{writing systems}} {{DEFAULTSORT: }} [[Category:Greek alphabet]] [[Category:Greek letters]] [[Category:Keyboard layouts]] [[Category:Articles including recorded pronunciations]] [[af:Griekse alfabet]] [[als:Griechisches Alphabet]] [[ar:أبجدية إغريقية]] [[arc:ܐܠܦܒܝܬ ܝܘܢܝܐ]] [[ast:Alfabetu griegu]] [[az:Yunan əlifbası]] [[bn:গ্রিক বর্ণমালা]] [[bs:Grčko pismo]] [[br:Lizherenneg c'hresianek]] [[bg:Гръцка азбука]] [[ca:Alfabet grec]] [[cs:Řecká abeceda]] [[cy:Yr wyddor Roeg]] [[da:Græske alfabet]] [[de:Griechisches Alphabet]] [[et:Kreeka tähestik]] [[el:Ελληνικό αλφάβητο]] [[es:Alfabeto griego]] [[eo:Greka alfabeto]] [[eu:Alfabeto greko]] [[fa:الفبای یونانی]] [[fr:Alphabet grec]] [[fur:Alfabet grêc]] [[ga:Aibítir Ghréagach]] [[gv:Abbyrlhit Greagagh]] [[gd:Aibidil Ghreugach]] [[gl:Alfabeto grego]] [[ko:그리스 문자]] [[hr:Grčko pismo]] [[id:Huruf Yunani]] [[ia:Alphabeto grec]] [[is:Grískt stafróf]] [[it:Alfabeto greco]] [[he:אלפבית יווני]] [[ka:ბერძნული დამწერლობა]] [[sw:Alfabeti ya Kigiriki]] [[ht:Alfabèt grèk]] [[ku:Alfabeya yewnanî]] [[la:Abecedarium Graecum]] [[lv:Grieķu alfabēts]] [[lt:Graikų raštas]] [[hu:Görög ábécé]] [[mk:Грчка азбука]] [[ms:Huruf Yunani]] [[nah:Ellēnicatlahtōlmelāuhcān]] [[nl:Grieks alfabet]] [[nds-nl:Griekse alfabet]] [[ja:ギリシア文字]] [[no:Det greske alfabetet]] [[nn:Det greske alfabetet]] [[nrm:Alphabet greis]] [[km:អក្សរក្រិច]] [[pl:Alfabet grecki]] [[pt:Alfabeto grego]] [[ro:Alfabetul grec]] [[qu:Grigu siq'i llumpa]] [[ru:Греческий алфавит]] [[sq:Alfabeti grek]] [[simple:Greek alphabet]] [[sk:Grécka abeceda]] [[sl:Grška abeceda]] [[sr:Грчко писмо]] [[sh:Grčki alfabet]] [[fi:Kreikkalainen kirjaimisto]] [[sv:Grekiska alfabetet]] [[kab:Agemmay agrigi]] [[th:อักษรกรีก]] [[tg:Алифбои юнонӣ]] [[tr:Yunan alfabesi]] [[uk:Грецька абетка]] [[wa:Alfabet grek]] [[yi:גריכישער אלפאבעט]] [[zh:希腊字母]]