[B-Greek] ETA
Kevin Riley
klriley at alphalink.com.au
Sun Jul 16 19:41:03 EDT 2006
-------Original Message-------
From: Gerry
Date: 07/17/06 02:34:46
I was looking through Ward Powers Learn To Read NT Greek the other day with
my daughter when he mentions that the ETA should be sounded like the word
There".
For example we would then sound Jesus like "yair- soos" or ORGH like
Or-gair" rather than Yay -sous or Or-gay
*******************
K: This is what you will find in many books teaching Classical Greek - and
the evidence is pretty good for both ETA and OMEGA being long open vowels
circa C5th or shortly before in Attic Greek. Before the adoption of the
Ionian alphabet it was sensibly represented by E as it is simply that vowel
lengthened. There never was any good reason for ETA and OMEGA to be
separate letters in Attic (when compared with the other vowels where length
was not distinguished) during or after the Classical period . If Ionian did
develop ETA from ALPHA via a sound like 'a' in cat, then that does explain
why a separate letter was needed.
******************
I ask Ward about this and he made mention that F F Bruce
mentioned that the ETA was pronounced more like the "ea" in Bear.
What I don't understand is that whilst Bruce certainly does say that, how
does the "R" sound fit in?
Bruce says that "ETA" sounds only like the "ea" in Bear, not actually rhyme
with it so that the "r" is also sounded.
Can anyone throw any light on that?
Gerry Todd
*****************************
Bruce was using a British pronunciation where non-initial/intervocalic 'r'
is not sounded but the vowel is usually centralised or lowered. Of course,
if you add an ending the 'r' is always sounded after such vowels even when
one is missing in the written word. It is all just part of pronouncing
English 'correctly' :)
Kevin Riley
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