Homeric Greek is the form of Ancient Greek that was used by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey. It is an archaic version of Ionic Greek, with admixtures from certain other dialects, such as Aeolic Greek. It later served as the basis of Epic Greek, the language of epic poetry, typically in dactylic hexameter, of poets such as Hesiod. Unlike later forms of the language, Homeric Greek did not have available in most circumstances a true definite article. ^[1] Compositions in Epic Greek may date from as late as the 3rd century AD, though its decline was inevitable with the rise of Koine Greek. This article is an overview of the history of Greek. ... Greek ( IPA: or simply IPA: — Hellenic) has a documented history of 3,500 years, the longest of any single natural language in the Indo-European language family. ... This page contains special characters. ... The Proto-Greek language is the common ancestor of the Greek dialects, including the Mycenean language, the classical Greek dialects Attic-Ionic, Aeolic, Doric and North-Western Greek, and ultimately the Koine and Modern Greek. ... Mycenaean is the most ancient attested form of the Greek language, spoken on the Greek mainland and on Crete in the 16th to 11th centuries BC, before the Dorian invasion. ... Beginning of Homers Odyssey The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage of the Greek language[1] as it existed during the Archaic (9th–6th centuries BC) and Classical (5th–4th centuries BC) periods in Ancient Greece. ... Ancient Greek, in classical antiquity before the development of the Koiné as the lingua franca of Hellenism, was divided into several dialects. ... Aeolic Greek is a linguistic term used to describe a set of rather archaic Greek sub-dialects, spoken mainly in Boeotia (a region in Central Greece), in Lesbos (an island close to Asia Minor) and in other Greek colonies. ... Arcadocypriot was an ancient Greek dialect spoken in Arcadia and Cyprus between ca. ... Attic Greek is the ancient dialect of the Greek language that was spoken in Attica, which includes Athens. ... Distribution of Greek dialects, ca. ... Distribution of Greek dialects, ca. ... Pamphylian is a little-attested dialect of Ancient Greek which was spoken in Pamphylia, on the southern coast of Asia Minor. ... Koine redirects here. ... Medieval Greek (Μεσαιωνική Ελληνική) is a linguistic term that describes the fourth period in the history of the Greek language. ... Main article: Greek language Modern Greek (Νέα Ελληνικά or Νεοελληνική, lit. ... The linguistic varieties of Modern Greek can be classified along two principal dimensions. ... Cappadocian, also known as Cappadocian Greek or Asia Minor Greek, is a dialect of the Greek language, formerly spoken in Cappadocia (Central Turkey). ... Cretan Greek (Cretan dialect, Greek: Κρητική διάλεκτος or Kritika Κρητικά) is a dialect of the Greek language, spoken by more than half a million people in Crete and several thousands in the diaspora. ... Dhimotiki (Greek Δημοτική, IPA //) or Demotic Greek is the standard language of Greece. ... Griko, sometimes spelled Grico, is a Modern Greek dialect which is spoken by people in the Magna Graecia region in southern Italy and Sicily, and it is otherwise known as the Grecanic language. ... Katharevousa (Greek Καθαρεύουσα, IPA: ) is a form of the Greek language, created during the early 19th century by Adamantios Korais (1748-1833). ... Pontic Greek is a form of the Greek language originally spoken on the shores of the Black Sea, the Pontus, today mainly in Greece. ... Tsakonian (also Tsakonic) (Standard Greek Τσακωνική Διάλεκτος — Tsakonic language — is a dialect of, or language closely related to, Standard Modern Greek, spoken in the Tsakonian region of the Peloponnese, Greece. ... Yevanic, otherwise known as Yevanika, Romaniote and Judeo-Greek, was the language of the Romaniotes, the group of Greek Jews whose existence in Greece is documented since the 4th century BCE. Its linguistic lineage stems from Attic Greek and the Hellenistic Koine (Κοινή Ελληνική) and includes Hebrew elements as well. ... Beginning of Homers Odyssey The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage of the Greek language[1] as it existed during the Archaic (9th–6th centuries BC) and Classical (5th–4th centuries BC) periods in Ancient Greece. ... This article is about the Greek poet Homer and the works attributed to him. ... title page of the Rihel edition of ca. ... This article is about Homers epic poem. ... Distribution of Greek dialects, ca. ... Aeolic Greek is a linguistic term used to describe a set of rather archaic Greek sub-dialects, spoken mainly in Boeotia (a region in Central Greece), in Lesbos (an island close to Asia Minor) and in other Greek colonies. ... Dactyllic hexameter (also known as heroic hexameter) is a form of meter in poetry or a rhythmic scheme. ... Roman bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now identified by some as possibly Hesiod Hesiod (Hesiodos, ) was an early Greek poet and rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer, with whom Hesiod is often paired, have been considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived... Definite Article is the title of British comedian Eddie Izzards 1996 performance released on video and CD. The video/DVD and CD performances were both recorded on different nights at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, England. ... Koine redirects here. ...

Main Features

Only irregular forms are provided, ommitted forms can usually be predicted by following patterns seen in Ionic Greek.

Nouns

First Declension

Nominative Singular: ends in -η, even after ρ,ε, and ι. For Example, χώρη, rather than χώρα. However, some nouns do end in -α.

Genitive Plural: usually ends in -αων or -εων. For example, νυμφάων, rather than νυμφῶν.

Dative Plural: almost always ends in -ῃσι or -ῃς. For example, πύλῃσιν is equivalent to πύλαἰς.

Certain first declension nouns may end in -α (ἱππότα) rather than -ης (ναύτης, Ἀτρεΐδης). For Example, ἱππότα, rather than ἱππότης.

Genitive Singular of these nouns ends in -αο or -εω, rather than -ου. For example, Ἀτρεΐδαο, as opposed to Ἀτρεΐδου.

Second Declension

Genitive Singular: ends in -οιο, as well as -ου. For example, πεδίοιο, as well as πεδίου.

Genitive and Dative Dual: ends in -οιϊν. Thus, ἵπποιϊν appears, rather than ἵπποιν.

Dative Plural: ends in -οισι and -οις. For example, φύλλοισι , as well as φύλλοις.

Third Declension

Accusative Singular: ends in -ιν, as well as -ιδα. For example, γλαυκῶπιν, as well as γλαυκῶπιδα.

Nouns commonly ending in -εα become -ηα. For example, βασιλέα is equivalent to Homeric βασιλῆα.

The common Genitive Singular ending -εως can become either -ηος or -ιος. For example, βασιλέως is equivalent to Homeric βασιλῆος; while is πόλεως equivalent to πόλιος.

The common Accusative Singular ending -εας corresponds to Homeric -ηασ. For example, βασιλέας becomes βασιλῆας.

The common Genitive Plural ending -εων becomes -ηων. For example, βασιλέων is equivalent to βασιλήων.

Dative Plural: ends in -εσσι and -σι. For example, πόδεσσι or ἔπεσσι.

Pronouns

First Person Singular (I)

Genitive Singular: ἐμεῖο, ἐμέο, ἐμεῦ, μευ, ἐμέθεν.

First Person Plural (We)

Accusative Plural: ἡμέας, ἄμμε.

Genitive Plural: ἡμείων, ἡμέων.

Dative Plural: ἄμμἰ(ν)

Second Person Singular (You)

Genitive Singular: σεῖο, σέο, σεῦ, σευ, σέθεν.

Second Person Plural (You)

Accusative Plural: ὕμέας, ὕμμε.

Genitive Plural: ὕμείων, ὕμέων.

Dative Plural: ὕμμἰ(ν)

Third Person Singular Masculine (Him)

Nominative Singular: ἕ.

Genitive Singular:εἷο, ἕο, εὗ, ἕθεν.

Dative Singular: ἑοῖ, οἰ.

Third Person Plural (Them)

Accusative Plural: σφε, σφέας, σφας.

Genitive Plural: σφείων, σφέων.

Dative Plural: σφι, σφισί.

Third Person Singular Pronoun (He, She, It) (The Relative) OR Singular Article (The) (This is rare)

Nominative Singular: ὁ, ἡ, τό. (etc.)

Third Person Plural Pronoun (He, She, It) (The Relative) OR Plural Article (The) (This is rare)

Nominative Plural: οἰ, αἰ, τοί, ταί.

Dative Plural: τοῖς, τοῖσι, τῇς, τῇσι, ταῖς.

Interrogative Pronoun Singular and Plural (Who, What, Which)

Nominative Singular: τίς.

Accusative Singular: τίνα.

Genitive Singular: τέο, τεῦ.

Dative Singular: τέῳ.

Genitive Plural: τέων.

A Note on Nouns

I. Take note of the Homeric alternation between -σ- and -σσ-. This can be of metrical use. For example, τόσος and τόσσος are equivalent; μέσος and μέσσος; ποσί and ποσσί.

II. The ending -φι (-οφι) can be used for the Dative Singular and Plural of nouns and adjectives (occasionally for the Genitive Singular and Plural, as well). For example, βιῆφι (...by force), δακρύοφιν (...with tears), and ὀρέσφιν (...in the mountains).

Verbs

Person Endings

-ν appears rather than -σαν. For example, ἔσταν for ἔστησαν in the Third Person Plural Active.

The Third Plural Middle/Passive often ends in -αται or -ατο; for example, ἥατο is equivalent to ἥντο.

Tenses

Future: Generally remains uncontracted. For example, ἐρέω appears instead of ἐρῶ or τελέω instead of τελέσω.

Present or Imperfect: These tenses sometimes take iterative form with the letters -σκ- penultimate with the ending. For example, φύγεσκον: 'they kept on running away'

Aorist or Imperfect: Both tenses can occasionally drop their augments. For example, βάλον may appear instead of ἔβαλον. Resultantly, necessary adjustments may need to be made in compounds; in this vein, ἔμβαλε would appear instead of ἐνέβαλε.

Sample

The Iliad, lines 1-7 title page of the Rihel edition of ca. ...

Μῆνιν ἄειδε, θεὰ, Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος

οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί’ Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε’ ἔθηκε,

πολλὰς δ’ ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προῒαψεν

ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν

οἰωνοῖσί τε πᾶσι· Διὸς δ’ ἐτελείετο βουλή·

ἐξ οὗ δὴ τὰ πρῶτα διαστήτην ἐρίσαντε

Ἀτρεΐδης τε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν καὶ δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς.

Alexander Pope (1720): For other uses, see Alexander Pope (disambiguation). ...

Achilles' wrath, to Greece the direful spring

Of woes unnumber'd, heavenly goddess, sing!

That wrath which hurl'd to Pluto's gloomy reign

The souls of mighty chiefs untimely slain;

Whose limbs unburied on the naked shore,

Devouring dogs and hungry vultures tore.

Since great Achilles and Atrides strove,

Such was the sovereign doom, and such the will of Jove!

Samuel Butler: Erewhon Hudibras, see Samuel Butler (poet). ...

Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a h:ero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.

Andrew Lang: For the former National Basketball Association player, see Andrew Lang (basketball). ...

Sing, goddess, the wrath of Achilles Peleus' son, the ruinous wrath that brought on the Achaians woes innumerable, and hurled down into Hades many strong souls of heroes, and gave their bodies to be a prey to dogs and all winged fowls; and so the counsel of Zeus wrought out its accomplishment from the day when first strife parted Atreides king of men and noble Achilles.

Robert Fagles: Robert Fagles is a Professor of Comparative Literature at Princeton University. ...

Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles,

murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,

hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls,

great fighters' souls, but made their bodies carrion,

feasts for the dogs and birds,

and the will of Zeus was moving towards its end.

Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed,

Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles.

See also

• Ancient Greek dialects
• Homeric texts

Ancient Greek, in classical antiquity before the development of the Koiné as the lingua franca of Hellenism, was divided into several dialects. ...

External links

• http://www.Handheldclassics.com has interlinear versions of the Iliad and Odyssey for the Palm Pilot
• The Chicago Homer http://www.library.northwestern.edu/homer provides a Web-based interface for studying Homer (and Hesiod) suitable for beginners or experts

Books

• Pharr, Clyde. Homeric Greek: A Book for Beginners. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, new edition, 1959. Revised edition: John Wright, 1985. ISBN 0-8061-1937-3.

References

1. ^ Goodwin, William W. (1879). A Greek Grammar (pp 204). St Martin's Press.

• H. L. Ahrens, Griechische Formenlehre (Gottingen, 1852)
• A. Fick, Die homerische Odyssee in der ursprünglichen Sprachform wiederhergestelt (Gottingen, 1883), Die homerische Ilias (ibid., 1886)
• W. Schulze, Quaestiones epicae (Goterslohe, 1892).
• B. Delbrück, Syntactische Forschungen (Halle, 1871-1879)
• Wilhelm Hartel, Homerische Studien (i-vi., Vienna)
• Albert Thumb, Zur Geschichte des griech. Digamma, Indogermanische Forschungen (1898)
• D. B. Monro, A Grammar of the Homeric Dialect (Oxford, 1891) (the best grammar in English)