Spurious diphthongs

ει, ου are either genuine or spurious (apparent) diphthongs (25). Genuine ει, ου are a combination of ε + ι, ο + υ, as in λείπω I leave (cp. λέλοιπα I have left, 35 a), γένει to a race (49), ἀκόλουθος follower (cp. κέλευθος way). Spurious ει, ου arise from contraction (50) or compensatory lengthening (37). Thus, ἐφίλει he loved, from ἐφίλεε, θείς placing from θεντ-ς; ἐφίλουν they loved from ἐφίλεον, πλοῦς voyage from πλόος, δούς giving from δοντ-ς.

Diphthongs.—The diphthongs were sounded nearly as follows:

In ᾳ, ῃ, ῳ the long open vowels had completely overpowered the ι by 100 B.C., so that ι ceased to be written (5 a). The ι is now generally neglected in pronunciation though it may have still been sounded to some extent in the fourth century B.C.—The genuine diphthongs ει and ου (6) were originally distinct double sounds (ĕh’-i, ŏh’-oo), and as such were written ΕΙ, ΟΥ in the Old Attic alphabet (2 a): ΕΓΕΙΔΕ ἐπειδή, ΤΟΥΤΟΝ τούτων. The spurious diphthongs ει and ου (6) are digraphs representing the long sounds of simple ε (French é) and original υ. By 400 B.C. genuine ει and ου had become simple single sounds pronounced as ei in vein and ou in ourang; and spurious ει and ου, which had been written E and O (2 a), were now often written ΕΙ and ΟΥ. After 300 B.C. ει gradually acquired the sound of ei in seize. ευ was sounded like eh’-oo, ηυ and ωυ like ēh’-oo, ōh’-oo, pronounced rapidly but smoothly. υι is now commonly sounded as ui in quit. It occurred only before vowels, and the loss of the ι in ὑός son (43) shows that the diphthongal sound was disliked.

Compensatory lengthening is the lengthening of a short vowel to make up for the omission of a consonant.

a. Thus are formed κτείνω I kill for κτεν-ι̯ω, φθείρω I destroy for φθερ-ι̯ω, δότειρα giver for δοτερ-ι̯α, κλῑ́νω I lean for κλιν-ι̯ω, ὀλοφῡ́ρω I lament for ὀλοφυρ-ι̯ω.

b. α becomes η in the σ-aorist of verbs whose stems end in λ, ρ, or ν, when not preceded by ι or ρ. Thus, ἐφαν-σα becomes ἔ-φηνα I showed, but ἐπεραν-σα becomes ἐπέρᾱνα I finished. So σελήϝη moon for σελασ-νη (σέλας gleam).

c. The diphthongs ει and ου due to this lengthening are spurious (6).

(III) Unlike Vowels.—Unlike vowels are assimilated, either the second to the first (progressive assimilation) or the first to the second (regressive assimilation).

a. An o sound always prevails over an a or e sound: ο or ω before or after α, and before η, forms ω. οε and εο form ου (a spurious diphthong, 6). Thus, τῑμάομεν = τῑμῶμεν, αἰδόα = αἰδῶ, ἥρωα = ἥρω, τῑμάω = τῑμῶ, δηλόητε = δηλῶτε; but φιλέομεν = φιλοῦμεν, δηλόετον = δηλοῦτον.

b. When α and ε or η come together the vowel sound that precedes prevails, and we have ᾱ or η: ὅραε = ὅρᾱ, τῑμάητε = τῑ́μᾶτε, ὄρεα = ὄρη.

c. υ rarely contracts: υ + ι = ῡ in ἰχθῡ́διον from ἰχθυίδιον small fish; υ + ε strictly never becomes ῡ (273).

Spurious ει and ου are treated like ε and ο: τῑμάειν = τῑμᾶν, δηλόειν = δηλοῦν, τῑμάουσι = τῑμῶσι (but τῑμάει = τῑμᾷ and δηλόει = δηλοῑ, since ει is here genuine; 6).

TABLE OF VOWEL CONTRACTIONS

[After ει or ου, gen. means genuine, sp. means spurious.]

N.—The forms of ῥῑγόω shiver contract from the stem ῥῑγω- (yielding ω or ῳ).