 | Diphthong Differences Between Latin and Greek |
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Hey, all! I was just wondering...in Latin, there's a diphthong ae, pronounced like "aye" or "eye". Does this diphthong exist in Greek, and if so, how is it pronounced? I've heard it said that in Greek it's said like "ehhh" as in "hey", but I don't see this diphthong even listed anywhere on this site. Anyone know? Thanks! Jenny |
| Re: Diphthong Differences Between Latin and Greek |
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The equivalent diphthong in ancient/Classical Greek was αι and was probably pronounced like English "eye". Historically in Roman times, Classical Greek αι was transliterated into its Latin equivalent, ae, which provided the spellings we know today: Aeschylus (Αισχύλος), Egypt (Latin Aegyptus from ¶ιγυπτος), Aeolia (Αιολία), Aesop (¶ισωπος), and so forth. However, all the ancient Greek diphthongs eventually simplified down to a single vowel sound. Ancient αι is now pronounced identically with ε, similar to the vowel sound in "bed". Τhe other ancient Greek diphthongs (ει, οι, υι) are all now pronounced identically with ι, similar to the vowel sound in "beet". Regards, Greg Brush |
