Language/Modern-greek-1453/Grammar/Syllabification
Syllabification in Greek refers to the process of dividing words into syllables. In the Greek language, syllables are made up of a vowel sound or a combination of vowel and consonant sounds. The process of syllabification helps with pronunciation and also plays a role in Greek metrics and prosody, which are aspects of Greek poetry and literature.
In Greek, syllables can have different structures and can be classified into different types, such as open syllables (ending with a vowel), closed syllables (ending with a consonant), and diphthongs (a combination of two vowel sounds).
The syllabification rules in Greek are somewhat complex and are influenced by factors such as the type of vowel, the position of the accent, and the position of the syllable in the word.
It is important to note that syllabification can vary slightly between different dialects of Greek and also between Ancient Greek and Modern Greek.
- Example of syllabification of the word "πατέρας" (the father):
πα–τέ-ρας
Syllabification Rules
A vowel is a syllable
A vowel may be just a syllable in a word:
- ά-νε- μος (wind)
- γρα-φεί-ο (office)
Two consecutive vowels
Two consecutive vowels are separated:
- α-ε-τός (eagle)
- ή-ρω-ας (heros)
A consonant between two vowels
A consonant being between two vowels goes with the second vowel:
- α-γά-πη (love)
- έ-χω (to have )
Two identical consonants
Two identical consonants are separated:
- κόκ-κι-νο (red)
- μέ-λισ-σα (bee)
Two consonants are not separated if...
Two consonants are not separated if they begin with a Greek word:
- έ-πι-πλο (furniture)
- ά-στε-ρι (star)
Two consonants are separated if...
If two consonants do not begin with a Greek word then they are separated:
- πόρ- τα, (door)
- στιγ-μή (dot)
3 consonants in a sequence
The same happens when we have 3 consonants in a sequence. They are not separated when a Greek word begins from the first two.
- α- στρα-πή (thunder)
- ε-χθρός (enemy)
- στρα-τός (army)
- χθε-σι-νός (previous)
No Greek word starts from the first two consonants
But if no Greek word starts from the first two consonants, they are separated
- άν-θρω-πος
- Νο-έμ-βρι-ος
Diphthong, conjonctions, double consonants...
The diphthongs (αι, ει, οι, ου, υι), the conjonctions (αυ και ευ), the double consonants (μπ, ντ, γκ, τσ, τζ), the double vowels (αη, οη, άι, όι) and the abused diphthongs (ια, ιο, ιου, ειος, εια, ειο, οιος, οια, οιο, υα, υου) are not separated.
- παι-δεί-α, ναυ-τι-κό, τα-μπέ-λα, κε-λαη-δά, κά-ποι-ος, λα-λιά, γυά-λα, στα-χυού
Compound words
Compound words are divided into its elements:
- κα-τέ-χω (possess), ε-πί-λο-γος (epilogue)
Name of words (depending on the number of syllables)
monosyllables (1 syllable)
- και (and), με (with), ναι (yes)
dissyllables (2 syllables)
- ό-χι,(no) μέ-σα, (in) πι-κρός (bitter)
trisyllables (3 syllables)
- κα-ρέ-κλα, (chair) γρα-φεί-ο (office)
polysyllabes (more than 3 syllables)
- πο-δή-λα- το (bike) φω-το-γρα-φεί-ο (photographic studio)
Syllables names
Last syllable of a word
The last syllable of a word is called an ending:
- τι-μή (honor)
Penultimate syllable
The penultimate syllable is said to be conceding
- με – λέ – τη (study)
Third syllable from the end
The third syllable from the end is said to be a prelude:
- άν-θρω- πος (man)
First syllable of a word
The first syllable of a word is called the original syllable:
- κα-ρα-μέ-λα (candy)
Not emphasized: where?
No multi-word word is emphasized above the foreword!
- οι-κό-πε-δο (field)
Videos
Greek Pronunciation and Syllabification
On which syllable should you put the accent?