Note that there are two forms of the small letter sigma: the latter ( ς) is used where the letter appears last in the word everywhere else, the former is used.
The symbols themselves, especially the small cursives, may also differ in form from those of Latin and English, but on the whole the differences may readily be recognized. This is true also of the Latin alphabet, which was based ultimately on the Greek alphabet the 3rd symbol, which represented as in its name gamma, had the sound of in Latin, as in words like car or the proper name Cato. These were also used for the numerals, so that the order of the symbols was maintained, if changed at times in sound value. The Greek alphabet was taken over from the Semitic as used in the Phoenician area, which in turn was based on an Egyptian alphabet. It is essential, then, to learn the basic inflections of these parts of speech. Interpretation is also assisted by the use of articles which, like nouns, adjectives, pronouns and verbs, are inflected. This sentence structure has had an effect on the translations into more modern languages, as in the King James version: the first four verses of our first text, Luke 2, begin with And, as do verses 6 through 10.Įven with the simpler syntax, knowledge of the inflections is highly important. The writers were strongly influenced by Hebrew and Aramaic, in which the verb is placed first in the sentence and is often accompanied by particles, in Greek δέ and καί, which may also stand before the verb.
But we may note that the sentences of New Testament Greek texts are simpler to analyze than are those of Classical Greek. The words of sentences are often placed for their emphasis, rather than in accordance with a pattern like that of the English Subject-Verb-Object order.
While today accented syllables are pronounced with stress rather than tones, the older accents are still written : ή for the οκσεῖα 'acute' accent or high pitch, ῆ for the περισπώμενον accent or high-low pitch, and ὴ for the βαρεῖα 'grave' or falling pitch.įurthermore, the sentence structure and number of forms require a great deal of attention. Moreover, accentuation varies in Greek words, and in early Greek was musical. Yet many forms remain, especially for verbs.Ī difficulty with Greek that may put off learners is the maintenance of an older form of the alphabet than that used for Latin, English, and many other languages. Sentences were greatly simplified, as noted below. Morphological categories were lost, such as the dual and the optative, though forms of them may occur in written texts. Languages acquired by many non-native speakers are generally simplified, as was the koine. Based originally on the Greek of Athens, it was circulated throughout Alexander the Great's empire. The Greek in the New Testament is the so-called koine 'common language'. The prominence of Greek for intellectual matters is evident in designations of subjects central to university study, such as philosophy 'love of wisdom', philology 'love of words or more generally study', theology 'study related to God', psychology 'study related to the soul or psyche', and so on. In years past, Latin was introduced in the first year of High School, followed by Greek in the third year. Greek has been important in the intellectual life of western civilization, but not to the extent of Latin, except for ecclesiastical matters where it is obviously of major importance for determining the meaning of New Testament texts.
#GREEK LANGUAGE SERIES#
New Testament Greek Online Series Introduction Winfred P. Linguistics Research Center Social Mediaįor comments and inquiries, or to report issues, please contact the Web Master at Menu.