Zeta
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{{wiktionarypar2|Ζ|ζ}}
{{Table_Greekletters|letter=zeta}}
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{{seealso|Principality of Zeta}}
'''Zeta''' (uppercase '''Ζ''', lowercase '''ζ'''; {{lang-el|Ζήτα}} {{IPA|[ziːta]}} Zita) is the sixth letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 7. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician letter]] [[Zayin (letter)|Zayin]] [[Image:phoenician zayin.png|20px|Zayin]]. Letters that arose from Zeta include the Roman [[Z]] and Cyrillic [[Ze (Cyrillic)|З (Ze)]].
Unlike the other [[Greek alphabet|Greek letters]], this letter did not take its name from the [[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]] letter it was derived from; it was given a new name on the pattern of [[beta]], [[eta]] and [[theta]].
Zeta has the numerical value 7 rather than 6 because the letter [[digamma]] (also called '[[stigma (letter)|stigma]]' as a [[Greek numeral]]) was originally in the sixth position in the alphabet.
Zeta can be said to be the origin of the most common pronunciation of the Roman letter [[Z]].
==Symbol==
The lower case letter can be used to represent:
*The [[damping ratio]] of a spring-system in engineering and physics
*The effective nuclear charge on an electron in quantum chemistry
*The [[Riemann zeta function]] in [[mathematics]]
*The lag angle in helicopter blade dynamics
*[[Zoophilia]]
==Pronunciation==
The letter ζ represents a [[voiced alveolar fricative]] ({{IPA2|z}}) in [[modern Greek]].
The sound represented by zeta in [[Classical Greek]] is disputed. See [[Ancient Greek phonology]] and [[Pronunciation of Ancient Greek in teaching]].
Most handbooks agree on attributing to it the pronunciation {{IPA|[zd]}} (like ''Mazda''), but some scholars believe that it was an affricate {{IPA|[dz]}} (like [[Italian language|Italian]] ''mezzo''). The modern pronunciation was, in all likelihood, established in the Hellenistic age and was probably a common, if not exclusive, practice already in Classical [[Attic dialect|Attic]], considering that it could count as one or two consonants metrically in the Attic drama.
The arguments in favour of {{IPA|[zd]}}:
# IE *''zd'' becomes ζ in Greek (e.g. *''sísdō'' > {{Polytonic|ἵζω}}). '''Contra:''' these words are rare and it is therefore more probable that *''zd'' was absorbed by *''dz'' (< *''dj'', *''gj'', *''j'').
# Without {{IPA|[sd]}} there would be an empty space between {{IPA|[sb]}} and {{IPA|[sg]}} in the Greek sound system ({{Polytonic| πρεσβύς, σβέννυμι, φάσγανον }}), and a voiced affricate {{IPA|[dz]}} would not have a voiceless correspondent. '''Contra:''' a) words with {{IPA|[sb]}} and {{IPA|[sg]}} are rare; b) there was {{IPA|[sd]}} in {{Polytonic|ὅσδε, εἰσδέχται}} etc.; and c) there was in fact a voiceless correspondent in Archaic Greek ({{IPA|[ts]}} > Attic, [[Boeotian Greek|Boeotian]] {{Polytonic|ττ}}, [[Ionic Greek|Ionic]], [[Doric Greek|Doric]] {{Polytonic|σσ}}).
# [[Old Persian|Persian]] names with ''zd'' and ''z'' are transcribed with ζ and σ respectively in Classical Greek (e.g. ''Artavazda'' = {{Polytonic|Ἀρτάβαζος / Ἀρτάοζος}} ~ ''Zara(n)ka-'' = {{Polytonic|Σαράγγαι}}. Similarly, the [[Philistine]] city [[Ashdod]] was transcribed as {{polytonic|Αζωτος}}.
# ν disappears before ζ like before σ(σ), στ: e.g. *{{Polytonic|πλάνζω}} > {{Polytonic|πλᾰ́ζω}}, *{{Polytonic|σύνζυγος}} = *{{Polytonic|συνστέλλω}} > {{Polytonic|σῠστέλλω}}. '''Contra:''' ν may have disappeared before /dz/ if one accepts that it had the allophone {{IPA|[z]}} in that position like /ts/ had the allophone {{IPA|[s]}}: cf. [[Cretan Greek|Cretan]] {{Polytonic|ἴαττα}} ~ {{Polytonic|ἀποδίδονσα}} (Hinge).
# Verbs beginning with ζ have {{Polytonic|ἐ-}} in the perfect reduplication like the verbs beginning with στ (e.g. {{Polytonic|ἔζηκα}} = {{Polytonic|ἔσταλται}}). '''Contra:''' a) The most prominent example of a verb beginning with στ has in fact {{Polytonic|ἑ-}} < *''se-'' in the perfect reduplication ({{Polytonic|ἕστηκα}}; b) the words with /ts/ > σ(σ) also have {{Polytonic|ἐ-}}: [[Homer]] {{Polytonic|ἔσσυμαι, -ται}}, Ion. {{Polytonic|ἐσσημένῳ}}.
# [[Alcman]], [[Sappho]], [[Alcaeus]] and [[Theocritus]] have σδ for [[Attic-Ionic]] ζ. '''Contra:''' The tradition would not have invented this special digraph for these poets if {{IPA|[zd]}} was the normal pronunciation in all Greek. Furthermore, this convention is not found in contemporary inscriptions, and the orthography of the manuscripts and papyri is [[Alexandria|Alexandrine]] rather than historical. Thus, ({{Polytonic|σδ}} indicates only a different pronunciation from Hellenistic Greek {{IPA|[z(ː)]}}, i.e. either {{IPA|[zd]}} or {{IPA|[ʣ]}}.
# The grammarians [[Dionysius Thrax]] and [[Dionysius of Halicarnassus]] class ζ with the "double" ({{Polytonic|διπλᾶ}}) letters ψ, ξ and analyse it as σ + δ. '''Contra:''' The Roman grammarian [[Verrius Flaccus]] believed in the opposite sequence, δ + σ (in [[Velius Longus]], ''De orthogr''. 51), and [[Aristotle]] says that it was a matter of dispute (''Metaph''. 993a) (though Aristotle might as well be referring to a {{IPA|[zː]}} pronunciation).
# Some Attic transcriptions of Asia Minor toponyms (βυζζαντειον, αζζειον, etc) show a -ζζ- for ζ; assuming that [[Attic Greek|Attic]] value was {{IPA|[zd]}}, it may be an attempt to transcribe a dialectal {{IPA|[dz]}} pronunciation; the reverse cannot be ruled completely, but a -σδ- transcription would have been more likely in this case. This suggest that different dialects had different pronunciations.
# Some [[Attic Greek|Attic]] inscriptions have -σζ- for -σδ- or -ζ-, which is thought to parallel -σστ- for -στ- and therefore to imply a {{IPA|[zd]}} pronunciation.
Arguments in favour of [dz] are:
# The Greek inscriptions almost never write ζ in words like {{Polytonic|ὅσδε, τούσδε}} or {{Polytonic|εἰσδέχται}}, so there must have been a difference between this sound and the sound of {{Polytonic|ἵζω, Ἀθήναζε}}. '''Contra:''' a few inscriptions do seem to suggest that ζ was pronounced like σδ (though it may indeed be a minoritary pronunciation).
# It seems improbable that Greek would invent a special symbol for the bisegmental combination {{IPA|[zd]}}, which could be represented by σδ without any problems. {{IPA|/ds/}}, on the other hand, would have the same sequence of plosive and sibilant as the double letters of the Ionic alphabet ψ {{IPA|/ps/}} and ξ {{IPA|/ks/}}, thereby avoiding a written plosive at the end of a syllable. '''Contra:''' the use of a special symbol for {{IPA|[zd]}} is no more or no less improbable that the use of ψ for {{IPA|[ps]}} and ξ for {{IPA|[ks]}}, and such use of special letters may be justified by the fact that they are the only double sounds that could appear at a word initial.
# [[Boeotia]]n, [[Elis|Elean]], [[Laconia]]n and [[Creta]]n ''δδ'' are more easily explained as a direct development from *''dz'' than through an intermediary *''zd''. '''Contra:''' a) the sound development ''dz'' > ''dd'' is improbable (Mendez Dosuna); b) ν has disappeared before ζ > δδ in Laconian {{Polytonic|πλαδδιῆν}} (Aristoph., ''Lys''. 171, 990) and Boeotian {{Polytonic|σαλπίδδω}} (Sch. Lond. in Dion. Thrax 493), which suggests that these dialects have had a phase of metathesis (Teodorsson).
# Greek in South Italy has preserved {{IPA|[dz]}} until modern times. '''Contra:''' a) this may be a later development from {{IPA|[zd]}} or {{IPA|[z]}}; b) even if it is derived from an ancient {{IPA|[dz]}}, it may be a dialectal pronunciation.
# [[Vulgar Latin]] inscriptions use the Greek letter Z for indigenous affricates (e.g. ''zeta'' = ''diaeta''), and the Greek ζ is continued by a Romance affricate in the ending {{Polytonic|-ίζω}} > Italian. ''-eggiare'', French ''-oyer''. '''Contra:''' whether the prononciation of {{Polytonic|ζ}} was {{IPA|[dz]}}, {{IPA|[zd]}} or {{IPA|[zː]}}, ''di'' would probably still have been the closest native Latin sound.
In summary:
* {{Polytonic|σδ}} is attested only in [[Lesbos Island|Lesbian]] and [[Sparta]]n [[lyric poetry]] from the [[Archaic period in Greece|Archaic age]] and in [[Bucolic]] poetry from the [[Hellenistic civilization|Hellenistic Age]]. Most scholars would take this as an indication that the {{IPA|[zd]}}-pronunciation existed in the dialects of these authors.
* The transcriptions from [[Old Persian|Persian]] by [[Xenophon]] and testimony by grammarians support the pronunciation {{IPA|[zd]}} in [[Classical Greece|Classical]] [[Attic Greek|Attic]]. On the other hand. The fact that {{Polytonic|ζ}} (e.g. {{Polytonic|ὄζω}}) and {{Polytonic|σδ}} (e.g. {{Polytonic|ὅσδε}}) are distinguished in all [[Classical Greece|Classical]] inscriptions and literary texts indicates a different pronunciation.
* {{IPA|[z(ː)]}} is attested from c. 350 BC in [[Attic Greek|Attic]] inscriptions, and was the probable value in [[Koine Greek|Koine]].
* {{IPA|[dʒ]}} or {{IPA|[dz]}} may have existed in some other dialects in parallel.
==References==
*Allen, William Sidney: ''Vox Graeca: A guide to the pronunciation of Classical Greek''. Cambridge University Press 1987, pp. 56-59.
*Hinge, George: "Die Aussprache des griechischen Zeta", in: ''Die Sprache Alkmans: Textgeschichte und Sprachgeschichte'' (PhD dissertation), Aarhus 2001, pp. 212-234 = [http://alkman.georgehinge.com/zeta.html]
*Méndez Dosuna, Julián: "On <Ζ> for <Δ> in Greek dialectal inscriptions", ''Die Sprache'' 35, 1993, pp. 82-114.
*Rohlfs, Gerhard: "Die Aussprache des z (ζ) im Altgriechischen", ''Glotta'' 8, 1962, pp. 3-8.
*Teodorsson, Sven-Tage: "The pronunciation of zeta in different Greek dialects". In: E. Crespo i.a. (ed.): ''Dialectologia Graeca: Actas del II Coloquio Internacional de Dialectología Griega''. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid 1993, pp. 305-321.
[[Category:Greek letters]]
[[als:Ζ]]
[[ar:زيتا (حرف إغريقي)]]
[[arc:Ζ]]
[[ast:Dseta]]
[[br:Zeta (lizherenn)]]
[[bg:Зета]]
[[ca:Dseta]]
[[cy:Zeta (llythyren)]]
[[da:Zeta (bogstav)]]
[[de:Zeta]]
[[el:Ζήτα]]
[[es:Ζ]]
[[eo:Zeto]]
[[ext:Zeta]]
[[eu:Zeta (greko)]]
[[fr:Zêta]]
[[ga:Zéite]]
[[gd:Zeta]]
[[gl:Dseta]]
[[ko:Ζ]]
[[id:Zeta]]
[[is:Zeta]]
[[it:Zeta (lettera)]]
[[he:זטא]]
[[ht:Ζ]]
[[ku:Zeta]]
[[la:Zeta]]
[[hu:Dzéta]]
[[nl:Zèta]]
[[ja:Ζ]]
[[no:Zeta]]
[[nn:Zeta]]
[[nds:Zeta]]
[[pl:Dzeta]]
[[pt:Ζ]]
[[ru:Дзета (буква)]]
[[simple:Zeta]]
[[sk:Zéta]]
[[sl:Zeta (črka)]]
[[fi:Zeeta]]
[[sv:Zeta]]
[[th:ซีตา]]
[[tr:Ζ]]
[[uk:Дзета (літера)]]
[[zh:Ζ]]