 | Word stressin |
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I have been told that in greek language the stress of the word is some of the third last syllable. But the aorist of the verb drink, the stress is at the fourth syllable. Why? Could you please help me!? |
| Re: Word stressin |
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That's because in modern greek iota is sometimes reduced to consonant sound which is pronounced like German j or like English y in words "yes", "you". So, ήπιαμε is pronounced as eep-ja-me, three syllables and stress at third syllable. I don't think that there are some strict rules about that, you should have some listening and talking practice and you'll get it all at some point. |
| Re: Word stressin |
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Thank you Nick for quick answer, but Eurolingo web-pages they make syllabification as follows: Syllabification ή-πι-α-με I am a bit confusing. Can you tell me a little closer, why it is in that way. |
| Re: Word stressin |
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Nick is right; the Eurolingo syllabification is machine-generated by some kind of inaccurate computer program and is wrong. Why? The spoken stress in a Greek word can never be more than the third syllable from the end. This means that a Greek word can only be stressed on the ultima (last syllable), the penult (next-to-last syllable), or the antepenult (third-from-the-end syllable). So in a word like ήπιαμε, the iota is not a syllabic vowel (/i/); rather, it is a semi-vowel (/j/), such that the word has three spoken syllables, with the stress on the third syllable from the end: ή-πια-με (/'i-pja-me/). Regards, Greg Brush |
