Introduction index, 2          printable pages

Read Greek, b: words with diphthongs

  To listen and repeat, click on the picture  of your instructor  :)

You will learn the sounds of Greek best by practicing the reading of entire words.  The English words listed to illustrate the meaning of the Greek words are often derivatives.  Of course they are not intended to offer a guide to the pronunciation of the Greek.

At this time I do not include theory of accents.  An introduction is presented at  7.3.  The ancients had a pitch accent which gradually evolved into a stress accent.  We use a stress accent.  

Words with diphthongs.  A diphthong involves the pronunciation of two vowels in one syllable. In most cases, Greek diphthongs are easily read, because each of the vowels has its own sound.  One exception we have already noted:  ου, which is a false diphthong.  In the list below you will notice that 6, 7, and 8, have the second vowel, ι, written underneath the first ("iota  subscript"), which is always a long vowel.  This was originally a true diphthong but eventually the  ι ceased to be pronounced. Today's academic pronunciation, for the most part, represents this status of the diphthong.  It is very inconvenient, because the presence or absence of iota  subscript marks different functions of words.  In this course you will be spared the annoying question I ask in class: ("with iota subscript?").  Lucky you.