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The Transliteration of Modern Greek

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2013

Extract

The present irregularities and inconsistencies in the transliteration of Modern Greek make it very desirable to draw up some short notes on the subject, in order to arrive at some reasoned system for future use.

In September, 1908, a leaflet was issued to the contributors to the Annual of the British School at Athens containing a system of transliteration to be applied to Ancient Greek, and this may conveniently be reprinted here to serve as a starting-point for the present discussion.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 1909

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References

page 214 note 1 I have added to the original γκ = nk, and γχ = nch.

page 215 note 1 κ never = c except for place-names like Corinth, Mycenae, or some names of persons like Constantine, which have become English words.'

page 215 note 2 I assume throughout that the vowels are to be pronounced as in Italian, and the consonants as usually in English, with the sole exception that ch has not the sound of ch in church, but that of the guttural spirant in the Scotch loch, or, for Ancient Greek, of the aspirated velar.

page 215 note 3 These cases, in which the historical orthography is no longer in agreement with the pronunciation, have been dealt with by the school of Psychari as follows : Αυ and ευ are written αβ, εβ, or αφ, εφ as the pronunciation requires, e.g. θησαβρός, χορέβω, ἀφτός, λεφτεριά ἐλευθερία and the historical spellings, μβ and νδ are written μπ and ντ, spellings which, as π, κ and τ after the nasal are always voiced to b, g and d, adequately give the modern pronunciation mb and nd, although for some reason γγ is written γγ instead of the logical γκ. Examples are κόμπος (κόμβος), ἄντρες (ἄνδρες) These adjustments of the historical orthography, however, are at present confined to a single school, and in fixing a system of transliteration only the historical spellings need be considered. If all Greeks spelled like Psychari the difficulties of transliteration would be so much the fewer.

page 217 note 1 I leave out of account the difference in the pronunciation of k, g (γγ, γκ) and χ before a, o, u on the one hand and before i, e on the other. The latter is by no means easy for the Englishman.

page 219 note 1 Leake, , Travels in the Morea, i. pp. ix.–xi.Google Scholar Examples of his spellings are: Akladhókambo (᾿Ακλαδόκαμπο) Pende Pigádhia Πέντε Πηγάδια éghina Αἴγινα Léftro (Λεῦ(κ)τρο) Ston Gámto ᾿Σ τὸν Κάμπο