Learn the Greek Alphabet: 1. The Sounds of the Letters

[fennyLOL]

hey I am greek and these words.. (like λαμαναξο and these) dosen't exist!!!!! what are you learning??????

[NFiNiT7]

YOU'RE SO WRONG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Idkanymore]

WRONG Beta pronounced (veeta) makes v sound

[sexybunny1969]

wtf???...get this guy off here...making a mockery out of our alphabet

[Spooneads]

that music is actually really good.

[olgaeft]

Alphah, Veetah, Ghamah, Dehltah, Epseelon, Zeetah, Eetah, Theetah, Yotah, Kappah, Lamdhah, Mee, Nee, Ksee, Omeekron, Pee, Rho, Seegmah, Taf, EEpseelon, Fee, Hee, Psee, Omehgah

If u really want to learn the greek alphabet.

[silenteyesspy]

everyone know that B=V what is up with all the english pronouncing it as B

[dimax997]

It reminds me of the Russian one. Is Greek Cyrillic?

[stchsingleton]

@dimax997 Nope, it's the other way around. Cyril, the guy who invented a way to write down Russian, used Greek letters, and some Hebrew too it seems, to portray the sounds he was hearing. Other sounds had no equivalent in languages he knew, so it looks like he just invented letters to represent them. When I visited Russia, my ability to pronounce Greek letters came in handy. Many times I could make out the Russian because of how Greek it looked.

[stchsingleton]

@digitalbl1ss In the Erasmian pronunciation system, the ευ is pronounced like the English diphthong "eu" in "feud," "euphony," or "heuristics" (without the "h" of course). The οι is another diphthong, which in Erasmian is not "ee" as in modern, but "oi" as in "boil." Hence "you-OI-oh-noss."

[stchsingleton]

@digitalbl1ss I would tell people to pronounce it as four syllables: you-OI-oh-nohss. Not so difficult is it?

[camerontyner]

to be fair unless your from Greece i doubt most people care how to pronounce modern Greek most if not all people i know learn greek for its purpose in studying ancient manuscripts not to strike up a casual conversation

[stchsingleton]

@camerontyner Exactly! I am trying to teach people how to read (usually silently) and understanding the Greek of the New Testament, originally writting in Koiné Greek (300 BCE to about 300 CE). Teaching modern Greek is NOT what I'm trying to do. If you want MODERN GREEK, find it somewhere else.

[XxSniperRepivxX]

parasatu? u in greek is spelled i not ou lol you are confusing man...

[stchsingleton]

@XxSniperRepivxX The pronunciation system I'm using has worked well for four hundred years. Someone more qualified that you or me can change it if they want to. I have taught Greek using modern pronunciation, and people just got confused because of how many vowels and diphthongs sound the same. Erasmian has the advantage of distinguishing nearly all of the sounds so that if you hear it, you know how to spell it (usually). Erasmian also has the disadvantage of not being modern pronunciation.

[FLAMINGGASTLY27]

Erasmus? :'( I thought I was learning modern Greek. *sob*

[thegreeklovers]

Absolutely wrong..Greek language isn't like this..It's far better..And believe me Greek is such a difficult language that some people from other countries can't learn it.........if you really want to speak more rightly Greek..

[horror8999]

if dis is wrong cn someone tell me were i cn learn greek

[AussieLuver100]

@horror8999

there is a video called: 'Greek Alphabet Song' uploaded by: 'nedwergs'

[MyLittleEars]

I posted the correct pronunciation of each letter on my channel :)

[stchsingleton]

@poshsmosh It's a perfectly acceptable Anglo-American word.

[Astrapogiannos14]

This sounds nothing like modern Greek. It sounds more like someone trying to pronounce Greek written using English characters.

Also, why would you use the Erasmian pronunciation when you can use modern Greek instead of Erasmus' interpretation of the Greek language?

[MiklagaardOverture]

I'm English and I know Greek. that's completely wrong haha

[poshsmosh]

he

really said hlpsiese

[psipsinette]

@stchsingleton I think you waste too much time explaining to every proud and ignorant Greek what your work is about. Greetings from Greece, Euterpe

[fallen78babe]

wtf? that guy does NOT know greek...there are NO such words..and thats NOT how we pronounce them! fail

[stchsingleton]

I have added an overlay that says it is Erasmian pronunciation. Look for it in the opening seconds of video 1.

[takispan]

ok sorry man

i didnt understand what u want to do

but is better to say that is not modern greek alphabet

for avoid misunderstanding

[stchsingleton]

Well, despite the controversy about whether to use Erasmian pronunciation or modern, at least we've got a lot of people talking about Greek, and that's got to be a good thing.

[KostasPeristeriGR]

EPIC FAIL...!!!

[stchsingleton]

I agree that AH-BAH-GAH-DAH is not Greek. In this baby step, what I'm teaching is the sounds, not Greek words. I should have made it more clear that I was creating nonsense words to help people learn the sounds first, then, knowing the sounds, learning the words is much easier. Compounding the problem is the issue about whether to teach Erasmian or Modern Greek. Again I go with what's easier for my students, many of whom will drop out if the going gets rough. I coax with baby steps.

[panarkas]

Is υ pronounced like that in Erasmian? If I am not mistaken it was pronounced like the German ü in most of the old Hellenic dialects.

[maxtran2005]

The melody sounds like A B C song. So abagada is really A B C D and so on. Good job mister!

[xToniaAntx]

ΑΒΑΓΑΔΑ???



[stchsingleton]

@xToniaAntx I'm just trying to use nonsense words to teach the sounds of the letters in Erasmian system, not modern. Learning their names comes later. This creates a quick way to learn the sounds of the entire alphabet without having to learn each letter separately, using 19 syllables for the entire alphabet rather than the 43 needed for the names of the letters. Then, remembering the 19, you can associate them readily to the 43. It is similar to the ga-ga-goo-goo babies use to learn a language.

[Abu7929]

Too much blah blah blah dude, just tell us the friggen sounds already ! Lol

[stchsingleton]

@Abu7929 Some people (you, perhaps?) learn faster than others. The danger, however, is seldom that we go too slowly, but that we move along so rapidly that people get lost or fall hopelessly behind.

[Abu7929]

@stchsingleton Your right, I apologize my comment was unnecessary. Its good that your helping people keep up the good work.

[athenaptr]

I am sorry but all these bullshit are not even greek words. and U is read as e.

Fucking idiot, u fail totally!

[stchsingleton]

@athenaptr Read other threads, & you will see I am not teaching modern pronunciation, but a time-honored system for non-Greeks called Erasmian. Erasmian assigns different sound for each letter & diphthong, rather than having "ee" for three letters (eta, iota sometimes, and upsilon) and three diphthongs (ei, oi, and ui). It simplifies two more diphthongs (au and eu) and differentiates one (ai) from a letter (e). Result: You can almost always spell words just by hearing them. This is not failure.

[stchsingleton]

I'm glad you find it entertaining. What you call mistakes are the differences between modern pronunciation and the pronunciation system I'm using, called Erasmian, which has been in use since the 1500s to teach non-Greeks how to read ancient Greek literature, esp. the Greek New Testament. Café conversation is not the goal.

[IloveSiaMou]

i cant stop laughing!!!!!!xD im greek so i find it SOOOO funny.....ok mabe its a good way t learn the alphabet but there era some mistakes!!!!!!!!!!

[stchsingleton]

In fact, Erasmus almost singlehandedly revived interest in Greek throughout Europe. Those who use Erasmian pronun. seek to read Greek New Testament, Septuagint, & other literature of Koiné period (roughly 300 BCE-300 CE), not to converse. Erasmian pronunciation makes it easier to identify spelling on basis of sounds, facilitating memorization. This has blessed, not destroyed, generations of eager students of Greek. Want to converse in Greek? Learn modern pronunciation. You're not my audience.

[margo3883]

Damn you Erasmus !

You've destroyed so many generations of eager Greek learning students !

[stchsingleton]

@Olekander Thanks for your comment. You are welcome to do your own series of learning Greek by singing, using modern pronunciation. That's not what mine is about. It's using Erasmian pronunciation, something that has been used and is still being used by scholars around the world for the last 500 years.

[Kitsos95]

its absolutely wrong

[mmusicall]

"abagada" is not how you say it

it is aw-vaw-gaw-thaw

(th as in then) ^

[stchsingleton]

@mmusicall Yes you are right as far as modern Greek pronunciation is concerned. But I am not teaching modern pronunciation, but Erasmian. The way I am saying it is correct for Erasmian pronunciation. You are measuring my work by the wrong standard.

[rififi18]

COMPETELY WRONG

[Olekander]

@rififi18 Comon, get some manners.

[kourtesis]

There is no difference in the sounds between ancient and modern Greek. I believe that Desiderius had good intentions and tried very hard to accomplish the things he did, However not once did he travel to Greece but based his learning of the Greek alphabet on others who fall in the same category. It is unfortunate that students learn Greek without the proper sounds. Take a trip to Greece visit some Greek scholars and discover the language for yourself not what some man learned through ignorance.

[stchsingleton]

@kourtesis I have no particular loyalty to Erasmus the person, though I admire his outstanding scholarship and the influence he had in almost singlehandedly reviving throughout Europe an interest in ancient Greek literature, including the Septuagint and the New Testament. His pronunciation system, however, based on only one sound per letter, makes learning to read the Greek NT easier. Anyone who wants to abandon Erasmus and learn modern Greek is welcome to do so.

[idonperg]

@kourtesis

The Ancient Greek alphabet has totally different sound than the modern one...the γ β δ one have become softer. the η υ have beacome from long e and french u sound like ι=i...and there are a lot of other changes..I am from Greece

[stchsingleton]

@idonperg The same kind of thing has happened in English. We have lost many of the old inflections and forms, e.g., thee, thou, thy, ye. This movement of meaning from inflectional specificity to contextual ambiguity was already happening in ancient times, as classical Greek has more cases than Koiné.

[kourtesis]

You fail to understand what My self and other Greeks are trying to tell you.

Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus wrote in pure Latin and studied in schools within countries that have Romantic, and Germanic languages. Non of which use any of the sounds the Greek Language uses. Greek is NOT a Romantic, Germanic, or Slavic language but a language of its own, Greek. Please listen to my fellow Greeks who are giving you a description of the sounds of the Greek alphabet. Please read next post....

[Terry51469]

Σ= siγma not sigma T= taf not tough... its short... taf Υ= eepseelon

Φ= fee X= xee not chi. it sounds like ho, hobby, hooligan... hee Ψ= psee

Ω= omeγa

[stchsingleton]

@Terry51469 I am using Erasmian pronunciation, not modern pronunciation. Mine is the first column (Machen) in the chart found at biblicalgreek-dot-org.

[Terry51469]

A = alfa B= veeta Γ= γαmma .. not kama

Δ= δelta = thelta (like the word then ... thelta

E= epseelon Ζ= Ζeeta Η= eetta (when i use double ee it is pronounced like tea e.g tee) Θ= θeeta ( like tweety.. i thaw a puthy cat... theeta)

I= iota Κ= Κappa Λ= Lamvtha Μ= mee N=nee Ξ= ksee O= omikron

Π= pee not ppai Ρ= ρο not ro ( like the latin accent... i rrrun frrrom the police)

[MGD230]

@stchsingleton but as i see from the video you do not doing it well. You cannot transform the pronanciation in order to be easier for you. I dont think you do that in French or German. I am Greek (this has nothing to do) and a very educated concerning my language while it is something i like. But you do not doing it well. In some cases trying is not enough

[stchsingleton]

@MGD230 You misunderstand. I am using Erasmian pronunciation, not modern pronunciation. Mine is the first column (Machen) in the chart found at biblicalgreek-dot-org.

[0001kd]

@JKoulouris why don't you make a video then?

[dbielby]

I wish Bible schools and Seminaries would start using modern Greek pronunciation because so many words are the same between Biblical era Greek and modern Greek. All the Greek I learned in the early 80's would actually sound decent to Greeks when I interact with them if only that method was used.

[stchsingleton]

@dbielby Yes, and you could use Greek study aids from companies that teach other languages as well, such as Rosetta Stone and many others. The trouble is, though, that people would mostly be learning touristy questions and modern conversation that has limited relevance to reading the New Testament in Koiné Greek of 2000 years ago. Also, so many letters sound the same ("ee") that it's hard to tell which word is intended just by hearing its pronunciation using modern Greek (eg eemees--ye or we?).

[Olekander]

@dbielby I think you just need to put in the effort and learn modern greek if thats what you want to do. Most people don't learn a language as a chore however.

[stchsingleton]

@JKoulouris We are dealing with an old controversy. I am not trying to help people speak Greek, but learn to read it as an aid for studying the Bible. Just Google "Guide to Greek Pronunciation Conventions" to learn what the controversy is all about. I have been teaching Greek since 1980, and I am not trying to impress, only to help.

[Victoria211108]

The sounds you mention in beta in gama in delta etc don't correspond to those letters......Ancient greek used διφθογγους....B sound was created from μ and π,D sound from ν and τ,G sound from γ and κ.......example....Ενταυθα μεντοι πάντα τ' ανθρωπων νοσει, κακοις οταν θελωσι ιασθαι κακα.......The first word is pronounced edaftha,because of the compination of ν and τ,there isn't a δ used as you see....

[stchsingleton]

@Victoria211108 Mine is Erasmian, not modern pronunciation.

[Victoria211108]

@stchsingleton Then why don't you include the letters missed from ancient greek alphabet????I don't mind that you use erasmian(though there is not any point to it...),I mind that you're using it wrong

[stchsingleton]

@takispan I am using Erasmian pronunciation. If you want modern pronunciation, it will seem all wrong to you. This is not for learning modern Greek; it's for learning ancient Greek, specifically what is called Koiné Greek (300 BCE to 300 CE), which includes biblical Greek, that of the Septuagint (LXX) and the earliest text of the Greek New Testament.

[femlycan]

Thank you so much! My cousin lived in Greece for about twenty years and I could not go visit her there at the time (much to my chargrin) now I am happy to have this tutorial to help me learn or to begin to learn Greek. It is very difficult but I am going to do it. Thank you again. I can sing i in Greek, tbut have no comprehesion of this beautiful language.

[aggelospanatha]

well my friend this video is not for modern greek. The pronounciation differs a bit but it is a good start, the letters are the same!

[FreaquedeMusique]

that's PSIonic FONT!!!

yea

[stchsingleton]

@FreaquedeMusique Guilty! I find PSIonic to be very close to the way I write Greek letters (see "Penmanship Counts!" video).

[stchsingleton]

Disagreement about which pronunciation system is best to follow. Many prefer Erasmian because most letters & diphthongs have distinctive pronunciation. In modern, 2 vowels and 3 diphthongs sound like 'ee'; another vowel and diphthong sound like 'eh'; & 2 diphthongs sound like they have an additional consonant, and the consonant changes under certain conditions. Confused yet? Erasmian simplifies pronunciation for people whose main interest is not speaking the language, but reading and writing it.

[roulatsolaki]

Listen my friend, I am a philologist so I know very well how ancient greek were pronounced. Erasmian pronunciation is probably the closest to the way the language was spoken. It is easier for foreigners to read greek texts with the erasmian pronunciation, but is is almost imposible for Greeks. There is no disagreement here.

[stchsingleton]

@roulatsolaki "The pronunciation commonly used in American colleges & universities is an attempt to approximate that used by Athenians during the classical period in Greece.... The pronunciation now used in... Greece differs greatly from this & is much more difficult for English-speaking students.... The Greek of the classical period was... phonetic...its letters represented the sounds, and no heard sound was unexpressed in writing."--D.A.Black, Linguistics for Students of NT Greek (1988):38.

[ko0n0opi4]

hahah..nC try man..the pronunciation is wrong in many parts of the video and for you who want to learn greek i just have to tell you that those words aren't real he just uses them to show you how greek letters sound...don't use them in a sentence cause you'll just sound stupid to someone who knows greek..

and yes the B sounds like a V in greek

well greetings from greece.. (y)

[stchsingleton]

I'm not giving pronunciation for modern Greek. The system introduced here is called the Erasmian system of pronunciation, invented by Desiderius Erasmus in the 16th century. It has been used successfully for students of ancient Greek ever since. If you are learning modern Greek, this is NOT the pronunciation you want.

[norman8182]

@stchsingleton Thank you Dr Singleton. I can see your objective clearly that us for people who wish to read a greek bible or for understanding biblical greek. I think you have done your best to caution "If you are learning modern Greek, this is NOT the pronunciation you want." THANK YOU very much, your videos have given some hope - i can pick some basic erasmus greek for understanding the NT better.

[FallenPhoenix72]

i heard αβαγαδα and i burst out laughing

[cisfnsm04]

Nice video! I am learning Greek and I think this is the best video I've seen in YouTube!!

thank you!

[Kool92cv]

is the B pronounced like V or it's just that I hear it incorrectly?

[DanaeCy]

yeah...B is pronounced V...xD

[Kool92cv]

Thankssss :D !!

[stchsingleton]

In the Erasmian system, which I am using, B is like the B in English. If you were learning modern Greek pronunciation, it would sound like a V.

[Kool92cv]

Thank you!! :)