Greek > alphabet letters > gamma

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next letter: DELTA ( Δ )
help: i.p.a. for greek
symbols and their pronunciation
in standard-modern and (if different) in erasmic in I.P.A.

examples of words:
mod.gre. word - [modern greek pronunciation]
SOUND EXAMPLES in MODERN GREEK
eng. word - [english pronunciation]
order - greek number
LETTER

CAPITAL-small
I.P.A. pronunc.
standard
erasmic
pronounced
as in the word...
(english or other)
letter name
in greek
in english
3) γ´= 3
Γ γ

transliteration: g
[γ]
consonant
voiced velar fricative

erasmic [g]
close to gh
not exisiting in english

γάμ(μ)α
['γama]
gamma
['gæmschwa]
γαλαξίας
[γala'ksias]
galaxy
['gælschwaksı]
γιγάντιo
[ji'γandio]
gigantic
[dzαı'gæntık]
γραφικό
[γrafi'ko]
graphic
['græfık]
[j]
consonant semiphone
palatal approximant

before [i] [e]
yes
[jes]
γεωμετρία
[jeome'tria]
geometry
[dzı'omschwatrı]
γιγάντιo
[ji'γandio]
gigantic
[dzαı'gæntık]
γυμναστής
[jimna'stis]
gymnast
['dzımnæst]
[n Velar as in Anglia]
consonant
velar nasal

only in middle
of composed words
anger
this sound is called
άγμα
['aγma]
εγκυκλoπαίδεια
[en Velar and giklo'peδia]
encyclopa(e)dia
[ın'sαıklschwa'pidıschwa]
εν = in
κύκλoς = cycle
παιδεία = education
from: παις, παιδί = child
SHAPE: Almost half of the ancient greek cities used the Γ version. The curving of its two antennae produced C which was the shape used by the rest of the cities (the so-called western group). This very C was used as the third letter of latin alphabet, where it represented /k/. So, 'G' was created for [g] sound, with one little line added at the bottom edge.

SOUND:
ANCIENT: [g]  In alexandrian koine language times, or possibly last pre-christian times, gamma ceased representing [g] and became [γ] till today. The tendency to move from closed (plosive) consonants e.g.[b, d, g] to the fricatives [v, δ, γ] is persistent in the evolution of greek pronunciation.
LATER:
1. [γ].
2. ALSO: Gamma is uttered in modern greek as [j] before front vowels. AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THE [g] SOUND?: in modern greek it is written as digrammes ΓK, ΓΓ.
3. The velar [n Velar as in sing] (called «άγμα» [ˈaɣma] ) [ng] sound is occurring in the digrammes: ΓΓ [ng],ΓK [ng],ΓX [nx], ΓΞ [nks]).

NAME: ETYMOLOGY from northsemitic (phoenician): gimel = camel
NAME: SPELLING normally with two Ms: γάμμα, but also occurring with one only: γάμα.

COMBINATIONS: DIGRAMMES: ΓΓ [ng],ΓK [ng] (or [g] for foreign words),ΓX [nx], ΓΞ [nks]).
DOUBLED: the double occurrence ΓΓ within a word is pronounced as /ng/.

VARIATIONS: see Digamma (di+gamma = dis+gamma = twice+gamma).
MORE GREEK WORDS STARTING WITH Gamma
•γη=earth - geo(logy) •Γαία=Gaea •γένεσις=genesis/birth - (oxy)gen, genea(logy) •γραφή=writing - graph(ic), γράμμα=letter, γραμματικό=grammatic •γυναίκα=woman - gynaec(ologist) •γάλα/γάλακτoς=milk/of the milk - galactic, galaxy
BETA ( B ): previous letter
first letter ALPHA ( A )
next letter: DELTA ( Δ )