The Greek Alphabet (Koine Era Pronunciation)

An introduction to the Greek alphabet, using the pronunciation of the biblical era.
[There are a couple (slightly funny) typos in the example words-extra credit if you spot them!]

[@user-fp2jy5sv9k]

I ‘m here to see how many characters can be used for Covid-19 variants.

[@lukapainter9038]

Haha same

[@rightsmite]

😂😂😂. When they get to the end they will Start again with alpha alpha

[@drgeorgek]

Ha ha ha that’s hilarious

[@ronnym1977]

HA HAAAAAAAA! That's funny.....

[@johnsayre2038]

@@rightsmite You may be correct. That's what I've been wondering, what's going to happen when they run out of mysterious sounding Greek letters? Perhaps South Park is correct, it will be the Delta super duper plus mega variant.

[@user-ek9iw6xv3i]

Despite some few errors, this is such a good lecturing and enjoyable film that I share it to my foreign friends that want to learn the Greek alphabet. After all, the pronunciation is so close to the modern one, that the smaller differences can be excused to a foreigner! Than you, Tim! I even enjoy it from time to time myself!

[@timmcninch]

ευχαριστώ πολύ!

[@denizmetint.462]

Athanásios

[@Michail_Chatziasemidis]

Αναρρωτιέμαι πού είναι τα λάθη. Αφού η αποκατεστημένη προφορά των αρχαίων ελληνικών (τόσο εκείνες των ομηρικών χρόνων και της κλασικής εποχής, όσο και αυτή της ελληνιστικής, που όλες εντέλει, άλλες περισσότερο, άλλες λιγότερο, διέφεραν απ’ τη σύγχρονη νεοελληνική) είναι πολύ προσεγγιστική, όχι-ακριβής, και αφού δεν έχουμε ηχογραφήσεις της εποχής, δεν μπορούμε να κατηγορήσουμε για λάθη όταν προσπαθούμε να την προσεγγίσουμε.

[@TMPOUZI]

@@Michail_Chatziasemidis τα λαθη ηταν κυριως ορθογραφικα (φονη, εσκατος κλπ) αλλα και μια καπως σημερινη αγγλικη προφορα, που σιγουρα δεν ειχαν οι αρχαιοι

[@deithlan]

@@giorgiomiami7447 Koine is the ancient greek dialect from which modern greek descends from, so while there are some pretty big similarities, they are not the same languages and Koine is not really spoken anymore.

[@Moharani21]

I am a polyglot with a very good set of ears. Glad n delighted you fooled me. Your intonations were superb. Your method of repetition is excellent.

[@xouleposxoulepos4506]

Really my polyglot friend? He fooled you? He fooled me too...I thought this would be a lesson in Greek...but then I realized...what a load of shit. And another thing...Do you really think that starting a sentence with the statement that you are a polyglot (which is a Greek word btw) will make your opinion matter more? You might be speaking 50 languages...but you still talk shit

[@user-dj3is2qh2u]

@@xouleposxoulepos4506 Wtf is your problem? Μαλακα

[@xouleposxoulepos4506]

@@user-dj3is2qh2u Δεν ξερεις Ελληνικα χαζουλη? Let me guess...you are half Greek...you kinda speak Greek, but not really. Who is the foreigner ? Mommy or daddy? Do you really think u r fooling anyone? You dont speak Greek,you d like to..but u dont...and you dont need the o in your fuckin nickname...it looks stupid

[@user-dj3is2qh2u]

@@xouleposxoulepos4506 Lol you are pathetic and probably a Turk

[@xouleposxoulepos4506]

@@user-dj3is2qh2u Oh man...I nailed it...you really cant speak Greek...Man I am sorry...you have a mountain to climb...Seriously...its hard...So don't waste a sec arguing with me...Hit the books....You win..I am definitely not a Turk..don't know how you got that..but anyway...N I am not joking ...you dont need the o in your nickname...When you learn and understand Greek, wth this movie ''Τι εκανες στον πολεμο Θαναση ?¨¨

[@randolphwalker]

Great teaching video. Your patient delivery makes it easy to follow. I appreciate the work you put into this.

[@user-gb3cz7wn8y]

Εξαιρετική δουλειά, συγχαρητήρια!

[@aqnickyuwu]

Ναι

[@burningjohn579]

Ναι

[@burningjohn579]

Πολύ ωρεές λεξεις

[@obrigadob692]

@Vagia Katsikarou θαυμάσια προφορά... (?) Τα αυτιά σου, είναι εντάξει????????? Τι είναι αυτά που λέτε... Ελληνικά με αγγλική προφορά... Αυτό ακούσαμε, έλεος πια... Ε όχι και θαυμάσια προφορά... Απλά , ο άνθρωπος το προσπάθησε , μέχρι εκεί. Τίποτα παραπάνω , τίποτα περισσότερο.

[@eva6107]

Συγνώμη, προσπαθεί αλλά η προφορά δεν είναι καλή. Και στο γάμμα γράφει το ρήμα γιγνώσκω λάθος. Γράφει γινώσκω. Τουλάχιστον αυτό πρέπει να το διορθώσει.

[@dgrewar]

Hi Tim, thank's for sharing this lesson on how to read write and pronounce the koine era Greek alphabet. I'm starting from scratch and have been at it for two weeks on and off. I'm now able to read and recite the the alphabet and have today practice writing the words you used to explain each letter. Im quite pleased with my progress being able to write down a few of the worsd correctly just from listening to you saying them. Thank you for helping me to get started on learning to read and write in Greek using Koine pronunciation

[@timmcninch]

I'm glad you found it helpful! Good luck with your continued studies!

[@UserE_.]

How is that going it's great seeing people who are not from my country try to learn Greek.

[@inkyguy]

I really, really like this presentation. I like the repetitive, rote way the alphabet is presented. It allows me to listen and repeat many times what is being said and shown on the screen which allows it to enter my mind and my memory so much more effectively. Thank you.

[@timmcninch]

Thanks, inkguy! Glad you find it helpful!

[@fraukeschmidt8364]

Very helpful, with the word examples and repeating the whole alphabet up to the point. Thank you.

[@anonimaquenada]

An impressive teaching. I like it! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. 👍

[@OtterLakeFlutes]

Thank you so much. I am currently enrolled in Christian Leaders Institute's Biblical Greek I in the free ministry courses. They have quality materials, and in other subjects a lot of great videos , but not much video priming in this one, so thanks a lot. This is phenomenal. I feel like a real pro practicing this with you. Thanks, I haven't had this good of a teacher since Mrs. Bineau in the 80's teaching the way ancient Latin was thought to have been spoken. Peeking at your favorite channels, I'd love to see a note-takers' bible you've been adding educated notes and comic-quality drawings into, in the wide margins! Edit: I have reached an interactive portion of CLI's course and I should give that props, quite nice, but still irreversibly gleeful to have found you and your adept pronunciations..

[@timmcninch]

Andrew, thanks for your comments! See my video on vowels and diphthongs for clarity on tau. As far as the song goes, I'm singing "and" which in Greek is kai, pronounced "keh". Hope that helps!

[@timmcninch]

Oh, and at the end of the song: και τω τελω, ομεγα... "and at the end, omega."

[@xouleposxoulepos4506]

No it doesnt help at all...we dont sound like that

[@DevinAkin]

The greatness continues. Thanks Tim!

[@steelrose7342]

Thanks for this video. I begin to learn koine this semester and this help me to study.

[@Flamesofthunder]

9:35 is when the rhyme starts. I use that rhyme to help me study

[@birdieh1716]

Thank you so very much. I have been studying the book of Aсts in the Bible and have been frustrated by American preachers who massacre the place names like Derbe and Samothrace. i think it’s the conceit of the English speaking world who presume that all non-English words ought to be pronounced as if they were some odd form of English. I can’t thank enough for your very clear and very patient reading of the alphabet. Cheers from New Zealand. Kia ora.

[@wessikes]

My thanks to you, from a beginner in koine Greek. Before I can learn the grammar and vocabulary, first I must learn the alphabet. Your KZbin post is very helpful....

[@joseorlandoladinov.8588]

Gracias profesor por esta lección.

[@peakbagger7682]

This was a big help for me. I am an auto-didactic learner and want to learn enough Koine Greek that I can one day read the New Testament in the original language. I think this will be easier than learning the Hebrew syllabary and its diacritic markings, that is, I will learn Koine Greek much quicker, I think.

[@uneasyrider6533]

Peakbagger I am on the same journey. May we both gain a greater understanding of the Word of GOD. GODS speed!

[@RafailFytopoulos]

αδελφέ μου θα χαρώ να σε βοηθήσω να μάθεις την γλώσσα. Αρκεί να μπορείς να ερθεις στην Ελλάδα κι Εγώ αναλαμβάνω τα υπόλοιπά.

[@PatrickPease]

Hebrew is super easy, if you aren't sure just assume "ah" for the vowels and you're 90% there. just learn "oh" and "oo" and you got another 5 percent. the rest is י and just assume it's an "ee" sound and your 99% Percent there. you'll never ever chat with a Hebrew speaker anyway so don't be too hard on yourself

[@AndrewFlower]

What an amazing video... I'm about to start studying biblical Greek on my own and after learning Japanese, I know the first thing I want to get is the correct pronunciation. This video is so well structured. The repetition of the characters will really help. I'm hoping that this is indeed the correct pronunciation, as I have no way to verify ^_^ Thank you for making this video!

[@Missramy100]

Any tips you can share with a beginner? I am starting with this Alphabet. It seems like I would have needed another lesson before the alphabet. :))

[@christopherskipp1525]

@@Missramy100 The alphabet is the place to start--don't get too hung up on letter pronunciations, as there is a fair amount of disagreement/variation among Greek teachers on this.

[@Missramy100]

@@christopherskipp1525 Thank you! I actually used the Duolingo app for Greek. :)

[@user-if7lp1bq8n]

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME, BIBLICAL GREEK IS ROMAN GREEK, FAKE STORYS TO CONTROL THE NEXT GENERATION OF GREEKS.

[@frouxfroux]

Best video for learning the Greek alphabet! Thank you!

[@marthamontoyabencomo5156]

thank you so much, love your presentation. Martha

[@jpaleas]

Πολύ καλά μπράβο ! It’s hard to hear your native language’s alphabet been massacred over the years, especially from college sorority students! 🤣 Love love love the song in the end ! Not bad over all ! Thank you !

[@AndrewFlower]

Tim thanks so much for making such a great video. It's awesome that you've spelled the pronunciations of each letter. One question regarding the song. What are the extra sounds between π and ρ, and between ψ and ω? Thanks! Also, why is ταυ pronounced as "tav" and not "tau"? is it a special diphthong?

[@Michail_Chatziasemidis]

Andrew Flower By the time after the 1st century AD, αυ was pronounced more like /aβ^w/ ~ /aφ^w/ rather than /aw/. Its pronunciation was nearer to modern Greek /av/ ~ /af/.

[@rafaeltheodorou9474]

When υ is after a vowel its pronounced as a v. Otherwise its the same as ι and η

[@JKRedStar]

Big thanks for this video!! Good job!!

[@leonzhou5480]

I just love the visual design so much. It would be perfect if IPA is added!

[@sorena81]

Thank you very much for this wonderful video, would you please be able add the pronunciation of diphthongs as well?

[@timmcninch]

Hi sorena81, thanks for the compliment! Please see the companion video on vowels and diphthongs here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6q0nGuEr5ekrac

[@JohnCroweSongwriting]

thank you so much!

[@angrybeluga1697]

Very helpful, thank you. 😊

[@Beastinvader]

Thank you so much.

[@petera4565]

Thank you very much for this helpful video! I greatly appreciate it. It is interesting to me that by the time of koine Greek, the pronunciation of beta has changed from [b], as in Classical Greek, to [v], as in modern Greek. Similarly, delta has changed from [d] to voiced [th], as it is in modern Greek.

[@boblovell519]

I wondered where he had gotten a "v" sound out of beta. Thanks for the info!

[@gazzapax56]

Thank you for the video and the effort you put in. I’m trying to find a trustworthy audio/video reading of Mark’s gospel in Koine Greek. I’d like to compare the distinctiveness of the Erasmus sounds, so I can hear the difference…. I don’t wish to learn the wrong one, or, mistakenly hear modern Greek rendition (although I acknowledge comments on here from Native speakers that modern Greek is quite close to koine)…. Any pointers would be helpful. I’ve see the Impressive LUMO project, and while their Mark is using the Byz text, I’m not sure if this is modern Greek sound or 1st C. Sound. Many thanks.

[@munziroon6585]

physics made us learn half of this language...

[@timmcninch]

I know, right?! I majored in Physics in college, and when I visited Greece I couldn’t understand a word anyone said, but I could pronounce the street signs!

[@angeliquaserenity5009]

Mathematics and Engineering too

[@macvena]

@@timmcninch Unfortunately, modern Greek is as different to Koine or Hellenic Greek as modern English is different from Old English, or modern standard Italian is from any variation of Latin.

[@timmcninch]

@@macvena Yes, of course. Here I'm only referring to my ability to recognize the Greek alphabet from my physics/mathematics training.

[@macvena]

@@timmcninch I understand, and I extend my compliments. Your pronunciation is excellent. Well done.

[@ianinachaninah]

Great video! I hope you can post more lessons. 😃

[@lancelot07ray]

Thanks for your video!

[@johnsummers9790]

I loved the tune at the end for the whole alphabet.

[@cpolychreona]

Good work. I hope that some high-profile new testament scholars learn something from it. A tiny speller, έσχατος, not έσκατος (risks being misunderstood for a dirty word☺). If you ever update this video, don't forget the diphthongs. Do you have a strong opinion about the historical period to which we can date iotakism, the pronunciation as iota of all diphthongs containing this letter?

[@Tzuriah]

I like this but I wish you had gone a bit slower. What do you think about doing a ‘chalkboard’ video with this like your Hebrew Aleph-bet? That way we would know how to write upper/lower case along with pronunciation. I would really appreciate it. Thanks!!!

[@nanigopal7268]

Very good video you havd made. It is centpercent cleat to me. Thank you very much for offering a good video.

[@MarcosCapaz]

your phonetcs are very very clear, help me alot. same videos confused me.

[@ExLibris-Alys]

That was so interesting! Thanks.

[@romanheinemann1549]

there are actually 2 types of Koine Greek:one is Early (1st AD) and one is Late (4th AD) tthe Greek in this video is a Roman period (1st AD) Koine Greek, when eta is not identical to iota yet, but in 4th AD (still Koine, also called early Byzantine) eta merged with iota along with ei digraph, ypsilon (ipsilon, upsilon) and digraph oi not yet iotacized( sound like German ü). by the way, your kappa k sound is too aspirated (otherwise mistake as digraph kappa-chi's sound), chi sound became almost identical to the English "h" sound (soft plosive).

[@MarcosCapaz]

your comment helped me alot. thanks

[@guillaumemidelton9152]

Can you please tell me more about the greek koine? I'm studying ancient greek and "Koine" is the pronunciation that I chose (not too near from the current greek or too far from the classical greek). At that time was gamma pronunced like the french "r" and has delta a light "z" sound? Didn't the sound "b" exist? I know the digraph épsilon-upsilon was prononced as "ev" or "ef" ( as in "evangelios") but was it the same for alpha-upsilon? And for example, how would you pronunce μυῖα, ποιητἠς, εὐειδής?

[@HAL-kd7ve]

all wrong

[@alphasaith8349]

Omicron is very similar to Omega, but there is a difference. Omicron is a short O, like in "on", and Omega uses a long O, like in "show". Do note that I'm still learning, so this may not be 100% accurate, this is just what I've learned.

[@KoineGreek]

I have a whole page on pronunciation on my website with plenty of examples, see: www.KaineDiatheke.com

[@robertolyra59]

Muito bonito e elegante a sua animação do vídeo. Parabéns profissional

[@b.c.7741]

How much does this vary from modern greek alphabet and pronunciation? I'm starting on the journey to teach myself biblical greek and dont really know where to start , what books to buy,

[@alez1154]

Great video！perfect for studying Greece~!

[@perinestor2717]

If you ever going to visit Italy,there is an archaeological site close to Napoli called Cuma Κύμη an ancient Greek city 800 b.c. Greeks build when they migrate that time to the area.So there is a sign from the Italian ministry of culture said ,These people greeks Hellenes who emigrated 800 b c.and build this city cuma give the name of their home city Kymi Κύμη back in Greece to their new city to remember. (Cuma in Latin) "bring with them the Latin alphabet".Thats what they said.

[@endlessnameless7004]

Hi, thanks for such a helpful video.What would you say is the difference between the 'epsilon-iota' diphthong and the 'eta' vowel?Thanks

[@timmcninch]

Using koine-era pronunciation, ει sounds like the e in tree. It's also the same sound that iota (ι) makes. Eta (η) on the other hand, makes an ay sound like in day.

[@timmcninch]

Also, take a look at my video on Greek vowels and diphthongs. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6q0nGuEr5ekrac

[@AhmedVlad]

thank you for this wonderful video. I am learning Greek and this was helpful, but is this pronunciation is the same as modern Greek ?

[@timmcninch]

Not quite. It represents a dialect that would have been used during the Koine era (including the time the New Testament was composed). The language has evolved since then, and in particular, many of the vowels have migrated toward the sound of iota.

[@xanthogenos9827]

Actually, only the pronunciation of eta turned to iota. Otherwise, the pronunciation is the same. Pronunciation of Classik Greek was different from Modern ones. A NATIVE GREEK

[@thischannel973]

@@timmcninch How do we know what somebody sounded like in the Koine era?

[@user-vo7hm2jk2v]

Thank you very much !

[@cacao_0000]

Thank you for this amazing video! I have a question though; why does there seem to be a combination of accent marks on some letters, and what does it mean for the pronunciation? Thank you!

[@TubeVision2]

Hey, I'm learning Greek and am frustrated by Erasmian pronunciation. Finding koine pronunciation can be challenging. Logos software has some. Would you record the diphthongs? That'd really help.

[@timmcninch]

Hi aiorr - See: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6q0nGuEr5ekrac

[@burningjohn579]

I am from Greece

[@hmldjr]

Upsilon was still pronounced as u with a umlaut over it in the koine dialects of Greek. It didn't change until the 11 century AD.

[@preussenuberalles1682]

Very helpful work, Tim, thanks for sharing your knowledge. I have learned that the sound of beta is between 'b' and 'v' as in English and its IPA symbol is just beta. Now, I have two questions. 1. Isn't the sound of ypsilon like 'u' between consonants in French or 'ü' in German? 2. Isn't the symbol ̔ stand for a hard breath like 'h' in English? Maybe those were the sounds in Ancient Greek. Thanks for your answer.

[@timmcninch]

Thank you for your questions. 1. To my ear, the υ does sound like German ü. But I should say I don't know very much German and don't have much experience utilizing the IPA - unless we're talking about India Pale Ales. ;-) 2. In the Erasmian pronunciation system, ' does indicate a rough breathing. But research shows that the rough breathing was not pronounced during the Koine era.

[@shauntighe1758]

Tim McNinch what are you singing between Psi and Omega?

[@timmcninch]

at the end of the song: και τω τελω, ομεγα... "and at the end, omega."

[@Michail_Chatziasemidis]

Tim McNinch I think that «και εν τέλει» would be more correct.

[@agathadiananarba1248]

So helpful❤️

[@sandyhendricks3120]

For a 'first exposure' to the Greek alphabet ~ I thought this was great repetition! The only thing I didn't like was the 'sighs' when the alphabet was repeated each time. However the song at the end was encouraging! : )

[@raquellochoa]

What's that thing right before omega in the song at the end? Beginning to learn Greek over here 🙋🏾‍♀️

[@saadschool8357]

very nice 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@budekins542]

Does anyone know roughly how many extra-biblical texts there are that were written in Koine Greek?

[@leokal2383]

Nice job my dear friend, still i have some thoughts about the pronunciation of "Η,η" ητα, which even you call it ita you pronunce it as long ε. As far as i know the only chance this happen is probably at some archaic form of greek not even in classic times and as an example i m thinking of the early orthodox chants that they were writen in koine and being used non stop till today from the close cast of the orthodox clerics and definitely they pronunce it as long "i". I believe there is a misunderstanding here and in the west some people tried to recreate the pronunciation through Latin mostly and not with the help of the natural greek speakers which would be more helpful. Also i believe that for the long ε that is missing they used the diphthong "αι" and to support this, i 'll remind you that some of the diphthongs are there all the time like "ου" and also is the reason that after the turning from the more "singing" like way of the classical times pronunciation to the more dynamic of the hellenistic times, the dialytics invented which shows that there was a reason to know when the vowels its pronunced together or not.

[@darcy6698]

Great video! May I suggest using IPA notation for the pronunciations as well? It might make it easier, if one cannot hear as well, such as myself.

[@ems4884]

IPA is very helpful ... For those who know it. Sadly no one seems to learn it except for linguists and their students. It can be difficult to get others to learn it.

[@luukstokhof5727]

At 2:00 minutes. Isnt it hemera? Like with a H pronunciation ? Dont know it for sure tho only learned old greek at my school with no actual focus on the pronunciation.

[@kla631]

Question about kappas symbol. I've seen it the way you have it on the video, and I've seen it as a K which one is true. Is one modern and one Koine or just like handwriting changes from person to person, another way to write it?

[@timmcninch]

First of all, there is not much difference between a capital kappa (Κ) and a lower-case kappa (κ) beyond the size, so that can be a bit confusing. But both symbols look much like the English K. Other minor variations are just matters of font choice. The lower-case kappa in this video uses a font that is a bit stylized.

[@kla631]

OK, Thanks for clearing that up.

[@watchmakerful]

@@timmcninch Modern fonts often have two varieties of lowercase kappa. And in LaTeX they are independent characters with different names. The same happens to theta and phi, sometimes also rho.

[@MetalReactions]

It is amazing how many mistakes there are in this video. Espacially the way you pronounce the example words and even more specific the letter "η"

[@MetalReactions]

@Konstantin Trehagyrevopoulos και στο βήτα βάζει ένα έψιλον μέσα.

[@mongia20003]

Excellent

[@piotrrybka318]

Very nice video, but what I personally miss are the following: - IPA symbols and/or at least information on sound features (place and manner of articulation, voicing etc.), - differences in pronunciation depending on location of the letter. After listening, I'm not sure if your γ is velar or uvular and if in every context (especially if doubled--how would you pronouce αγγελος?) or if your η is monophthongal (it seems you used both, monophtongal and diphthongal pronunciations, but the names of the letters may suggest diphthongal pronunciation). In case of ι, I know is either [i] or [j], but for a newbie it may not be that obvious. And how the heck do you pronounce υ? [i] or [v] depending on the context? And what about digraphs, spiritus asper, accents, and iota subscriptus? The alphabet itself is not enough to be able to read Greek texts. If you describe or have alread described all of that in other videos, only then you may be forgiven. 😉

[@rennyskiathitis8178]

What are the differences between Koine Greek and modern Greek in regards to how the alphabet is pronounced? For example when did Beta turn into Veta?

[@mariagalanopoulou2935]

Τέλειο βίντεο! Nice video! Greetings from Greece!

[@mariamentis3428]

Τέλειο με μερικά λαθάκια. Ας μην υπερβάλλουμε

[@Thanos_Kyriakopoulos]

Thank you so much for your pronounciation!!! It is very encouraging that there are also students of ancient Greek who don't use that Erasmian crap

[@Thanos_Kyriakopoulos]

@@Snogubb3n I am Greek

[@BelieveGrace5]

Can one substitute a digamma (F) pronounciation with the phi (f) sound? The reason I ask is because it is understood that the digamma has a ( wau sound ) yet in English and Latin it has the sound of F. What are you thoughts on this?

[@watchmakerful]

I don't think so, it was [w], not [f].

[@jacobhuang8427]

Thank you, Tim, for a very clear and understandable teaching. Jacob Huang

[@timmcninch]

Thanks for the compliment.

[@benjiang9789]

For the first vowel in "B" and "Z", some speakers use [e] while some [i]. Are both correct?

[@user-wg4tv4fg1d]

Η,Ι,Υ,ΕΙ,ΟΙ all of them is pronouncing e

[@philipgibson138]

Thankyou I was learning NT Greek alphabet in COVID LOCKDOWN. Fortunately I did NOT find this excellent video. I would have remained in strict lockdown until I had read all 4 gospels AND Acts out loud to my wife and daughters!

[@timmcninch]

Hahahaha!

[@philipgibson138]

@@timmcninch Tim, I am doubly glad that my joke made you laugh. It is true to life but it was actually a very SAD private family reality that I had worded as joke in hope of a positive response. Back in 2021 my wife was actually thrilled to see me taking up new retirement hobbies like Greek and Welsh. I did not understand at the time why she was so unexpectedly supportive since she had no interest in ' strange tongues' of any sort. As it turned out hobbies like learning NT Greek and singing Welsh Hymns have literally become a life saver for me recently. An extended voluntary lock down from 'normal' social activities like Church on Sundays has been forced upon me by the extremly sad fact that my wife actually died suddenly back in November 2021. I have been reluctant to overload the internet with sad news at a time when the world is so full of real tragedy but this feels like a safe place or warm spot to explain WHY I am enjoying tge Greek alphabet right now. I can now thank you publically that your laughter above made me smile today when nothing else could. I was able to IMAGINE my wife responding positively to your reply, and that is often all a widower needs to get up and face a tough day ahead. She rarely laughed directly at my jokes, but she always joined in the conversation when another person saw the funny side. She would have grabbed my smart phone to make a very clever joke at my expense. I was my wife's hero only if I could make our daughters and grandson laugh in the middle of a family crisis. At times that was my most important job in life. "Make sad people laugh at their own sadness". That skill became extremely important when she was very poorly and physically not able to laugh herself. Seeing the genuine joy of family around her was an essential part of her paliative care in 2021. I was teaching myself the Greek letters and their sounds by using soft toys and giving them all Bible names on labels. She would recognise the names audibly even if MY handwritten letters like zeta and xi looked like what she called " unintelligible squiggles ". It was possibly reminding her of our own daughters trying to write at age 2. As her cognitive skill deteriorated, but still in lock down at home alone with me, I swapped from Greek to WELSH where there are no squiggles in the aphabet. It is a familiar accent here in the UK. She did not know any welsh vocabulary but she found the smooth sounds of the language 'familiar and comforting' . So I learnt the song CALON LAN, with the occasional letters LL, CH, and NG that didn't look too foreign. Ruth knew several Welsh hymn tunes from childhood so I could even change the TUNE to add variety... "What a friend we have in Jesus." Her final weeks were as pleasant as we could make them by all of us just " being ourselves" and enjoying what we liked doing in a manner that she would find amusing. You may never know what ETERNAL good can come from a you tube video that you post when you are motivated by a " Calon Lân ". Phil. G. Feb 2023

[@timmcninch]

@@philipgibson138 I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. Thank you for sharing your story. I'm glad my video could prompt a fond memory.

[@mikescarlett4704]

Thank you for Sharing 💫 🎶♾️🌎☮️🕊️🎶🌞

[@el_teacher_gus74]

Is there any difference between logos/rhema, teknon/juios, zoe/bios? please!

[@dimitriosfl]

Very good!

[@Claroscur0Astral]

I am really feeling this

[@shauntighe1758]

At the end what are you singing between Psi and Omega?

[@dieselface1]

kai to telo o-mega -- and the last/end Omega

[@sivaprasadvarma]

Could you tell me what font and software you used for the slides ?

[@timmcninch]

I don't remember which fonts I used... probably SBL for the Greek. The software is Apple's Keynote: you can do a lot with Keynote; it just takes a long time to make elaborate animations.

[@arsenios1]

Πολλά συγχαρητήρια σοῦ ἀξίζουν Τίμ διότι χρησιμοποιεῖς πολυτονικό καί πάλι μπράβο!!!

[@TaxEvasi0n]

You're making me want to learn Koine Greek now. At least remembering the alphabet and able to read it.

[@piercesmith1465]

Hey is the upsilon sound the same as the German ü? For the consonants and vowels, how much have they changed? I'm just starting a Beginner Ancient Greek Textbook--but the authors are from Melbourne, Australia! So they try to use English words (rather than any IPA!!) as examples for the different sounds, but they're bonkers how far off--and how little they care--from the correct pronunciation. I guess it's just a reading course, but I'd like to be able to read the Ancient Greek with confidence that I'm at least trying to approximate the sounds

[@timmcninch]

Yes, to my ear upsilon and German ü sound the same (I should add, though, that I am not a native speaker of either language-so there may be nuances of sound I don't pick up on).

[@piercesmith1465]

@@timmcninch Thanks man! I agree about the nuances. There are some sounds that are the same in IPA across a lot of languages, but each language just has that tiny nuance different from the others in how the sound is enunciated.

[@gloriosatierra]

Y is elongated u follow by i: ui “u-i”

[@georgechristoforou991]

Well done. Decent attempt at Greek pronunciation

[@sapereaude6339]

George Christoforou This is early first century Koine Greek, this is what it sounded like when Jesus was on earth. It’s not meant to sound like modern day Greek.

[@Michail_Chatziasemidis]

@@sapereaude6339 But of course.

[@Rightlydividing-wx1xb]

According to C. C. Caragounis, a prominent Linguist and Grammarian of Greek and scholar of the history of the Greek language, including pronunciation, and native speaker, instantiates by ancient inscriptions and documents that the pronunciation has been the same since the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet today were made official in 403 BCE. The koine is pronounced- keenee. The main proof of HGP, today's Greek Pronunciation is spelling variants, the most common since the 5th century (and earlier) are the interchangeable vowels. Clear examples of words spelled two or three different ways, the difference being the interchanging of certain vowels and digraphs and many found within New Testament manuscripts are a result of orthography, sounds from scribes writing what is dictated in scriptoriums . Plato is quoted concerning this problem. Various letters being used equalling the iota sound: n, u, oi, ei, I. The pronunciation being used by English speaking seminaries for the New Testament is manufactured by Erasmus in 1528, he was duped by colleagues of his, a new pronunciation of Greek they claimed and he introduced it in a story of a conversation between a lion and a bear, this is documented. Caragounis and Dr. Philemon Zackariou both have written on the History, morphology, syntax, phonology, etc. of the HGP=HISTORICAL GREEK PRONUNCIATION. They present evidence, they also present opposing argumentation, and they present phonological, including orthographical spelling differences, and all other aspects of the phonology of Greek. They discuss the whole issue of the language and pronunciation.

[@nareshmalla337]

Sir can you somehow covert these English name "vidur" and "Kiran" to Greece.

[@Michael5iLVEr]

Naresh Thakur It depends on which form of Greek you want to transliterate them. Homeric Greek: ϝιδύρ (widur), κιράν (kiran). Ancient Greek βιδούρ (bidūr), κιράν (kiran). Hellenistic Koine/Medieval Greek βιδούρ (vidhur), κιράν (kiran). Modern Greek βιντούρ (vindur), κιράν (kiran).

[@nareshmalla337]

Khatz Mikhael thank you sir a lot .

[@vasilikiyannos]

Excellent accent Tim!!! Ο Κυριος να σε ευλογει!

[@tipotenios7062]

δεν υπαρχει θεος

[@vasilikiyannos]

@@tipotenios7062 Nαι υπαρχει!!!!!! Ερχεται με δοξα και με δυναμη, ΜΕΤΑΝΟΙΣΕ!!!!!

[@tipotenios7062]

@@vasilikiyannos οχι δεν υπαρχει

[@vasilikiyannos]

@@tipotenios7062 Ενταξει οπως θελεις, αλλα αυτοι που πεθαινουν χωρις ΧΡΙΣΤΟ, πανε στην αιωνια κολλαση!!!!

[@vasilikiyannos]

@@tipotenios7062 Ο ΙΗΣΟΥΣ σε αγαπα και σε θελει κοντα του, θελει να σε σωσει!!!!!

[@mitrahispana4119]

For the word “pneuma”…is it pronounced NOO-ma or P’noo-ma? 🤔 is pi silent? EDIT: your singing at the end was so cute ☺️ made me feel like my family was teaching me letters like when I was a kid

[@SaintsEdified]

Few questions for those who are more familiar with the Greek language... In this video, Mr. McNinch pronounces beta (Β) with a "v" sound. And tau (Τ) is pronounced with a "v" at the end. When I first learned Koine Greek, the teacher (who learned Koine in college) pronounced B like "bay-tuh" and T like "tow." I was told that no one truly knows how to pronounce Koine, but I'm sure those who use Modern Greek can chime in and give their two cents. Is McNinch more accurate the pronunciation of the ancient language?

[@timmcninch]

This is a scholarly reconstruction of what Greek likely sounded like in the Koine era (roughly the time of the New Testament). Your former teacher was using a pronunciation schema called “Erasmian” which was never used by actual Greek speakers. The pronunciation in this video is very similar to Modern Greek, and represents an ancient phase in the development of the language. The most prominent difference is that in Modern Greek more vowels and diphthongs have “itacized” and sound like the letter iota. Hope that helps clarify!

[@thiagoeduardo4421]

What source are you using? I found it pretty

[@cmt1633]

Hi. Thank you for the video. Just to confirm -- is this the pronunciation you would advice someone (such as myself) purely interested in reading the New Testament in the original Greek? Or are there certain alterations that you would advice that would correspond more closely to the specific period of the NT's composition? (Sorry if that's an overly specific question) I'm particularly interested in the breathing marks. Am I right in think I should ignore them when reading from the NT? Lastly, have you come across any videos/recordings of text being read using this pronunciation? The only recordings I've come across (of the New Testament, at least) have either been read with either the Modern Greek or a very americanised (Esrasmian?) pronunciation. Thanks again.

[@timmcninch]

Thanks CT. This is a scholars' reconstruction of how Greek would likely have been pronounced in the Koine era, when the NT was composed. It is different from Classical Greek, and a bit different from Modern Greek. You will encounter Erasmian pronunciation in most academic classrooms, but Greek was never actually pronounced like that in any era. There is a growing interest in teaching students of the NT to pronounce Greek with a reconstructed Koine-era system like this one. Do check out the Conversational Koine Institute (www.conversationalkoine.com), where you can learn (and where I learned) to speak Greek in this way!

[@seankennedy4284]

Thank you @CMT and @TimMcNinch. I had the same question. This "dialect" sounds quite authentic to my untrained ear, by way of comparison to Erasmian(s). Plus, since---even among Erasmian teachers---pronunciation differences yet remain, I ask myself Why NOT learn this standardized, authentic-sounding version of Koine. Thanks again.

[@Kagkvo]

I need this for my Latin exam thank you

[@gda295]

thnx ...ideal.

[@georgevidalis4260]

I'm glad that you pronounced ipsilon and not upsilon, two thumbs up!!

[@theminecraftfox8912]

Upsilon is used by american greek letter organizations like fratternities

[@theminecraftfox8912]

Upsilon is used by american greek letter organizations like fraternities and sororities

[@luisperez3979]

great!

[@not_milk]

Many of these sound good. But I do believe during koine times that χ would be pronounced “k” with an aspirate. So kh as in kite. Even in modern Greek it doesn’t exactly sound quite like how you have here. It usually has the sound of a velar fricative, rather than the uvular fricative.

[@watchmakerful]

Actually they've lost three more letters (but two of them managed to reach the Latin alphabet as F and Q)...

[@Alex_K7777]

Coming from a Greek, you have a really good accent, congrats

[@Llyebbay]

Υοu have hevy pronunciation ,, Where are you from ?

[@brotherbear6434]

Didn't beta used to be B in koine? I thought it changed into v /veeta only later.

[@simonbedenbender3087]

Which font are you using? Its very beautiful.

[@TMPOUZI]

I think its a Times New Roman font

[@njsunnvoll94]

What is the differense between omikron and omega?

[@timmcninch]

They are both O vowels. Mega means "big" and micron means "small." So in early Greek there must have been a difference. But by the time people were speaking Koine (like during the New Testament era) they were both pronounced the same, like the o in "home." If you are using the more recent invented pronunciation scheme called Erasmian, the omicron is given a short sound like in "hot."

[@njsunnvoll94]

Thank you very much for answering :)

[@preussenuberalles1682]

The length of the vowel, remember that 'mikro' stands for small and 'mega' for large.

[@greekwatchcollector722]

All these letters which in modern and koine Greek have the same pronunciation (ι,η,υ,ω,ο,ε,αι,οι) κλπ it was because some of them were brachyphones and some of them macrophones and had different pronunciations.

[@GREEKTEDDY]

Good Job