History of the Greek Alphabet and Pronunciation

by E. A. Sophocles

Publisher:

John Bartlett

, 1854

Overview

E.A. Sophocles' History of the Greek Alphabet and Pronunciation is divided into two parts, representing the two main components of the title. Providing a thorough survey of the Greek alphabet from its origins in the Phoenician alphabet to its traditional form in part one, Sophocles examines each letter individually. He explains the origins of each as well as the dialectal variations in their use. The second half of the volume describes the pronunciation of the Greek letters. Sophocles begins with a discussion of the division of the alphabet into different types of sounds, after which he explains where each Greek letter fits into the pronunciation system, beginning with vowels, then moving to breathing marks and consonants, and finally ending with accentuation and rhythm. The book concludes with a brief, but helpful, explanation of Modern Greek pronunciation.

Product Details

• Title: History of the Greek Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Author: E. A. Sophocles
• Edition: Second Edition, Revised
• Publisher: John Bartlett
• Print Publication Date: 1854
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Greek language › Alphabet; Greek language › Pronunciation
• Resource ID: LLS:HISTGRKALPH
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T19:58:12Z

About E. A. Sophocles

Evangelinus Apostolides Sophocles was born near Thessaly, Greece in March, 1807. During the Greek revolution he lived in Egypt, studying in St. Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai. Sophocles moved to the United States in 1829 through the patronage of the American board of commissioners for foreign missions. Between 1840 and 1849, he was a tutor at Harvard, after which he was appointed as assistant professor. In 1860 he was appointed as Professor of Ancient, Byzantine, and Modern Greek. Professor Sophocles published a number of introductory volumes on Modern Greek, but his magnus opus was his lexicon, Greek Lexicon of the Roman and Byzantine Periods, B.C. 146–A.D. 1100. He died on December 17th, 1883.