Introductory Ancient Greek Language/Lesson 2

Breathing Marks Explained

Every Greek word that begins with a vowel (α,ε,η,ι,ο,υ, and ω) will have something called a breathing mark. These look like apostrophes and can be either rough or smooth.

Rough Breathings

If the breathing is rough then it is an apostrophe curved in the opposite direction (ἑ,ἁ,ἡ, etc...) If a breathing is rough then the word is pronounced as if there were an /h/ in front of it. Thus, the Greek word for 'sleep' ὕπνος will be pronounced as [hupnos].

Smooth Breathings

If the breathing mark is smooth (ἀ,ἐ,ὀ, etc...) then it is shaped exactly like an apostrophe and comes either slightly before the vowel or directly above. Smooth breathing marks simply mean there is no /h/ pronounciation.

Exception

These are present only when vowels are the first letter of the word except in the case of the letter rho (ρ). If rho is the first letter of the word then it always has a rough breathing mark. This is why most English derived words such as rhinoceros, rheumatism, and rhododendron have the /rh/ in front.

Accent Marks

You may notice the second mark after the breathing mark in the word ὕπνος. This is an accent mark and you should just ignore it for now. They are imporant for distinguishing the difference between words. There are rather complex rules that decide what accent is used and where, but for the most part are confusing and can be an obstacle to learning the language.