From Zero to Greek:
An Introduction to the Language
for Everyone
A pre-Institute workshop at
American Classical League
61st Annual Institute, Durham, NH
Holloway Commons: Cocheco Room
Thursday June 26, 6-9pm
Friday June 27, 2008 8-11am
From Zero to Greek:
An Introduction to the Language
for Everyone
Wilfred Major
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana wmajor@lsu.edu
Byron Stayskal
Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington
byron-stayskal@uiowa.edu
Deborah Davies
Brooks School, North Andover, Massachusetts
ddavies@brooksschool.org
From Zero to Greek
The images come from:
Nina Barclay. Eucleides' World: An Exploratory
Introduction to Ancient Greek to Accompany Ecce
Romani. CANE (Classical Association of New
England), 2002.
letter
name
sound
English
Α α “alpha” = “ah” = A a
letter
name
sound
English
Β β “beta” = “b” = B b
letter
name
sound
English
Γ γ “gamma”= “g” = G g
letter
name
sound
English
Δ δ “delta” = “d” = D d
letter
name
sound
English
Ε ε “epsilon” = “eh” = E e
letter
name
sound
English
Ζ ζ “zeta” = “z” = Z z
letter
name
sound
English
Η η “eta” = “ay” = E e
letter
name
sound
English
Θ θ “theta” = “th” = Th th
letter
name
sound
English
Ιι
“iota” = “ih” = I i
letter
name
sound
English
Κ κ “kappa” = “k” = C c
(Latin)
or
Kk
letter
name
sound
English
Λ λ “lambda” = “l” = L l
letter
name
sound
English
Μ μ “mu” = “m” = M m
letter
name
sound
English
Ν ν “nu” = “n” = N n
letter
name
sound
English
Ξ ξ “xi” = “ks” = X x
letter
name
sound
English
Ο ο “omicron” = “o” = O o
letter
name
sound
English
Π π “pi” = “p” = P p
letter
name
sound
English
Ρ ρ “rho” = “r” = R r
letter
name
sound
English
Σ σ ς “sigma” = “s” = S s
use ς only at the end of words
(σ is a cursive formed designed to continue into the next letter; at
the end of the word, this link is unnecessary)
letter
name
sound
English
Τ τ “tau” = “t” = T t
letter
name
sound
English
Υ υ “upsilon” = “u” = Y y
letter
name
sound
English
Φ φ “phi” = “f” = Ph ph
letter
name
sound
English
Χ χ “chi” = “kh” = Ch ch
(Latin)
or
Kh kh
letter
name
sound
English
Ψ ψ “psi” = “ps” = Ps ps
letter
name
sound
English
Ω ω “omega” = “oh” = O o
Sing the Greek alphabet to
“Itsy Bitsy Spider”!
Sing the Greek alphabet to
“Frère Jacques”!
From Zero to Greek
These exercises come from:
CW Shelmerdine. LA Wilding's Greek for Beginners.
Newburyport, MA: Focus Publishing, 2001.
ISBN 1-58510-010-2.
From Zero to Greek
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
drama
rhinocerōs
nectar
sarcophagus
crisis
canōn
paralysis
comma
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
δρᾶμα
ῥινοκέρως
νέκταρ
σαρκοφάγος
κρίσις
κανών
παράλυσις
κόμμα
From Zero to Greek
9. genesis
10. mētropolis
11. thōrax
12. analysis
13. critērion
14. basis
15. acrophobia
16. cōlon
9. γένεσις
10. μητρόπολις
11. θώραξ
12. ἀνάλυσις
13. κριτήριον
14. βάσις
15. ακροφόβια
16. κῶλον
From Zero to Greek
17. calyx
18. rhododendron
19. iris
20. parenthesis
21. climax
22. horizōn
23. catastrophē
24. acropolis
17. κάλυξ
18. ῥοδόδενδρον
19. ἶρις
20. παρένθεσις
21. κλῖμαξ
22. ὁριζών
23. καταστροφή
24. ἀκρόπολις
From Zero to Greek
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Ποσειδῶν
Ἄρτεμις
Ἑρμῆς
Κίρκη
Κύκλωψ
Θησεύς
Μίδας
Δημήτηρ
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Poseidon
Artemis
Hermes
Circe
Cylcops
Theseus
Midas
Demeter
From Zero to Greek
9. Ἀφροδίτη
10. Προμηθεύς
11. Ἥρα
12. Περσεφόνη
13. Ἡρακλῆς
14. Ἀγαμέμνων
15. Ἀνδρομάχη
16. Ἠλέκτρα
9. Aphrodite
10. Prometheus
11. Hera
12. Persephone
13. Heracles
14. Agamemnon
15. Andromache
16. Electra
From Zero to Greek
17. Ἄρης
18. Ψυχή
19. Ἀθήνη
20. Ὀδυσσεύς
21. Ὑπερίων
22. Ἕκτωρ
23. Χάρων
24. Ἄλκεστις
17. Ares
18. Psyche
19. Athena
20. Odysseus
21. Hyperion
22. Hector
23. Charon
24. Alcestis
From Zero to Greek
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Dēmosthenēs
Solōn
Leōnidas
Euripidēs
Nicias
Cleisthenēs
Pythagoras
Xerxēs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Δημοσθένης
Σόλων
Λεωνίδας
Εὐριπίδης
Νικίας
Κλεισθένης
Πυθαγόρας
Ξέρξης
From Zero to Greek
9. Themistoclēs
10. Alcibiadēs
11. Hippias
12. Philocrates
1. Argos
2. Dēlos
3. Mytilēnē
4. Samos
9. Θεμιστοκλῆς
10. Ἀλκιβιάδης
11. Ἱππίας
12. Φιλοκράτης
1. Ἄργος
2. Δῆλος
3. Μυτιλήνη
4. Σάμος
From Zero to Greek
5. Olympia
6. Naxos
7. Chios
8. Thasos
9. Eretria
10. Pylos
11. Phōcis
12. Mycēnae
5. Ολυμπία
6. Νάξος
7. Χίος
8. Θάσος
9. Ἐρέτρια
10. Πύλος
11. Φῶκίς
12. Μυκῆναι
From Zero to Greek
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
drama
rhinocerōs
nectar
sarcophagus
crisis
canōn
paralysis
comma
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
δρᾶμα
ῥινοκέρως
νέκταρ
σαρκοφάγος
κρίσις
κανών
παράλυσις
κόμμα
From Zero to Greek
9. genesis
10. mētropolis
11. thōrax
12. analysis
13. critērion
14. basis
15. acrophobia
16. cōlon
9. γένεσις
10. μητρόπολις
11. θώραξ
12. ἀνάλυσις
13. κριτήριον
14. βάσις
15. ἀκροφόβια
16. κῶλον
From Zero to Greek
17. calyx
18. rhododendron
19. iris
20. parenthesis
21. climax
22. horizōn
23. catastrophē
24. acropolis
17. κάλυξ
18. ῥοδόδενδρον
19. ἶρις
20. παρένθεσις
21. κλῖμαξ
22. ὁριζών
23. καταστροφή
24. ἀκρόπολις
From Zero to Greek
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Ποσειδῶν
Ἄρτεμις
Ἑρμῆς
Κίρκη
Κύκλωψ
Θησεύς
Μίδας
Δημήτηρ
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Poseidon
Artemis
Hermes
Circe
Cylcops
Theseus
Midas
Demeter
From Zero to Greek
9. Ἀφροδίτη
10. Προμηθεύς
11. Ἥρα
12. Περσεφόνη
13. Ἡρακλῆς
14. Ἀγαμέμνων
15. Ἀνδρομάχη
16. Ἠλέκτρα
9. Aphrodite
10. Prometheus
11. Hera
12. Persephone
13. Heracles
14. Agamemnon
15. Andromache
16. Electra
From Zero to Greek
17. Ἄρης
18. Ψυχή
19. Ἀθήνη
20. Ὀδυσσεύς
21. Ὑπερίων
22. Ἕκτωρ
23. Χάρων
24. Ἄλκεστις
17. Ares
18. Psyche
19. Athena
20. Odysseus
21. Hyperion
22. Hector
23. Charon
24. Alcestis
From Zero to Greek
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Dēmosthenēs
Solōn
Leōnidas
Euripidēs
Nicias
Cleisthenēs
Pythagoras
Xerxēs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Δημοσθένης
Σόλων
Λεωνίδας
Εὐριπίδης
Νικίας
Κλεισθένης
Πυθαγόρας
Ξέρξης
From Zero to Greek
9. Themistoclēs
10. Alcibiadēs
11. Hippias
12. Philocrates
1. Argos
2. Dēlos
3. Mytilēnē
4. Samos
9. Θεμιστοκλῆς
10. Ἀλκιβιάδης
11. Ἱππίας
12. Φιλοκράτης
1. Ἄργος
2. Δῆλος
3. Μυτιλήνη
4. Σάμος
From Zero to Greek
5. Olympia
6. Naxos
7. Chios
8. Thasos
9. Eretria
10. Pylos
11. Phōcis
12. Mycēnae
5. Ολυμπία
6. Νάξος
7. Χίος
8. Θάσος
9. Ἐρέτρια
10. Πύλος
11. Φωκίς
12. Μυκῆναι