Erasmian Pronunciation for Koine Greek, with IPA.
Most resources for Koine Greek gave the pronunciation with something equivalent in English. This wasn’t enough for me, and I couldn’t find a resource online that gives it in IPA, so I created my own to help with pronunciation.
I compiled the original list last year when I had more time and was still studying Koine Greek.
| Letter | Pronunciation | IPA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Α, α | a as in father | [a] | Open front unrounded vowel |
| Β, β | b as in book | [b] | Voiced bilabial stop |
| Γ, γ | g as in got (unless…) | [g] | Voiced velar stop |
| Δ, δ | d as in desk | [d] | Voiced alveolar stop |
| Ε, ε | e as in pet | [ε] | Open-mid front unrounded vowel |
| Ζ, ζ | dz as in blades | [dz] | Voiced alveolar affricate |
| Η, η | a as in date | [eɪ] | |
| Θ, θ | th as in think | [θ] | Voiceless dental fricative |
| Ι, ι | i as in bit (short); ski (long) | [ɪ] (short); [i] (long) | Near-close near-front unrounded vowel; Close front unrounded vowel |
| Κ, κ | k as in kite | [k] | Voiceless velar stop |
| Λ, λ | l as in lake | [l] | Alveolar lateral approximant |
| Μ, μ | m as in moon | [m] | Bilabial nasal |
| Ν, ν | n as in name | [n] | Alveolar nasal |
| Ξ, ξ | x as in axe | [ks] | |
| Ο, ο | o as in hot | [ɑ] | Open back unrounded vowel |
| Π, π | p as in pot | [p] | Voiceless bilabial stop |
| Ρ, ρ | r as in run | [ɹ] | Alveolar approximant |
| Σ, σ/ς | s as in set | [s] | Voiceless alveolar sibilant |
| Τ, τ | t as in tan | [t] | Voiceless alveolar stop |
| Υ, υ | French u / German ü | [y] | Close front rounded vowel |
| u as in produce | [u] | Close back rounded vowel | |
| Φ, φ | ph as in phase | [f] | Voiceless labiodental fricative |
| Χ, χ | ch as in chaos / German “ich” | [ç] / [k] | Voiceless palatal fricative; Voiceless velar stop |
| Ψ, ψ | ps as in slips | [ps] | |
| Ω, ω | o as in vote | [oʊ] | |
| αι | as in Thailand | [aɪ̯] | |
| ει | as in weight | [eɪ] | |
| οι | as in boil | [ɔɪ] | |
| υι | as in quit or queen | [wɪ]; [wiːn] | |
| αυ | as in sauerkraut | [aʊ] | |
| ου | as in coupe | [uː] | |
| ευ, ηυ | as in Eugene | [juː] |
References
- Bob Jones University Greek Faculty. A Handbook for New Testament Greek: Forms and Syntax. 3rd ed. Greenville: Bob Jones University Press, 1997. Print.
- “Guide to Greek Pronunciation Conventions.” Institute of Biblical Greek. Institute of Biblical Greek, n.d. Web. 28 May 2016. < http://www.biblicalgreek.org/links/pronunciation.php >
- “The Greek Alphabet.” Little Greek 101: Learning New Testament Greek. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2016. < http://www.ibiblio.org/koine/greek/lessons/alphabet.html >
IPA taken from Wiktionary / WordReference.
ANNA BRUNTON
Hello, I am trying to find out if Erasmus would have pronounced an aspiration at the start of the Greek for ‘Hoi Polloi’? thanks.
Link
I am trying to learn Greek now. My book, which I presume is Erasmian, offers some different pronunciations from what you have here.
The first thing I noticed is η is supposed to be a long vowel, not a dipthong, but [eɪ] is a dipthong of two sounds [e] and [ɪ]. I had a friend who went to Bible college who didn’t get it when I told him he was saying a dipthong. It sounds a bit different from a pure long vowel. English speakers have dipthongs that end with ‘y’ or ‘i’ sounds, not long vowels. ‘They’ has a dipthong, not a long vowel.
The other thing I learned in the book was that theta is supposed to be an aspirated ‘t’, but you have θ as [θ]. But that is not an aspirated [t] sound. The same with phi and xhi. Those are supposed to be aspirated p and chi sounds according to my book. Supposedly, based on early Latin transliterations, that was the early stage of the language.
So do you have a source for Erasmus pronouncing θ as /θ/ instead of as an aspirated t, or other sounds like that? I have also heard /θ/ in what claims to be Erasmian pronunciation on YouTube, but I think the person was a Greek throwing in a bit of her own accent.