Consonants

§§15–22CONSONANTSThe seventeen consonants are divided into stops (or mutes), spirants, liquids, nasals, and double consonants. They may be arranged according to the degree of tension or slackness o…

§26ANCIENT GREEK PRONUNCIATIONConsonants.—Most of the consonants were sounded as in English (1). Before ι, κ, γ, τ, ς never had a sh (or zh) sound heard in Lycia (Λυκίᾱ), Asia (Ἀσίᾱ). ς was usually like our sha…

§75 DELISIONInterior elision takes place in forming compound words. Here the apostrophe is not used. Thus, οὐδείς no one from οὐδὲ εἷς, καθοράω look down upon from κατὰ ὁράω, μεθῑ́ημι let go f…

§77EUPHONY OF CONSONANTSAssimilation.—A consonant is sometimes assimilated to another consonant in the same word. This assimilation may be either partial, as in ἐ-πέμφ-θην I was sent for ἐ-πεμπ-θην (82), …

§80 bDOUBLING OF CONSONANTSAn initial ρ is doubled when a simple vowel is placed before it in inflection or composition. Thus, after the syllabic augment (429), ἔ-ρρει was flowing from ῥέω; and in καλί-ρροος…

§81 DDOUBLING OF CONSONANTSβ, γ, δ are not doubled in Attic (cp. 75 D.). In γγ the first γ is nasal (19 a). φ, χ, θ are not doubled in Attic; instead, we have πφ, κχ, τθ as in Σαπφώ Sappho, Βάκχος Bacchus, Ἀ…

§95N BEFORE CONSONANTSν before λ, ρ is assimilated (λλ, ρρ): σύλλογος concourse for συν-λογος, συρρέω flow together for συν-ρεω.

§98CONSONANTS BEFORE ΣA dental stop before ς is assimilated (σς) and one ς is dropped. σώμασι bodies for σωμασσι out of σωματ-σι, ποσί feet for ποσσί out of ποδ-σι, ὄρνῑσι birds for ὀρνῑσσι out of ὀρνῑθ…

§105 aΣ BEFORE CONSONANTSς before μ or ν usually disappears with compensatory lengthening (37) as in εἰμί for ἐσ-μι. But σμ stays if μ belongs to a suffix and in compounds of δυσ- ill: δυσ-μενής hostile. a…

§§77–133EUPHONY OF CONSONANTSAssimilation.—A consonant is sometimes assimilated to another consonant in the same word. This assimilation may be either partial, as in ἐ-πέμφ-θην I was sent for ἐ-πεμπ-θην (82), …

§§78–81DOUBLING OF CONSONANTSAttic has ττ for σς of Ionic and most other dialects: πρᾱ́ττω do for πρᾱ́σσω, θάλαττα sea for θάλασσα, κρείττων stronger for κρείσσων. a. Tragedy and Thucydides adopt σς as an Ioni…

§§82–108STOPS BEFORE STOPSA labial or a palatal stop (16) before a dental stop (τ, δ, θ) must be of the same order (16). a. βτ, φτ become πτ: (τετρῑβ-ται) τέτρῑπται has been rubbed from τρῑ́β-ω rub; (γεγραφ…

§§109–117CONSONANTS BEFORE I AND ENumerous changes occur before the semivowel ι̯ (= y, 20) before a vowel. This y is often indicated by the sign ι̯. In 110-117 (except in 115) ι̯ is = y.

§133FINAL CONSONANTSNo consonant except ν, ρ, or ς (including ξ and ψ) can stand at the end of a Greek word. All other consonants are dropped. a. Exceptions are the proclitics (179) ἐκ out of, derived…

§§134–137MOVABLE CONSONANTSMovable N may be added at the end of a word when the next word begins with a vowel. Movable ν may be annexed to words ending in -σι; to the third person singular in -ε; and to ἐστί…

§399REMARKS ON THE CONTRACTED VERBSMovable ν is never (in Attic) added to the contracted 3 sing. imperfect (ἐποίει, not ἐποίειν).