The Greek alphabet is unique and special. It has survived thousands of years without significant changes.
\nFrom the times of Omiros and Platonas, in Byzantine and Kavafis, it ended up in our times with barely any changes to it.
\nThe Omilo teachers are happy to help you learning this beautiful Greek Alphabet!
\nAnd by the way, it is much easier than it might look.
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But first a question;\u00a0 Maybe you have heard of Greeklish, and are wondering why to learn the Greek Alphabet, since you can also write in Greeklish?
\nFor those of you not knowing the term \u00ab\u00a0Greeklisch\u00a0\u00bb, here a small explanation :<\/p>\n
This trend of using \u00ab\u00a0Greeklish\u00a0\u00bb started with mobile phones and the internet, since it was easier and quicker to use Latin characters on those devices: Of course, over the last decades, there has been a huge debate about whether or not the Greek language is in danger due to Greeklish.<\/strong><\/p>\n On the one hand, many support that the danger is high for the particular nature of the language is getting lost. On the other hand, there are the advocates of Greeklish who claim that a language must serve the needs of the people who use it. In general terms it has to do with the pronunciation of the language, for example: Ti kaneis\/kanis? Ola kala? Of course the English terms and abbreviations are also used often: asap, btw\u2026<\/p>\n Below are a few \u201crules\u201d for the translation of the words: The difficult part though is not really in writing the Greeklish but rather in reading it!<\/strong> -kalhmera! ti kns? Wouldn\u2019t it be nice, while in Greece, to be able to read a Greek menu-card, street names, the destination of a bus or simply have a good pronunciation in Greek ?
\nWriting Greek with Latin Characters!<\/strong>
\nThe Greek Alphabet has to respond to changes that are not particularly favored. In the environment of computers where everything happens quickly and obligatorily in the simplest way possible, it seems that the Greek alphabet has started losing ground.<\/p>\n
\n1) Less letters are used and hence more writing space,
\n2) There are no grammar rules so the writing of the messages becomes a faster procedure. Of course this trend started from the younger generations, but today Greeklish is also used by the older generations.<\/p>\n
\nThe spelling they say signifies a lot about the roots and the meaning of each word.<\/p>\n
\nThe internet requires quick actions and an easy way of writing.
\nBesides, the language is an alive organism which keeps on evolving and we have to observe it without being stuck to the past.<\/p>\nThere are no grammar rules for Greeklish<\/strong>.<\/h3>\n
\nMoreover in Greeklish abbreviations are very common:
\n\u03c6\u03b9\u03bb\u03ac\u03ba\u03b9\u03b1: filakia or\u00a0 flk (kisses)
\n\u03c4\u03b1 \u03bb\u03ad\u03bc\u03b5: ta leme \u03ae tlm. (see you)<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>\u03b8: th or 8 ex. \u03b8\u03ac\u03bb\u03b1\u03c3\u03c3\u03b1: thalassa\/8alassa
\n\u03be: ks,x, 3 ex. \u03be\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2: ksenos, xenos, 3enos
\n\u03c8: ps, y ex. \u03c8\u03ad\u03bc\u03b1: psema, yema
\n\u03c9: o, w ex. \u03c4\u03ce\u03c1\u03b1: tora, twra
\n\u03b4: d, 6 ex. \u03b4\u03b5\u03bd: den, 6en
\n\u03b7: i, h ex. \u03ae\u03bb\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2: ilios, hlios.<\/p>\n
\nTry for example to read the below conversation. Can you do it?<\/p>\n
\n-kl. esi? Pws paei shmera?
\n-Pl douleia sto grafeio. 8a se dw to vra6i?
\n– eda3ei. T wra?
\n-9-9misi.
\n-ok. tlm.<\/p>\nThe Benefits of Learning The Greek Alphabet<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n<\/strong>As you understood, you might write in Greeklish yourself, but you will not be able to read anything when somebody writes you in Greek, neither you can read any signs or notes, when visiting Greece.<\/p>\n
\nFrom the moment you know the Alphabet, you will also know exactly how every word is pronounced.<\/p>\nSo, it is a good time start learning the 24 Greek Letters. This video will help you out \ud83d\ude42
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