phonology.md

Phonology (Φωνολογία)

34 consonant sounds and 5 vowel sounds.

26 consonant sounds shared by English.

Websites

• Interactive IPA Chart
• IPA Reader
• Greek Phonology - The Sound of Greek
• Toward a Phonological Grammar of Modern Spoken Greek - Luigi Romeo
• Speak Greek - Phonetic Library
• Modern Greek phonology
• Help:IPA/Greek
• Appendix:Greek_pronunciation
• How to Learn a Language’s Sound System with Anki
• The Details of Modern Greek Phonetics and Phonology - Harry Foundalis

YouTube Videos

• Introduction to Perfect Greek Pronunciation
• Introduction to Greek Pronunciation
• Pronunciation Tutorial 1: English Pronunciation and IPA: Voicing and Place
• Pronunciation Tutorial 2: English Pronunciation and IPA: Manner
• Pronunciation Tutorial 3: English Vowels and the International Phonetic Alphabet
• Ask a Greek Teacher - When Do You Use ι, η, υ, ει, οι and υι?

Vowels

IPA	Spellings	Example Words
ä	α	άρτος ένατος θάλασσα παράμερα
e̞	ε αι	βέβαια έπαινος
i	η ι υ οι ει υι	μήνασ ίαση βαρύς οίκος είδηση υιοθεσία
o	ο ω	όγκος μώλωπας
u	ου	ουρά

YouTube Videos

• Learn Greek: How to Pronounce the Vowels Correctly | Τα φωνήεντα
• Greek Pronunciation - Greek Vowels
• Greek Online Lessons | A1 | Phonology - Double Vowels (part 1)
• Greek Online Lessons | A1 | Phonology - Double Vowels (part 2)

Double Vowel Combinations

The following double vowel combinations:

1. αυ /av/ /af/
2. ευ /ev/ /ef/
3. ηυ /iv/ /if/

are pronounced with a voiced (/v/) sound or unvoiced (/f/) sound depending upon 3 factors:

1. accentuation
2. on the letter that follows
3. and on their position within a word.

The double vowel combinations may be pronounced separately if:

1. an accent mark is on the first vowel (e.g. άυλος).
2. or a diaeresis appears on the second vowel (e.g. καταπραϋντικός).

If neither vowel is accented, or the second vowel is accented, then the following rules apply:

• /av/ /ev/ and /iv/ (voiced) when:
  • followed by a vowel or voiced consonant sound (μπ ντ γγ γκ τζ β δ γ ζ μ ν λ ρ)
• /af/ /ef/ and /if/ (unvoiced) when:
  • followed by ξ (x), ψ (ps), or an unvoiced consonant sound (κ π τ χ φ θ σ & τσ)
  • or the double vowel is at the end of a word.

When the /ev/ sound comes before a /v/ sound, and the /ef/ sound comes before another /f/ sound, the /v/ of /f/ sound is not pronounced twice or longer. It is only pronounced once (e.g. εύβοια and ευφυής).

YouTube Videos

• Learn Greek: Grammar & Pronunciation | The Vowel Combinations αυ & ευ
• How Do You Correctly Pronounce αυ, ευ, and ηυ?

Consonants

Β Γ Δ Ζ Θ

IPA	Name	Simliar To	Sample Words
ɣ	voiced dorsal velar non sibilant fricative	g k	γάλα γωνία γουρούνι γη γένος γηγενής
ɾ	voiced apical alveolar tap		ρήμα αρένα έρανος
r	voiced apical alveolar trill		τρίζω κράζω πρόβα
ʎ	voiced dorsal palatal lateral tap	l	ελιά λιοπύρι γελιέμαι
ɲ	voiced front dorsal palatal nasal stop		νιότη νοιάζομαι πενιές
ʝ	voiced dorsal palatal non sibilant fricative		αγέρας γείσο γερνώ
ps
dz

See How to Pronounce Greek Like a Native Speaker.

σ

σ is pronounced /z/ (voiced) instead of /s/ (unvoiced) before a voiced consonant (β, γ, δ, λ, ρ, μ, ν).

Consonant Digraphs

A digraph is a combination of two letters representing one sound.

• μπ, ντ, γκ / γγ
  • /b/, /d/, /g/ when:
    • at the beginning of a word
    • after a consonant (which is usually ρ)
    • or sometimes when the word is a foreign loanword.
  • Nasalised /mb/, /nd/, /ŋg/ in all other cases (majority).
    • in the middle of the word after a vowel.
• Note that γγ never appears at the beginning of a word or after a consonant, so it is never pronunced /g/.

Digraph	IPA	Example Words
μπ	/b/ or /mb/	μπαλά κάμπος
ντ	/d/ or /nd/	ντουλάπα πάντα
γκ	/g/ or /ŋg/	γκαρίζω παγκάκι
γγ	/ŋg/	αγγαρεία άγγελος αγγείο εγγόνι αγγούρι

Double Consonants

ββ, κκ, λλ, μμ, νν, ππ, ρρ, σσ, ττ

Two identical consonants together are pronounced as if there were only one consonant sound.

YouTube Videos

• Learn Greek: The Consonants Pronunciation | Part1: Β Γ Δ Ζ Θ
• Learn Greek: The Consonants Pronunciation | Part2: Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Π
• Learn Greek: The Consonants Pronunciation | Part 3: Ρ Σ Τ Φ Χ Ψ
• Learn Greek: The Consonants Pronunciation | Part4: Consonant Combinations ΜΠ ΝΤ ΓΚ ΓΓ ΤΣ ΤΖ
• How to Pronounce Greek Like a Native Speaker

When do you use ι, η, υ, ει, οι, and υι?

All have the /i/ sound.

At the End of Words

1. Words that end in -ι are neuter nouns.
2. Words that end in -η are mainly feminine nouns and pronouns in the singular form, and the plural form of neuter -ος ending nouns.
3. Not that many -υ ending words.
4. Verb forms that end with an /i/ sound will end with -ει (πλησώ, to fulfill is an exception ending in -οι).
5. The plural forms of masculine and femine -ος ending nouns, as well as masculine -ος ending adjectives and pronouns will end in -οι.

Not at the End of Words

The double vowel combination -υι is very rare and not found at the end of words.

Only found in υιός (son) and it's derivatives.

Focus on the roots. For example, ύψος - height:

• υψόμετρο - altitude
• υψηλός - tall or high
• ύψωμα - elevation
• υψώνω - to raise