I have searched the forum for information on typing Ancient Greek using the inbuilt polytonic greek keyboard in OS Monterey 12.0 with no luck. I have also looked on line but the only thing I can find is this http://www.dramata.com/Ancient%20polytonic%20Greek%20on%20Macintosh.pdf which is pretty old. The Keyboard display is rather different in this document than the one I use with my iMac. I can of course open the keyboard viewer and input diacritics that way, but it would be easier if I could use and learn a set of combinations of strokes to combine say iota subscript and circumflex with omega - something I have spent a frustrating afternoon trying to work out.
If someone can point me in the right direction I would be very grateful.
I just use the Mac Polytonic - bear in mind I’m on High Sierra so things might have shifted a bit. I set it up by going to System Preferences. Then:
First in Language and Region add Ελληνικά as a Preferred language. There is a + icon below the box listing the current preference languages. Click on that and select the new one to add.
Secondly, go back to the main System Preferences pane and select Keyboard. Click on the Input Sources tab and in the left hand column there is a list of keyboard. Again click the + icon at the bottom and select the Greek language in the top left box. Then in the top right box select Greek - Polytonic. Click Add
What I’ve used for very many years now on a whole succession of Macs is GreekKeys. You can toggle between the English and the Greek keyboards (I use command + space bar, but you can customize), and diacritics are simplicity itself. ῷ for instance is opt.3v on the Greek keyboard (opt.3, a dead key, being a circumflex, and opt.v being omega with iota subscript; plain v is omega). It quickly becomes almost instinctive. One more reason to bless Donald Mastronarde.
Thanks for your post, I have no difficulty in setting up the Greek Keyboard. I also use the Maori keyboard for macrons in Latin.
My main problem was getting a set of instructions for combining the diacritical marks. I am now in the process of working out my own list. I successfully produced ῷ which is what sent me down this rabbit hole as [ then shift plus [ then omega. I coudn’t work out in the document I linked to what was meant by “” a suggested stroke to combine diacritical marks. I have on the left of my keyboard control/option/ command and on the right command / option but no right alt.
Thanks Michael for the benefit of your experience. Greek keys seems to cost $20 which won’t break the bank but I would like to work out how to use the polytonic greek which forms part of the Mac operating system for free.
I just need I think to patiently work out how the keyboard combines diacritical marks and then by prating learn them learn them.
One easy way to learn the keystrokes for Greek polytonic on Mac is to use the included keyboard viewer. At the top of your home screen (Finder) there will be an icon (usually a flag to represent the default language of input). The installed keyboards will be listed under that once you click on it. In the same menu there should be an option that says “Keyboard viewer”. Toggle your Greek keyboard first, then pick that keyboard viewer display option. A little window opens that shows the Greek keyboard layout, including all the accents and breathings. You can use it as a guide and type with the physical keyboard, or click on the virtual one and type with it.
Apologies. Apparently I don’t just have problems reading Greek ! I really shouldn’t do two things at once.
Ok, there are charts around for the polytonic keyboard and I agree that while the on-screen viewer is helpful you can spend a while looking around.
No apologies needed dnl! the chart you link to is very helpful thanks.
Persequor the problem with the keyboard viewer is it doesn’t tell you how to combine say a circumflex with an iota subscript. Plus I want a set of commands I can memorise and use quickly eventually without thinking about it.
If no one has a simple list I will post mine here when I have figured it out.
Greek Keys is really good and has more options for different glyphs than I’ve seen in any other keyboard mapping for Ancient Greek. I have it for Windows. So depending upon what you are trying to type it can be best choice. I cannot recall if I liked the mapping choices as much. I have to remember multiple mappings because Win to Mac is not a direct mapping either. I wrote up a comparison of Ancient Greek keyboards for Windows at one point. I’ve not done the same for Mac as I wasn’t doing the same work on Mac and could get by with the polytonic.
Seneca, I understand how such a list would help. I’ll play with the viewer over the weekend and see what it shows again.
Another option that also works (did work) for Mac is the Tyndale House Greek font and keyboard package. It comes with a usage guide that gives a list of keystrokes needed for accents and breathings (PDF). If you use that guide, the “AltGr” key it refers to (for Windows) equals the Command key (flower icon) on the Mac, specifically the right side Command key. If you want to try it, here’s the link:
Just scroll down until you see the link for “Tyndale Keyboard and Unicode Font Kits”. I’ve used their kit in the past when I was new to typing in Greek and found it helpful. The same kit includes a font and keyboard map that works with Hebrew and Aramaic if you use those languages. (As I use both, I found this feature quite handy!)
Persequor thanks so much for your post please don’t go to any more trouble on my account. I have taken Michael’s advice and bought GreekKeys which is now integrated seamless with my other language packages. The instructions provided are very clear and I have had no difficulty in producing a full range of combinations of diacriticals.
Greek Keys includes long and short marks for verse. This has led me to wonder whether something similar is available for Latin. Currently I use the Maori keyboard to mark macrons but I have no idea how to mark short (light) syllables. Any suggestions gratefully received. I can see I could use Greek keys to write out a metrical scheme (I think) but it would be good to be able to mark up Latin verse using a Latin keyboard.
Hi, I do all my Greek typing using the inbuilt Mac Greek polytonic keyboard. I use iota adscript rather than subscript (personal choice) but subscript is easy (including in combination). To explain, first without combination:
hyphen v gives ὦ shift [ v gives ῳ
To combine them, just combine the coloured bits above in order (it’s quite intuitive: the combinations of keystrokes produce the right Greek combinations).
hyphen shift [ v gives ᾦ.
Another example:
[ v gives ῶ shift [ v gives ῳ
To combine them, just combine the coloured bits above in order:
[ shift [ v gives ῷ.
Just like Michael with his app, I use command + spacebar to toggle between Greek and English. The keys become instinctive and you can type polytonic Greek as fast as English after a bit.
I agree, GreekKeys is well worth the outlay. If only someone would port it to iOS - the modern Greek keyboard offered by iOS is too limited to be useful for the classical language
Well, Seneca, I’m glad you found a solution that you feel works for you. If you should find it doesn’t, at least now you know about some other options.
I am returning to this thread to ask for help in installing Greek Keys. Very recently my iMac 27" died and so I had to buy a replacement, an iMac. 24" as they no longer make the the 27". In setting it up I installed the new Ventura Os and so everything looks rather different compared to Monterey.
I have no idea how to install GreekKeys on my new machine with this OS and wondered if anyone has managed to do this or has some hints. Thanks.
Do you still have the original GreekKeys package? If so, there’s an installer in the folder called ‘GK2015 Mac Installer’. You should be able to double-click on GK2015Mac.pkg, and the installer will do the rest, I believe.
Thanks very much for your reply. I had just come back to this to say I had figured it out. I had to restart the computer too and now all my additional keyboards are displayed in the menu bar so things are looking much as they used to.
Sometimes one just has to ask the question for the penny to drop!
I really shouldn’t do two things at once.