[B-Greek] Re: Greek Pronunciation (To Curtis)

Bruno Br.Bruno at web.de
Sun Apr 11 16:41:04 EDT 2004


> Subject: [B-Greek] Re: Greek Pronunciation (To Curtis)

> Erasmian is an artificial pronunciation, basically it's just Greek
> pronounced badly in whatever the local accent is, so it actually sounds
> different in the USA than in the UK and in Mexico (I have heard for myself.)
>
> I would suggest you study and use the Modern Greek pronunciation.


No, I personally would not do that.
It is somewhat sad that everyone keeps his own native accent.
Or that some pronounce omicron like alpha, chi like kappa, or upsilon like
omicron-upsilon.

But admit: many students will also keep their native accent if they use the Modern Greek
pronunciation for ancient Greek.
Many people just keep their native accent even when they have lived in a foreign country
for decades.

In ancient Greek, ÈTA was not ITA. BÈTA was not VITA.
The B-sound did not have to be written as MP.
Upsilon, Èta, Iota were different sounds. Now they are all pronounced as the English "ee".

Or what's the use of learning about a "spiritus asper" when you don't aspirate it anyway?

Even some native Greeks describe how ancient Greek was pronounced different than modern
Greek:
http://www.cogsci.indiana.edu/farg/harry/lan/grkphon.htm

His additional details on Bèta:
http://www.cogsci.indiana.edu/farg/harry/lan/beta.htm
Ancient Greek poets wrote about sheep that said: "BH BH" (bèta èta...)
That would actually be read as vee vee in Modern Greek. (VI VI)

Another pronunciation chart (by a Greek author) that makes clear the pronunciation
differences between standard modern Greek (Demotic) and "Erasmic" pronunciation:
http://users.otenet.gr/~bm-celusy/chart1.html


> It is the
> only pronunciation with a historical connection with ancient Greek, and is
> virtually identical to the Byzantine pronunciation. I have the Greek New
> Testament in MP3 read by a native Greek speaker,

But anyway, I have heard a fragment of that...
I would even prefer that above the US English Koine NT.
(Because a good alternative is missing.)

Bruno




More information about the B-Greek mailing list