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Greek primer, colloquial and constructive cover

Greek primer, colloquial and constructive

Chapter 4: THE GREEK LETTERS
By John Stuart Blackie
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About This Book

A language primer advocates teaching Greek by following the natural steps of first-language learning: directly linking words to objects and actions, fostering imitation and repetition, and privileging spoken practice over rote grammatical study. It contends that adults, guided by a deliberate oral-and-experience-based regimen, can acquire a foreign tongue more quickly and accurately than through book-bound methods alone. The work critiques traditional grammar-first instruction for disrupting the bond between thought and utterance and urges that written materials serve as supplements to lively colloquial exercises that build practical fluency.

THE GREEK LETTERS

The Greek letters, borrowed as they were from the East and adopted by the Romans, are substantially the same as the Roman letters of our common English usage, and in fact differ from them both in figure and power scarcely more than our present English type differs from the old English black letter or the common German type. A few remarks will suffice to show where or how far the pronunciation varies from our English use of the same letters.

Greek
Figures.		 Names English
Figures.
Α, α ἄλφα alpha a
Β, β, ϐ βῆτα bêta b
Γ, γ, ⲅ γάμμα gamma g
Δ, δ δέλτα delta d
Ε, ε ψῑλόν epsilon e
Ζ, ζ, ζῆτα zêta z
Η, η ἦτα êta ee
Θ, θ, ϑ θῆτα thêta th
Ι, ι ἰῶτα iôta i
Κ, κ κάππα kappa k
Λ, λ λάμβδα lambda l
Μ, μ μῦ mu m
Ν, ν νῦ nu n
Ξ, ξ ξῖ xi x
Ο, ο μῑκρόν omikron ŏ
Π, π πῖ pi p
Ρ, ρ ῥῶ rho r
Σ, σ, ς σῖγμα sigma s
Τ, τ, ך ταῦ tau t
Υ, υ υῑλόν ’upsilon u
Φ, φ φῖ phi f or ph
Χ, χ χῖ chi ch
Ψ, ψ ψῖ psi ps
Ω, ω ὦ μέγα omega ō