[B-Greek] Pronunciation of initial iota in LXX

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Sat Feb 3 15:27:12 EST 2007


On Feb 3, 2007, at 3:04 PM, Peter Heffner wrote:

> To whom it may concern:
>
> I wish to know how initial iota would have been spoken when before an
> epsilon, and with a rough breathing mark.

I'm not really convinced such a combination ever occurs. I believe  
that when an Iota appears before an epsilon (as it will only do in a  
transliterated Greek form of an alien proper name), it comes with a  
SMOOTH breathing.

> For example:
>
> Was 'Ieremias "Hee-er-em-ias" or "Yer-em-i-as?"
> Was 'Ierusalem "Hee-eh-ru-sa-lem" or "Ye-ru-sa-lem?"

So far as I can discern, it's a smooth breathing; our B-Greek  
transliteration is IEREMIAS and it is five syllables I-E-RE-MI-AS; in  
the sort of phoneticization that you're doing it would be something  
like "ee-ay-ray-mee-as."
>
> While I'm on the topic of semi-vowels, was Neemias "Ne-em-i-as" or
> "Nyem-i-as?"

Greek (ransliterated) NEEMIAS, pronounced "nay-ay-mee-as"

This is assuming a Hellenistic Koine pronunciation.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad2 at mac.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/





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