Greek alphabet began to be used continuously since the end of the 9 beginning of the 8th century BC.e.By hypothesis the researchers, this system of written signs was the first composed of consonants, vowels and as well as the signs that apply to separate them.What were the ancient Greek letters?How did they come from?What letter completes the Greek alphabet, and what starts?On this and many other later in the article.
How and when were the Greek letters?
must be said that in many Semitic letters have separate names and interpretations.It is not clear exactly what happened when borrowing characters.The researchers offer different dating of the process from 14 to 7 centuries BC.e.But most authors agree on the 9th and 10th centuries.Later dating several implausible, since the earliest finds of Greek inscriptions may relate to about the 8th century BC.e.or even earlier.In the 10-9 centuries north-Semitic fonts had a certain similarity.But there is evidence that the Greeks borrowed the writing system specifically the Phoenicians.It is also plausible because the Semitic group was the most widely distributed and are actively engaged in trade and navigation.
General
Greek alphabet includes 24 letters.In some dialects of pre-classical era were used, and other signs: hat, Sampo stigma, coppa, san digamma.Of those listed at the end of the three letters of the Greek alphabet used for writing numbers.The Phoenician system, each character is called a word that begins with it.So, for example, the first written sign - "Aleph" (bull means), the next - "bet" (house), 3rd - Gimel (the camel), and so on.Subsequently, when borrowing for greater convenience was amended almost every title.The letters of the Greek alphabet thus became a little bit easier, losing interpretation.For Aleph became alpha, bet - beta, Gimel - scale.Later, when some of the characters have been changed or added in a written system, the names of the Greek letters become more meaningful.So, for example, "Omicron" - a little on the "Omega" (the last character in the writing system) - respectively - more about.
Innovation
Greek letters were the foundation for a major European fonts.This system was originally written signs was not merely borrowed from the Semites.The Greeks made it their own changes.Thus, in the writing direction Semitic symbol mark was left, or right, or in succession in the direction of rows.The second way of writing was called "boustrophedon."This definition is a combination of two words in Greek means "bull" and "turn".Thus, a visual image of the animal, pulling the plow on the field, changing the direction of the furrow to furrow.As a result, the Greek alphabet was a priority from left to right.It, in turn, caused a number of appropriate changes in the form of certain characters.Therefore, the Greek letters of the later mark are otzerkalennoe image Semitic symbols.
value based on the Greek alphabet was created and subsequently developed a large number of systems of written signs have spread in the Middle East and Europe and used in the writing of many countries.No exception and Cyrillic and latinnitsa.It is known that, for example, when you create a Slavonic alphabet was used mostly Greek letters.Apart from the fact that the characters were used to write the language, they were used as international mathematical symbols.Today, the Greek letters are used not only in mathematics, but also other sciences.In particular, these characters are called stars (for example, to refer to Tau Ceti has been used 19 letters of the Greek alphabet, "tau"), and other elementary particles.
Archaic Greek letters
These characters are not part of the classical writing system.Some of them (Sampo coppa, digamma), as mentioned above, used for numeric entries.In this two - this tank and coppa - used today.In Byzantine times digamma was replaced by ligature stigma.In some archaic dialects of these characters still have a sound value and were used when writing words.The most important representatives of the Greek areas is considered Latin system and its variants.In particular, these include Gaelic and Gothic letter.At the same time there are other fonts, which are directly or indirectly related to the Greek alphabet.Among them is the ogamicheskuyu and runic system.
characters used in other languages
In some cases, the Greek letters were used for fixation of very different languages (for example, the Old Church).In this case, the new system added new characters - additional signs that reflect the sounds of language.Over the history in such cases often formed separate written system.Thus, for example, it happened with the Cyrillic alphabet, Etruscan and Coptic alphabets.But often the system of written symbols remained essentially unchanged.That is, when it was created mainly attended the Greek letters, and only in small quantities - additional characters.
Distribution
Greek alphabet had several varieties.Each species has been associated with a certain colony or a city-state.But all these varieties belong to one of two main categories used in the western and eastern areas of Greek influence.The difference between the species consisted of audio features that are attributed to the symbols added to what is already contained in the written system.So, for example, in the east badge "psi" is pronounced as ps, to the west as kh, the sign of "chi" in the east is pronounced kh, in the west - ks.Classical Greek font is a typical example of the Ionic or oriental type writing system.Officially, it was adopted in 404 BC.e.in Athens and subsequently spread throughout Greece.The direct descendants of this font are modern writing systems, such as, for example, Gothic and Coptic, preserved only in the church use.They also can be attributed to the Cyrillic alphabet adopted for Russian and some other languages.The second main type of Greek writing system - Western - used in some areas of Italy and other Western colonies belonging to Greece.It is believed that this kind of emails marked the beginning of Etruscan font, and through it - the Latin, which became a major in the territory of ancient Rome and Western Europe.
