Greek letters in Russian. How to remember the Greek alphabet: teacher tips

Wow! Only twenty-four letters? Are some sounds not indicated? That's exactly what it is. There are sounds common to other languages that are not found in Greek. Such sounds are all post-alveolar affricates (as in the word “ w ov” (only softer), [Z] as in the word “ and uk”, as in the word “ h erta”, and as in English word “j ob”). So, what do the Greeks do when they want to say foreign words with these sounds? If the sound cannot be pronounced correctly, it is simply transformed into the corresponding alveolar sound: [s], [Z] [z], , . What about other common sounds like [b], [d], [g], etc.? It seems they are not in the alphabet either! Are they also not included in the list of sounds of the language? No! They exist in the form sounds language. There are simply no separate letters to represent them. When the Greeks want to write down sounds, they write them in combinations of two letters: [b] is written as the combination μπ (mi + pi), [d] as ντ (ni + tau), and [g] as γκ (gamma + kappa), or as γγ (double gamma). Why all these difficulties? Remember, as stated in the introduction to this article, the sounds [b], [d], and [g] existed in classical Greek. Later, perhaps some time after it was written New Testament in so-called Greek koine(single), these three sounds shifted in pronunciation and began to sound like “soft” sounds ([v], , and). A phonological void appeared. Words in which there was a combination of “mp” and “nt” began to be pronounced as and, respectively. Therefore, “explosive” sounds were reintroduced, but they began to be used to denote them. letter combinations. There is one more sound that is not in the alphabet: “and ng ma,” pronounced like the English word “ki ng" This sound is very rare in Greek, and when it appears (as in the words “άγχος”: anxiety; “έλεγχος”: check), it is indicated by the combination gamma + chi, where gamma is pronounced ingma. For your convenience, below is a table of pronunciation of letter combinations (2 letters) that make new sounds not included in the Greek alphabet:

cluster	Pronunciation in Modern Greek
ΜΠ μπ	[ b], as in the word “ b yt”, at the beginning of words or in borrowed words; or: [mb], as in the word “to mb at.”
ΝΤ ντ	[ d], as in the word “ d at”, at the beginning of words or in borrowed words; or: [nd], as in “fo nd”.
ΓΚ γκ ΓΓ γγ	[ g], as in the word “ G orod”, at the beginning of words or in borrowed words; or: [g], as in the word “ri ng" Please note: formγγ never occurs at the beginning of words, so is always pronounced [g], as in the word “ri ng”.
ΓΧ γχ ΓΞ γξ	Beforeχ (chi) letter(ri ng) . Beforeξ (xi) letterγ (gamma) is pronounced “ingma”:(ri ng) . Please note: combinationγξ is rare; it only appears in unusual words such asλυγξ (lynx).

It is quite possible that the following pairs do not produce original sounds, but are perceived by native Greek speakers as “one”:

What about vowels? Are there any similarities with vowels in Russian, or with vowels in other languages? Vowels in Greek are not difficult. The vowels in Greek are similar to the vowels in Italian, Spanish ( Russian approx. translation) or Japanese: [a], [e], [i], [o], and [u]. Currently, the alphabet has three letters for the sound [I] (eta, iota and upsilon), which are pronounced the same, and two letters for the sound [o] (omicron and omega), which are also pronounced the same. For the sound [u], the combination of letters ου (omicron + upsilon) is used. So, pronouncing vowels is easy. Is there anything else special about vowel sounds? Not in pronunciation, but in spelling. There are three "diphthongs" that are no longer diphthongs, but have become digraphs. (A diphthong is a long sound consisting of two elements, each of which has a different quality, as in the words: “r aw nd”, or“b Ouch”; A digraph is two letters that are read together as one letter, e.g. English th in the word “ th ink”, or ph in the word “gra” ph ".) Below are Greek digraphs consisting of vowels.

A set of letters in the Greek system. languages, arranged in the accepted order (see table below). Letters G. a. used in publications in Russian. language as symbols of mat. and physical notation. In the original, the letters G. a. It is customary to enclose in a red circle... ... Publishing dictionary-reference book

greek alphabet- The Greeks first used consonantal writing. In 403 BC. e. Under Archon Euclid, the classical Greek alphabet was introduced in Athens. It consisted of 24 letters: 17 consonants and 7 vowels. For the first time, letters were introduced to represent vowels; α, ε, η… Dictionary of linguistic terms T.V. Foal

Coppa (Greek alphabet)- This article is about the Greek letter. For information on the Cyrillic number sign, see the article by Koppa (Cyrillic alphabet) Greek alphabet Α α alpha Β β beta ... Wikipedia

Greek- Self-name: Ελληνικά Countries: Greece ... Wikipedia

Greek- language Self-name: Ελληνικά Countries: Greece, Cyprus; communities in the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Albania, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Italy... Wikipedia

Alphabet- is the latest phenomenon in the history of writing. This name designates a series of written signs arranged in a certain constant order and conveying approximately completely and accurately all the individual sound elements from which a given language is composed... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Alphabet- This term has other meanings, see Alphabet (meanings). Wiktionary has an article “alphabet” Alphabet ... Wikipedia

Alphabet- [Greek ἀλφάβητος, from the name of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet alpha and beta (Modern Greek vita)] a system of written signs that convey the sound appearance of words in a language through symbols depicting individual sound elements. Invention… … Linguistic encyclopedic dictionary

Alphabet- is the latest phenomenon in the history of writing (see Letter). This name denotes a series of written signs arranged in a certain constant order and conveying approximately completely and accurately all the individual sound elements, of which... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

ALPHABET- a set of letters or similar signs used in writing, where each letter represents one or more phonemes. Alphabets were not the oldest basis of writing, having been developed from hieroglyphs or written images used... ... Symbols, signs, emblems. Encyclopedia

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in his oldest form was an exact copy Phoenician: the Greeks retained the same sequence of letters in the alphabet as the Phoenicians, and even the names of the letters were denoted by distorted Semitic words.

The Semitic direction of writing was also preserved in ancient Greek inscriptions: signs were written from right to left.
And only in the 4th century BC. The Greeks switched to writing from left to right.

This is how the Greeks wrote and read. This is called “bull turn” (a letter similar to the move of plowing bulls).

Almost all of them originate from the Greek alphabet. all European alphabets. In the West, the alphabet spread through the Greek colonies located in the southern part of the Apennine Peninsula.

The alphabet was borrowed from the Greeks by the Romans, and from them it spread throughout all countries. Western Europe. At the end of the 4th - beginning of the 5th centuries. the alphabet influenced the emergence of the Armenian alphabet. In the VI century. The Georgian alphabet arose - partly from the Greek with the addition of a few letters.

The Greeks used new material for writing - it was parchment made from animal skins. It was more durable than papyrus. The use of leather for writing began from very early times in Egypt, Greece, and Asia Minor, where it became most widespread.

According to legend in city of Pergamon in the 1st century BC was invented new way obtaining material for writing from animal skins.

The oldest pieces of parchment with surviving fragments of texts date back to the 1st century BC, but they began to use it only from the 2nd century. n. e. For making parchment They used the skins of sheep, goats, donkeys, and calves. The skins were soaked in lime water, the wool was scraped off, stretched onto a frame, dried, smoothed with pumice and treated with chalk.

It was durable, had a smooth and light surface. It could be written on both sides. Parchment was painted yellow, blue, black, and purple and was used for luxurious manuscripts. Purple was written in gold or silver.

For a thousand years, the book made from parchment dominated in Europe, while paper made its victorious path in Asian countries. Thanks to parchment, a significant number of manuscripts from the early Middle Ages have been preserved.

In Greece, they were used for writing ceras- wooden planks coated with wax. They wrote with a stick - style. “Rotate style”, i.e. to erase what was written meant to remove the beauty of language. This is where the expression “literary style” comes from.

Wax tablets They were used mainly for taking notes and writing letters, but sometimes literary and scientific texts were written on them. Several planks were fastened together using a strap or cord pulled through one side. This is how the book turned out.

This method of writing became widespread in Rome. Later he entered the countries medieval Europe. In Paris back in the 13th century. There were workshops for making wax tablets.

They recited, accompanying themselves on the cithara. Singers were held in high esteem. The Greek rulers loved to surround themselves with the most prominent poets and scientists.

The center of Greek culture was the Athenian slave-owning republic with its capital, where the greatest Greek tragedians, Sophocles and Euripides, lived. Comedy author Aristophanes. Famous philosophers Socrates. In the Athenian Republic, as in other Greek city-states, public education stood at a significant level: the children of all citizens were educated in schools.

In Athens there were also higher schools, where young men studied science under the guidance of philosophical teachers. The most famous were: the school of Plato and the school of Aristotle. Plato's teaching was abstract. Aristotle's teaching was based primarily on the observation of natural phenomena. He gave his lectures while walking with his students.

Some of Aristotle's views and discoveries still amaze scientists. Apparently, some of the writings that have survived to this day under the name of Aristotle are recordings of his lectures. One of the highest manifestations of Hellenic creativity was theatrical art. During the heyday of Athenian culture, poets created wonderful comedies and tragedies, many of which have come down to us in later copies. However, Greek culture was put at the service only of free citizens, slaves remained on the sidelines. If among the slaves there were educated people, then this was a rare exception.

The book of that time was papyrus scroll. delivered from Egypt. The text on the scroll was written in narrow columns, the direction of the lines was parallel to the length of the scroll. When reading, the papyrus ribbon was gradually rolled from one side to the other so that two columns were simultaneously in view, and the rest of the scroll was rolled up.

? Try rolling up a paper scroll and writing on it like papyrus. Is it convenient?

Due to the fact that papyrus scrolls did not tolerate moisture, which had a destructive effect on them, no authentic books of that time were preserved. And only Egyptian and Greek scrolls were preserved for two to three millennia in completely dry Egyptian sand. Most known scrolls survive in fragments, but sometimes these fragments are significant.

This article is about the Greek letter. For information on the Cyrillic number sign, see the article by Koppa (Cyrillic alphabet) Greek alphabet Α α alpha Β β beta ... Wikipedia

Self-name: Ελληνικά Countries: Greece ... Wikipedia

Language Self-name: Ελληνικά Countries: Greece, Cyprus; communities in the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Albania, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Italy... Wikipedia

It is the latest phenomenon in the history of writing. This name designates a series of written signs arranged in a certain constant order and conveying approximately completely and accurately all the individual sound elements from which a given language is composed... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

This term has other meanings, see Alphabet (meanings). Wiktionary has an article “alphabet” Alphabet ... Wikipedia

It is the latest phenomenon in the history of writing (see Letter). This name denotes a series of written signs arranged in a certain constant order and conveying approximately completely and accurately all the individual sound elements, of which... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Books

Introduction to Ancient Greek. Textbook for academic bachelor's degree, O.A. Titov. The textbook examines a brief history of the development of the Greek language from ancient times to the present day, gives the Greek alphabet, reading rules, types and features of stress placement.…
Introduction to Ancient Greek, 2nd ed., rev. and additional Textbook for academic bachelor's degree, Oleg Anatolyevich Titov. The textbook examines a brief history of the development of the Greek language from ancient times to the present day, gives the Greek alphabet, reading rules, types and features of stress placement.…

The Greek alphabet is a writing system developed in Greece that first appears in archaeological sites in the 8th century BC. This was not the first writing system, which was used to write the Greek language: Centuries before the Greek alphabet was invented, the Linear B script was the writing system used to write the Greek language during Mycenaean times. The Linear B script was lost around 10,000 BC, and with it all knowledge of writing disappeared from Greece until the Greek alphabet was developed.

The Greek alphabet was born when the Greeks adapted the Phoenician writing system to represent their own language, developing a completely phonetic writing system consisting of individual characters arranged in a linear manner that could represent both consonants and vowels. The earliest inscriptions from the Greek alphabet are graffiti carved on pots and pots. The graffiti found in Lefkandi and Eretria, the "Dipylon oinochoe" found in Athens, and the inscriptions in Nestor's "Pitekkusai" cup date to the second half of the 8th century BC, and are the oldest known Greek letters ever recorded.

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE GREEK ALPHABET
At the beginning of the first millennium BC, the Phoenicians, who originated in Lebanon, became successful maritime traders, and they gradually spread their influence westward, establishing outposts throughout the Mediterranean basin. The Phoenician language belonged to the Semitic branch of Afro-Asiatic language family, and she was closely related to the Canaanites and Hebrews. With them, the Phoenicians carried goods for trade, as well as another valuable commodity: their writing system.

The Phoenicians had a writing system similar to that used by other peoples of the Semitic-speaking Levant. They didn't use ideograms; it was a phonetic writing system consisting of a set of letters that represented sounds. Like modern Arabic and Hebrew writing systems, the Phoenician alphabet only had letters for consonants, not vowels. The Greeks took the Phoenician alphabet and made several key changes: they dropped those signs for which there was no consonantal equivalent in Greek and used them instead for individual sounds vowels. As a result greek letters The vowels A (alpha), E (epsilon), I (iota), O (omicron), Y (upsilon) and H (eta) arose as an adaptation of Phoenician letters for consonant sounds that were absent in Greek. By using separate symbols to represent vowels and consonants, the Greeks created a writing system that, for the first time, could represent speech in an unambiguous way.

There are some significant benefits due to these changes. Although syllabic, logographic and pictographic systems can sometimes be ambiguous to represent spoken language, the Greek alphabet can accurately convey speech. In the Middle East, as well as in the Aegean Bronze Age, writing was an art monopolized by specialists, scribes. All this would change in Greece after the Greek alphabet: the Greek alphabet had fewer characters, making the writing system more accessible to those willing to learn.

What were the reasons that prompted the Greeks to apply such changes to the Phoenician alphabet? This is not entirely understood, but it seems likely that certain differences between Phoenician and Greek phonology played a role in this process. Although a Phoenician word begins with a vowel (with only a consonant), many Greek words have a vowel at the beginning. This means that unless the Phoenician alphabet was modified, it would be impossible to write Greek accurately. How these changes were carried out is also unknown. However, there are several conclusions that can be drawn from the available archaeological data. It is believed that the innovations were accomplished by the Greeks in one move. This is supported by the fact that classical Greek vowels are present in the earliest examples of the Greek alphabetic writing, with the only exception being Ω (omega). In other words, there is no evidence of a stage of development of the Greek alphabet, as far as we can judge from the earliest recorded examples: if instead of one move the Greeks had gradually carried out these innovations, we would have expected to see examples of defective, inconsistent or incomplete vowel representations, but so far none of these has not been identified. This is one reason why some believe that the Greek alphabet had one "inventor" or at least a specific moment of "invention".

In the earliest versions of the alphabet, the Greeks followed the Phoenician practice of writing from right to left, and the letters were left-handed. This was followed by a period of bidirectional writing, meaning that the direction of writing was in one direction on the same line, but in opposite direction the next is a practice known as boustrophedon. In boustrophed inscriptions, asymmetrical letters changed orientation according to the direction of the line in which they were part. However, in the 5th century BC. E. The manual of Greek writing was standardized as left to right, and all letters adopted a fixed directional orientation.

LEGENDARY ACCOUNTS ON THE ORIGIN OF THE GREEK ALPHABET
The ancient Greeks were more or less aware of the fact that their alphabet was an adaptation of the Phoenician alphabet, and there were several reports of the alphabet being created in Ancient Greece. One famous example- Herodotus:

So, these Phoenicians, including the Gethyrs, came with Kadmos and settled this land [Boeotia], and they transmitted a lot of knowledge to the Hellenes and, in particular, taught them an alphabet, which, it seems to me, the Hellenes did not have before, but which was originally used by all Phoenicians. Over time, both the sound and shape of the letters changed (Herodotus, 5.58).

Kadmos, mentioned by Herodotus, is the Greek spelling for Cadmus, the legendary Phoenician of Greek folklore who was considered the founder and first king of Thebes in Boeotia. Interestingly, his name seems to be related to the Phoenician word qadm "east". Due to the supposed participation of Cadmus and the Phoenicians in the transmission of the alphabet, in the 6th century BC. A Cretan official with scribe duties was still called poinikastas "Phoenicianizer", and early writing was sometimes called "Cadmean letters". The Greeks called them phoinikeia grammata alphabets, which can be translated as "Phoenician letters". Some Greeks, however, were unwilling to acknowledge the eastern influence of their alphabet, so they justified the origin of the name phoinikeia grammata with various apocryphal accounts: some said that the alphabet was invented by Phoenix, the mentor of Akhilleus, while others said that the name was related to phoinix leaves "palm tree".

SCRIPTS DERIVED FROM THE GREEK ALPHABET
There were several versions of the early Greek alphabet, broadly classified into two different groups: the Eastern and Western alphabets. In 403 BC. E. Athens took the initiative to unify the many versions of the alphabet, and one of the eastern versions of the Greek alphabet was adopted as the official one. This official version gradually superseded all other versions in Greece and it became dominant. As Greek influence grew in the Mediterranean world, several communities came into contact with the Greek idea of writing, and some developed their own writing systems based on the Greek model. The Western version of the Greek alphabet, used by Greek colonists in Sicily, was carried over to the Italian peninsula. The Etruscans and Messapians created their own alphabet based on the Greek alphabet, inspiring the creation of the old Italic scripts, the source of the Latin alphabet. In the Middle East, the Carians, Lycians, Lydians, Pamphylians and Phrygians also created their own versions of the alphabet based on Greek. When the Greeks gained control of Egypt during the Hellenistic period, Egyptian system writing was replaced by the Coptic alphabet, which was also based on the Greek alphabet.

The Gothic alphabet, the Glagolitic alphabet, and the modern Cyrillic and Latin alphabet are ultimately derived from the Greek alphabet. Although the Greek alphabet is used today only for the Greek language, it is the root script of most scripts used in the Western world today.

Greek letters in Russian. How to remember the Greek alphabet: teacher tips

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