 | Monosyllabic words with tonos |
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Does anyone know any common monosyllabic words that have a tonos? As far as I know there is πού, πώς and ή. Can you think of any others? I also would like to know why there are these exceptions... Thank you Regards, Dimi |
| Re: Monosyllabic words with tonos |
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They are exceptions to distinguish between: πού - where (πού είσαι;) and που - relative pronoun/conjunction (Ο άνθρωπος που έχει κόκκινα μαλλιά) πώς - how (Πώς μπορώ να μάθω Ελλινικά;) and πως - conjunction (Είπα πως δεν μιλάω Ελλινικά) ή - or (Είσαι Ρώσος ή Γερμανός;) and η - definite article feminine article (η Άννα με αγαπάει πολύ). As far as I know there are no more official exceptions. |
 | Απάντηση: Monosyllabic words with tonos |
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hi Dimitri, πώς and πού have a tonos only in a question (e.g. Πού είσαι? where are you?) Also, the word μία (indefinite article for feminine nouns) e.g. Έχω μία κόρη (Ι have a daughter). The word ή that means or. Panagiotis |
| Re: Απάντηση: Monosyllabic words with tonos |
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Panagiotis, Dimitri's question has to do with accented monosyllables, and neither μία nor μια fall into that category: μία (with written accent) is not a monosyllable, it is 2 syllables: μί-α. μια (without written accent) is a monosyllable, /mja/, and thus gets no accent. Regards, Greg Brush |
| Re: Monosyllabic words with tonos |
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In addition, weak personal pronouns (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) are supposed to have an accent when it would not be clear that they are the indirect object of the following verb and not a possessive pronoun associated with a preceding noun. In practice, however, writers often ignore this "recommendation" and assume that the reader will understand the intended meaning. Regards, Greg Brush |
| Re: Monosyllabic words with tonos |
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Thank you everyone! So are there no other exceptions with tonos on monosyllable words? And is there a reason why there are these exceptions? |
| Re: Monosyllabic words with tonos |
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Τhe reason why, as Nick and I explained, is to make clear in writing which meaning is intended: πώς; - how? vs. πως - that πού; - where? vs. που - which ή - or vs. η - the (fem.) μού - to me vs. μου - mine Note that in speech the interrogatives πώς and πού and the weak pronouns (μου, σου, του, της, μας, σας, τους) are stressed, while the conjunction πως, the relative pronoun που, and the possessive pronouns (μου, et al.) are not. Regards, Greg Brush |
