Lonely Planet Greek Phrasebook & Dictionary

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It is common for older people to pronounce some vowels slightly different according to the the rules of the diacretics (spirits) that used to be taught until 1982, giving them in some occasions a very light h (χ) sound. The correct pronounciation of those words is currently dying out as it is no longer taught. It is still relevant however if you are interested in Ancient Greek. Good morning” is typically used up until noon, 12:00. Thereafter you can start switching to using ‘Geia Sas’ (Hi / Bye).

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Learn Survival Greek

The Greek alphabet is a set of twenty-four letters that has been used to write the Greek language since the 8th century BC. It is still in use today. It is the first and oldest alphabet in the narrow sense that it notes each vowel and consonant with a separate symbol. The letters were also used to represent Greek numerals, beginning in the 2nd century BC.

Greek (ελληνικά) is one of the oldest attested Indo-European languages, known from 1400 BCE in inscriptions in a syllabary of Minoan origin. The present alphabet was introduced by a Phoenician called Qadmu (Καδμος) about 800 BCE and has been in use continuously since then, with a few letters added and removed along the way. The 24-letter alphabet used in Classical Greek is the same one used today. Greek forms its own isolated branch within the Indo-European language family. Thus it is not related closely to any other Indo-European language. Greek is the official language of both Greece and Cyprus, but is only spoken in the south of the latter. Papyrus, dated 75–125 A.D. describing one of the oldest diagrams of Euclid's Elements Ἀεὶ ὁ θεὸς γεωμετρεῖ. Aeì ho theòs geōmetreî. "God always geometrizes." — Plato Plutarch elaborated on this phrase in his essay Πῶς Πλάτων ἔλεγε τὸν θεὸν ἀεί γεωμετρεῖν "What is Plato’s meaning when he says that God always applies geometry". [2] Based on the phrase of Plato, above, a present-day mnemonic for π (pi) was derived: Note that η, ι, υ and ο, ω are pronounced exactly the same. They are essential for the written speech though. Same goes for the clusters ει, οι. Greek is one of the earliest-attested Indo-European languages, known from 1400 BC in inscriptions in a syllabary of Minoan origin. The present alphabet was introduced by a Phoenician called Qadmu (Κάδμος) about 800 BC, and has been in use, with a few letters added and removed, continuously since then. The 24-letter alphabet used in Classical Greek is the same one used today. Greek forms its own isolated branch within the Indo-European language family. Thus it is not related closely to any other Indo-European language. Greek is the official language of both Greece and Cyprus, but is only spoken in the south of the latter.Any other consonant combination is pronounced like their English counterparts. Just remember which is the proper letter in English! Notes on sounds, accents etc. [ edit ] Aristophanes goes on: "Firstly, the owls of Laurium (i.e. the Athenian drachmas minted from the silver-mines of Laurium) which every judge desires above all things, shall never be wanting to you" The Birds, 1106