Letters and Sounds

[Keesa]

Does anyone have a good way to remember the sounds of the various Greek letters? I'm having an awful time with that...gamma looks like a "y", rho looks like a "p", and by the time I've worked out what each letter is supposed to sound like, I've forgotten the word I'm trying to read! <br /><br />Any thoughts would be helpful. <br /><br />Keesa

[Nihil]

Way back when I was in 8th grade, a method I used was to write the letter repeatedly while pronouncing it. The was pretty effective with the amount of times I did it -- but time consuming.<br /><br />However, the method I use now is to write English words out using Greek letters while sounding the word I am writing out. Use the letters phonetically rather than writing the words using the letter-by-letter equivalent spelling with Greek letters.<br /><br />You can have fun doing this with your favorite magazine, book, or website. It has been really effective for me, but your milage may vary. <br /><br />Edit:<br />Since there are Latin drill programs out there, there may be Greek ones to drill you on the alphabet. It's worth looking.

[Keesa]

That's a good idea! I'll try both ways-writing the letters and writing English words with the Greek phonetics. Thanks! <br /><br />Keesa

[benissimus]

I have a problem mixing up [face=SPIonic]r[/face] with P as well... but you can always just recall the letter's name and be easily reminded of the sound it represents - i.e. "rho" looks like P but its name begins with the R sound.

[Keesa]

[quote author=Nihil link=board=2;threadid=414;start=0#3204 date=1060428518]<br />However, the method I use now is to write English words out using Greek letters while sounding the word I am writing out. Use the letters phonetically rather than writing the words using the letter-by-letter equivalent spelling with Greek letters.<br /><br />You can have fun doing this with your favorite magazine, book, or website. It has been really effective for me, but your milage may vary. <br /><br />[/quote]<br /><br />I've done almost a full page already this morning, and it seems to be working! When I see nu, my mind is automatically interpreting it as an "n" sound, rather than a "v" sound-thanks! <br /><br />Keesa

[Nihil]

Hey, no problem. I'm glad I could help.

[Keesa]

Two and a half pages, and rho is becoming an "r"! (Rather than a "p"...) <br /><br />Keesa

[Skylax]

You could maybe learn some Greek words that have been borrowed by English. I mean [face=SPIonic]ke/ntron[/face] (> "centre") [face=SPIonic]grafiko/n[/face] (>"graphic") [face=SPIonic]grammatika/[/face] ("grammar")... What are the letters that specially matter ? I could provide some more words.

[Keesa]

Mostly, I'm having problems with the Greek letters that look like English letters but have a different sound...rho looks like our "p", for example, and nu looks like a "v". Pi I can remember from math class, but that still leaves omega (it looks like a w), eta (it looks a little like an n) and gamma (y). <br /><br />Keesa

[Nihil]

[quote author=Keesa link=board=2;threadid=414;start=0#3342 date=1060531161]<br />Two and a half pages, and rho is becoming an "r"! (Rather than a "p"...) <br /><br />Keesa<br />[/quote]<br /><br />Wow, you may have the whole alphabet down by the time you get to 5 or so pages. Glad to hear you are moving along well.

[Keesa]

It may not take as long as that...I've done a little over three pages now, and I'm able to read the Greek letters just a little slower than I read the Roman ones! Yay! <br /><br />Keesa

[Skylax]

Some more words for you, with gamma, eta, nu and o mega :<br /><br />[face=SPIonic]e)ne/rgeia[/face] > "energy"<br />[face=SPIonic]a)stronomi/a[/face] > "astronomy"<br />[face=SPIonic]o)/rganon[/face] > "organ"<br />[face=SPIonic]o(ri/zwn[/face] > "horizon"<br />[face=SPIonic](Ele/nh[/face] > "Helen"<br />[face=SPIonic]r(inoke/rwj[/face] > "rhinoceros"<br />[face=SPIonic]a(rmoni/a[/face] > "harmony"<br />[face=SPIonic]kwmw|di/a[/face] > "comedy" (was comoedia in Latin)<br />[face=SPIonic]sth/lh[/face] > "stele"<br /><br />A verse containing all the letters of the Greek alphabet :<br />[face=SPIonic]Zeuxqei\j pteroi=j e)/klagce bombw/dh yo/fon[/face] "Having been yoked up, he sent out with his wings a humming noise" (I believe it is about a big bird, like a swan, yoked up to the chariot of some deity).<br /><br />I hope you can copy the Greek into a Word document with the SPionic font to see the Greek properly ?

[Raya]

I seem to have the opposite problem to you, Keesa - now and then I find myself typing p's for r's and v's for n's in English!!! ::)<br /><br />However I did have your problem initially, and reading everything out loud seemed to solve this - maybe too well! - but then, for me the major reason I'm studying Greek is so that I can know what the original literature *sounds* like, so I'm paying very much attention to that...

[mingshey]

[quote author=Keesa link=board=2;threadid=414;start=0#3373 date=1060546562]<br />Mostly, I'm having problems with the Greek letters that look like English letters but have a different sound...rho looks like our "p", for example, and nu looks like a "v". Pi I can remember from math class, but that still leaves omega (it looks like a w), eta (it looks a little like an n) and gamma (y). <br /><br />Keesa<br />[/quote]<br /><br /><br /> from alpha to tau, including digamma and koppa, there was little difference between greek and latin alphabets, but mere difference of writing styles developed to standing out discrepancies. (upsilon to omega is greek invention)<br /><br />study on related alphabets (as old hebrew or phoenician), or the old greek inscriptions and ostracons(used in ostracism) will connect the gap and help you to see the analogy. (Or add more confusion )<br /><br />If you venture to compare them, try here. Click on "The evolution of Latin character set".<br />

[klewlis]

[quote author=Raya link=board=2;threadid=414;start=0#3720 date=1060724276]<br />I seem to have the opposite problem to you, Keesa - now and then I find myself typing p's for r's and v's for n's in English!!! ::)<br />[/quote]<br /><br />I used to do that too! When I was taking greek classes in college I used to get letters and words mixed up all the time between greek and english... and then when I started taking hebrew it got *really* confusing (but it's much harder to accidentally write a hebrew letter than a greek one... ;)

[Emma_85]

i didn't actually do anythining to help me remember (i'd been to greece so many times, there was no need)... <br />it doesn't take long to learn though, my class mates all had it worked out after a week.