The Greek letter belongs to the category of alphabetic, goes back to the Phoenician letter. The oldest written monuments date back to the 14th-12th centuries. BC e., written in Crete-Mycenaean syllabary (Linear A, Linear B).
It is believed that Greek alphabet arose in the 8th century. BC e. The first written monuments date back to the 8th century. BC e. (Dipylonian inscription from Athens, as well as an inscription from Thera). In appearance and character set, it is closest to the Phrygian alphabetic writing (8th century BC). In the Greek language, in contrast to the Semitic, consonant (only consonants are reflected in the letter) prototype, in addition to graphemes for denoting consonants, graphemes for denoting vowels first appeared, which can be considered a new stage in the development of writing.

Before the emergence of alphabetic writing, the Hellenes used syllabic linear writing (Cretan writing included Linear A, which has not been deciphered so far, Linear B, Phaistos disc writing).
Writing based on the Greek alphabet was divided into 2 varieties: Eastern Greek and Western Greek writing, which, in turn, were divided into a number of local varieties that differed in their characteristics in the transmission of individual characters. East Greek writing further developed into classical ancient Greek and Byzantine writing, became the basis of Coptic, Gothic, Armenian, to some extent Georgian writing, Slavic Cyrillic. Western Greek writing became the basis for Etruscan, and consequently Latin and runic Germanic writing.

Initially, the Greek alphabet consisted of 27 letters, and in this form it developed by the 5th century BC. BC e. based on the Ionian variety of Greek writing. The direction of writing is from left to right. The signs "stigma" (ς), now transmitted through στ, "koppa" (¢) and "sampi" (¥) were used only to indicate numbers and subsequently fell out of use. Also, in some local variants (in the Peloponnese and in Boeotia), the symbol  "digamma" was used to designate the phoneme [w].
Traditionally, the ancient Greek, and after it the modern Greek alphabet, has 24 letters:

inscription	Name	Pronunciation
Α α	άλφα
Β β	βήτα
Γ γ	γάμα
Δ δ	δέλτα
Ε ε	έψιλον
Ζ ζ	ζήτα
Η η	ήτα
Θ θ	θήτα
Ι ι	γιώτα
Κ κ	κάπα
Λ λ	λάμδα
Μ μ	μι
Ν ν	νι
Ξ ξ	ξι	Ks
Ο ο	όμικρον
Π π	πι
Ρ ρ	ρο
Σ σ ς	σίγμα
Τ τ	ταυ
Υ υ	ύψιλον
Φ φ	φι
Χ χ	χι
Ψ ψ	ψι	Ps
Ω ω	ωμέγα

In theory, two types of pronunciation are distinguished: Erasmus (ητακιστική προφορά, it is believed that it was characteristic in the classical period of the use of the ancient Greek language, now it is used only in teaching) and Reuchlin (ιωτακιστική προφορά). The pronunciation in Modern Greek is Reuchlinian. Its main feature is the presence of several options for transmitting the same sound.
There are diphthongs in Greek:

inscription	Pronunciation	inscription	Pronunciation
αι		αη	Ai
οι		οϊ	Ouch
ει		οη	Ouch
υι	at	ευ	Ev (ef)

All diphthongs are pronounced in one syllable. If after ει, οι, ι, υ there is a vowel, this combination is also pronounced in one syllable: πιάνο [p΄yano] (piano), ποιες [pies] (who). Such diphthongs are called improper (καταχρηστικός δίφθογγος).
The letter Γ, followed by ει, οι, ι, υ, ε, which in turn is followed by a vowel, is not pronounced: γυαλιά [yal΄ya] (glasses), γεύση [΄yevsi] (taste). Γ before back-lingual (γ, κ, χ) is pronounced as [n]: άγγελος [΄angelos] (angel), αγκαλιά [angal΄ya] (hugs), άγχος [΄anhos] (stress).

In addition, the following combinations of consonants began to be used in the Modern Greek language, transmitting the sounds of the Greek language: τσ (τσάϊ [ts "ay] but: έτσι ["etsy]), τζ (τζάμι [dz" ami]), μπ (mb in the middle of the original Greek word: αμπέλι [amb "eli] or b at the beginning of a word and in loanwords: μπορώ [bor" o]), ντ (nd in the middle of a native Greek word: άντρας ["andras] or d at the beginning of a word and in borrowed words : ντύνω [d "ino]), γκ (ng in the middle of the original Greek word: ανάγκη [an "angi] or g at the beginning of the word and in borrowed words: γκολ [goal]).

Double letters ξ ψ always replace the combination of consonants κσ, πσ. Exception: εκστρατεία (campaign). The sign ς is used only at the end of a word. The sign σ is never used at the end of a word.
The word may end in a vowel, ν or ς. The only exceptions are some interjections and borrowed words.

Additional Information:

Peculiarities:
The phonetic system consists of 5 vowel phonemes, which were opposed in ancient Greek by longitude/shortness (a, e, i, o, u). In modern Greek, such a division is irrelevant. Nearby vowels merge into a long vowel or form a diphthong. Diphthongs are divided into proper (the second element is necessarily ι, υ) and improper (a combination of a long vowel with i). Stress in the ancient Greek language is musical, mobile, of three types: (acute, obtuse and clothed). In modern Greek, only one type of stress is acute. In the system of consonants of the Modern Greek language, new sounds developed: labial-dental [ντ], interdental voiced [δ] and deaf [θ], which cause the greatest difficulties in pronouncing them.

The morphology is characterized by the presence of 3 genders in nominal parts of speech (male, female, neuter), their indicators are also articles (definite and indefinite: the indefinite article occurs and fully corresponds to the numeral one), 2 numbers (singular, plural, in ancient Greek there was also a dual a number to designate paired objects such as “eyes, hands, twins”), 5 cases (nominative, vocative, genitive, dative, accusative: in the ancient Greek language there were remnants of other cases, for example, instrumental, locative, and so on; in modern Greek there is no dative cases), 3 nominal declensions (on -a, on -o, on other vowels, as well as consonants). The verb had 4 moods (indicative, conjunctive, optative and imperative), 3 voices (active, passive, middle, in Modern Greek the medial in inflection completely corresponds to the passive), 2 types of conjugation (on -ω and on -μι, in Modern Greek division into conjugations is carried out by the presence or absence of stress on the last syllable of the verb).

Groups of tenses: in ancient Greek they are divided into main (present, future, perfect) and historical (aorist, perfect and pluperfect). В новогреческом языке деление происходит на настоящее время, длительные времена и наклонения (παρατατικός, συνεχής μέλλοντας, συνεχής υποτακτική, συνεχής προστακτική), одномоментные времена и наклонения (αόριστος, απλός μέλλοντας, απλή υποτακτική, απλή προστακτική), законченные времена (παρακείμενος, υπερσυντέλικος, τετελεσμένος μέλλοντας). In the system of verb tenses of the Modern Greek language, new analytical models for the formation of compound tenses (perfect, pluperfect, future) have developed. The participle formation system has been simplified, however, a large number of them are used in a frozen form, while in their formation a syllabic increment or reduplication is often used.

The syntactic system is characterized by a free word order in a sentence (the predominant sequence in the main sentence - SVO (subject-verb-object)) with a developed system of composition and subordination within a complex sentence. An important role is played by particles (especially since the infinitive was abolished in the Modern Greek language, which is replaced by indicative forms with the corresponding particles) and prepositions. The system of derivational means includes a developed system of prefixes (derived from adverbs-prepositions), suffixes. Phrasing is used more actively than in Russian.

The Greek language has a very rich and developed lexical system. The structure of the vocabulary includes several layers: pre-Greek (of Pelasgian origin), native Greek, borrowed, consisting of Semitic and Latin layers. The modern Greek language contains a large number of borrowings from Romance (mainly French and especially Italian), Germanic (English), Slavic (including Russian) languages. A huge layer of vocabulary is Turkish borrowings. It is also worth mentioning reverse borrowings, when Greek morphemes previously borrowed by other foreign languages ​​are returned to Greek to name newly invented objects and phenomena (for example, “telephone”).
Some features unite the Modern Greek language with other Balkan languages ​​(Romanian, Serbian Bulgarian): the unification of the functions of the genitive and dative cases, the absence of the infinitive and its replacement by subjunctive forms, complex (analytical) forms of the future tense and subjunctive. Elements characteristic of all Balkan languages ​​in syntax are excessive doubling of direct and indirect objects, the use of pronominal repetitions, which cause great difficulty for users of other languages.

Modern Greek has mostly free word order. However, pronouns often lose this freedom: the possessive pronoun is always placed after the noun it defines, the short forms of personal pronouns are necessarily placed immediately before the verb in a certain order (genitive first, then accusative). For possessive and personal pronouns, there is a coherent system of short and full forms. The full form is mobile, but is used strictly in certain cases: after prepositions; for emphatic highlighting of a pronoun together with a short form; on one's own.

The set of letters in the Greek system. lang., located in the accepted order (see table below). Letters G. a. used in publications in Russian. lang. as symbols mat. and physical designations. In the original, the letters G. a. it is customary to enclose in a circle of red ... ... Publishing Dictionary

Greek alphabet- The Greeks first used consonant letters. In 403 BC. e. under Archon Euclid, the classical Greek alphabet is introduced in Athens. It consisted of 24 letters: 17 consonants and 7 vowels. Letters were first introduced to represent vowels; α, ε, η … Dictionary of linguistic terms T.V. Foal

This article is about the Greek letter. For the Cyrillic numerical sign, see the article Kopp (Cyrillic) Greek alphabet Α α alpha Β β beta ... Wikipedia

Self-name: Ελληνικά Countries: Greece ... Wikipedia

Language Self-name: Ελληνικά Countries: Greece, Cyprus; communities in the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Albania, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Italy ... Wikipedia

It is the latest development in the history of writing. This name denotes a series of written characters arranged in a certain constant order and conveying approximately completely and accurately all the individual sound elements of which the given language is composed ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

This term has other meanings, see Alphabet (meanings). Wiktionary has an entry for "alphabet" Alphabet... Wikipedia

Alphabet- [Greek. ἀλφάβητος, from the names of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet alpha and beta (modern Greek vita)] a system of written signs that convey the sound image of the words of the language through symbols depicting individual sound elements. Invention… … Linguistic Encyclopedic Dictionary

It is the latest phenomenon in the history of writing (see Letter). This name denotes a series of written characters arranged in a certain constant order and transmitting approximately completely and accurately all the individual sound elements, of which ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

ALPHABET- a set of letters or similar characters used in writing, where each letter stands for one or more phonemes. Alphabets were not the oldest basis of writing, having developed from hieroglyphs or written images used, ... ... Symbols, signs, emblems. Encyclopedia

Books

• Introduction to Ancient Greek. Textbook for academic baccalaureate, Titov O.A. The textbook discusses a brief history of the development of the Greek language from ancient times to the present day, gives the Greek alphabet, reading rules, types and features of stress. ...
• Introduction to Ancient Greek 2nd ed., rev. and additional Textbook for academic baccalaureate, Oleg Anatolyevich Titov. The textbook discusses a brief history of the development of the Greek language from ancient times to the present day, gives the Greek alphabet, reading rules, types and features of stress. ...

Ελληνικό αλφάβητο [eliniko alphabet] - Greek alphabet used in Greek and in a rather small Greek language group. Despite this, it is one of the most ancient (presumably IX century) and studied. The word "Alphabet", borrowed by us from the Greeks, consists of the names of the first two letters: "alpha" and "vita"(by analogy, our "ABC" was also named: "az" and "beeches"). Both modern and ancient Greek alphabet consists of 24 letters: vowels and consonants.

Greek alphabet history

The letters of the Greek alphabet were partially borrowed from the Phoenician writing of the consonant type of writing words (using only consonants). In connection with the peculiarity of the Greek language, some symbols denoting consonants began to be used to record vowel sounds. Thus, the Greek alphabet can be considered the first in the history of writing, which consisted of vowels and consonants. The Phoenician letters changed not only their styles, but also their names. Initially, all the symbols of the Phoenician writing system had names denoting a word and denoted the initial letter of this word. In Greek transcription, the words slightly changed their sound, and the semantic load was lost. New symbols have also been added to represent missing vowels.

Modern Greek alphabet with transcription

(Modern Greek)

Letter	Greek name	Russian name	Pronunciation
Α α	άλφα	alpha	[a]
Β β	βήτα	beta (vita)	[β]
Γ γ	γάμμα γάμα	gamma	[ɣ], [ʝ]
Δ δ	δέλτα	delta	[ð]
Ε ε	έψιλον	epsilon	[e]
Ζ ζ	ζήτα	zeta (zita)	[z]
Η η	ήτα	this (ita)	[i]
Θ θ	θήτα	theta (phyta)	[θ]
Ι ι	ιώτα γιώτα	iota	[i], [j]
Κ κ	κάππα κάπα	kappa	[k], [c]
Λ λ	λάμδα λάμβδα	lambda (lamda)	[l]
Μ μ	μι μυ	mu (mi)	[m]
Ν ν	νι νυ	nude (no)	[n]
Ξ ξ	ξι	xi
Ο ο	όμικρον	omicron	[o]
Π π	πι	pi	[p]
Ρ ρ	ρω	ro	[r]
Σ σ ς	σίγμα	sigma	[s]
Τ τ	ταυ	tau (tav)	[t]
Υ υ	ύψιλον	upsilon	[i]
Φ φ	φι	fi	[ɸ]
Χ χ	χι	hee	[x], [ç]
Ψ ψ	ψι	psi
Ω ω	ωμέγα	omega	[o]

Ancient Greek alphabet with transcription

(ancient Greek)

Letter	Dr. - Greek name	Russian name	Pronunciation
Α α	ἄλφα	alpha	[a]
Β β	βῆτα	beta (vita)	[b]
Γ γ	γάμμα	gamma	[g]/[n]
Δ δ	δέλτα	delta	[d]
Ε ε	εἶ	epsilon	[e]
Ζ ζ	ζῆτα	zeta (zita)	, later
Η η	ἦτα	this (ita)	[ɛː]
Θ θ	θῆτα	theta (phyta)
Ι ι	ἰῶτα	iota	[i]
Κ κ	κάππα	kappa	[k]
Λ λ	λάμδα	lambda (lamda)	[l]
Μ μ	μῦ	mu (mi)	[m]
Ν ν	νῦ	nude (no)	[n]
Ξ ξ	ξεῖ	xi
Ο ο	οὖ	omicron	[o]
Π π	πεῖ	pi	[p]
Ρ ρ	ῥῶ	ro	[r],
Σ σ ς	σῖγμα	sigma	[s]
Τ τ	ταῦ	tau (tav)	[t]
Υ υ	ὖ	upsilon	[y], (previously [u], )
Φ φ	φεῖ	fi
Χ χ	χεῖ	hee
Ψ ψ	ψεῖ	psi
Ω ω	ὦ	omega	[ɔː]

Greek alphabet numbers

The symbols of the Greek alphabet were also used in the system of writing numbers. Letters in order denoted numbers from 1 to 9, then numbers from 10 to 90, multiples of 10, and then numbers from 100 to 900, multiples of 100. Due to the fact that there were not enough alphabetic characters to write numbers, the number system was supplemented with symbols:

• ϛ (stigma)
• ϟ (koppa)
• ϡ (sampi)

Letter	Meaning	Name
Α α	1	alpha
Β β	2	beta (vita)
Γ γ	3	gamma
Δ δ	4	delta
Ε ε	5	epsilon
Ϛ ϛ	6	stigma
Ζ ζ	7	zeta (zita)
Η η	8	this (ita)
Θ θ	9	theta (phyta)
Ι ι	10	iota
Κ κ	20	kappa
Λ λ	30	lambda (lamda)
Μ μ	40	mu (mi)
Ν ν	50	nude (no)
Ξ ξ	60	xi
Ο ο	70	omicron
Π π	80	pi
Ϙ ϙ or Ϟ ϟ	90	koppa
Ρ ρ	100	ro
Σ σ ς	200	sigma
Τ τ	300	tau (tav)
Υ υ	400	upsilon
Φ φ	500	fi
Χ χ	600	hee
Ψ ψ	700	psi
Ω ω	800	omega
Ϡ ϡ	900	Sampi

ancient greek alphabet

letter, name, pronunciation, latin transliteration
Α α alpha [a] long or short, a
Β β beta [b] b
Γ γ gamma [g] g
Δ δ delta [d] d
Ε ε epsilon [e] short, e
Ζ ζ zeta [dz] dz
Η η this [e] long ē
Θ θ theta [tx] th
Ι ι iota [and] long and short, i
Κ κ kappa [k] k
Λ λ lambda [l] l
μ mu [m] m
Ν ν nu [n] n
Ξ ξ xi [ks] x
Ο ο omicron [o] short, o
Π π pi [n] p
Ρ ρ ro [r] r
Σ σ sigma [s] s
Τ τ tau [t] t
Υ υ upsilon [ü] as a vowel in a word tulle, short and long, y
Φ φ phi [f] ph
χ chi [x] ch
Ψ ψ psi [ps] ps
Ω ω omega [o] long ō

Sigma at the end of a word is written as ς: σεισμός earthquake

Ancient Greek vowels were long and short. Alpha, iota and upsilon could mean both short and long sounds. Omega and eta are long [o] and [e], respectively, omikrom and epsilon are short [o] and [e]. In the modern tradition, when reading the ancient Greek text, the length of the vowels is not transmitted. However, you need to know it for the correct placement of stress.

Gamma in combinations γγ γκ γχ γξ reads as [n] ἄγγελος [angelos] messenger, ἄγκυρα [ankyura] anchor, λόγχη [longhe] a spear, Σφίγξ [sphinx] sphinx.

The consonants Φ Θ Χ were originally deaf aspirated [n x] [t x] [k x]. They lost their aspiration quite early, turning into [f], [t], [x]. Traditionally, aspiration is transmitted only when reading theta. In Modern Greek, theta came to mean an interdental sound.

Diphthongs. αυ [ay] ευ [ey] - are read in one syllable. ου - reads like [y].
Αι [ay] Ει [hey] οι [oh] υι [üy]
In diphthongs with the so-called "signed iota" it is not read ᾳ [a] ῃ [e] ῳ [o]
If you need to show the separate pronunciation of vowels, two dots are placed above the second of them πραΰς [great] gentle

Aspiration. An aspirated sign is necessarily placed above the initial vowels.
᾿ - thin aspiration. does not affect pronunciation
῾ - thick aspiration, pronounced like Ukrainian r (back-lingual, voiced, fricative). it will not be a great sin to pronounce a thick breath and as Russian [x]. ἡμέρα [hamera] day, ἓξ [hax] six

The initial υ and ρ always have a deep breath. A deep breath over ρ is not reflected in pronunciation, it is transmitted in Latin as rh. On two adjacent ρ in the middle of the word, signs of aspiration are put: thin over the first, thick - over the second. When pronouncing, they are also not reflected.

Even above the vowels, stress marks are placed, which will be discussed next time.

This version of reading ancient Greek letters is called Erasmus pronunciation by the name of Erasmus of Rotterdam, who proposed such a reading after comparing Greek words, Greek borrowings in Latin and features of Greek graphics. There is another option - Reuchlin's pronunciation. It is named after Erasmus' opponent, Johann Reuchlin. Reuchlin was guided by the pronunciation that existed in the Middle Ages.
Features of the Reuchlin system.
1) deep breath is not pronounced
2) β is read as [at]
3) π after μ and ν is voiced in [b]
4) τ after ν is voiced in [d]
5) κ after γ and ν is voiced in [g]
6) θ is read as [f]
7) Αι is read as [e]
8) the sounds η and υ, as well as the diphthongs Ει οι υι began to be read as [and]
9) αυ and ευ are read before voiced consonants as [av] and [ev], and before deaf ones - as [af] and [ef].
Erasmus' system is often called ethacism, and Reuchlin's itacism.

The Greek alphabet is a writing system developed in Greece that first appears in archaeological sites in the 8th century BC. This was not the first writing system used to write Greek: several centuries before the Greek alphabet was invented, the Linear B script was the writing system used to write Greek in Mycenaean times. The Linear B script was lost around 10,000 BC, and with it all knowledge of writing disappeared from Greece before the Greek alphabet was developed.

The Greek alphabet was born when the Greeks adapted the Phoenician writing system to represent their own language, developing a fully phonetic writing system consisting of single characters arranged in a linear fashion that could represent both consonants and vowels. The earliest inscriptions from the Greek alphabet are graffiti carved on pots and pots. The graffiti found in Lefkandi and Eretria, the "Dipylon oinochoe" found in Athens, and the inscriptions in Nestor's "Pitekkusay" goblet date back to the second half of the 8th century BC and are the oldest known Greek letters ever recorded.

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE GREEK ALPHABET
At the beginning of the first millennium BC, the Phoenicians, who originated in Lebanon, became successful maritime traders, and they gradually extended their influence to the west, establishing outposts throughout the Mediterranean basin. The Phoenician language belonged to the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family, and it was closely related to the Canaanites and Hebrews. With them, the Phoenicians carried a commodity for trade, as well as another valuable commodity: their writing system.

The Phoenicians had a writing system similar to that used by other peoples in the Semitic Levant. They did not use ideograms; it was a phonetic writing system, consisting of a set of letters that represented sounds. Like modern Arabic and Hebrew writing systems, the Phoenician alphabet only had letters for consonants, not vowels. The Greeks took the Phoenician alphabet and made several key changes: they dropped those signs for which there was no consonant equivalent in Greek, and used them instead for individual vowel sounds. As a result, the Greek vowel letters A (alpha), E (epsilon), I (iota), O (omicron), Y (upsilon), and H (eta) emerged as adaptations of the Phoenician letters for consonants that were absent in Greek. By using separate characters to represent vowels and consonants, the Greeks created a writing system that, for the first time, could represent speech in an unambiguous way.

There are some significant benefits due to these changes. Although syllabic, logographic, and pictographic systems can sometimes be ambiguous in order to represent spoken language, the Greek alphabet can accurately represent speech. In the Middle East, as well as in the Aegean Bronze Age, writing was an art monopolized by specialists, scribes. All this would have changed in Greece after the Greek alphabet: the Greek alphabet had fewer characters, which made the writing system more accessible to those willing to learn.

What were the reasons that prompted the Greeks to apply such changes to the Phoenician alphabet? It is not entirely understood, but it seems likely that certain differences between Phoenician and Greek phonology played a role in this process. Although the Phoenician word begins with a vowel (only with a consonant), many Greek words have a vowel at the beginning. This means that unless the Phoenician alphabet was changed, it would be impossible to accurately write Greek. How these changes were made is also unknown. However, there are several conclusions that can be drawn from the available archaeological evidence. It is believed that the innovations were carried out by the Greeks in a single move. This is supported by the fact that classical Greek vowels are present in the earliest examples of Greek alphabetic writing, with the exception of only Ω (omega). In other words, there is no evidence of a stage in the development of the Greek alphabet, as far as we can tell from the earliest recorded examples: if, instead of a single move, the Greeks gradually implemented these innovations, we would expect to see examples of defective, inconsistent or incomplete vowel representations, but so far none of them has not been identified. This is one of the reasons why some believe that the Greek alphabet had one "inventor" or at least a certain moment of "invention".

In the earliest versions of the alphabet, the Greeks followed the Phoenician practice of writing from right to left, and the letters had a left orientation. This was followed by a period of bi-directional writing, meaning that the direction of writing was in one direction on one line, but in the opposite direction on the next, a practice known as boustrophedon. In boustrophed inscriptions, non-symmetrical letters changed orientation according to the direction of the line in which they were part. However, in the 5th century BC. e. The manual of Greek writing was standardized as left to right, and all letters adopted a fixed directional orientation.

LEGENDARY ACCOUNTS AT THE ORIGIN OF THE GREEK ALPHABET
The ancient Greeks were more or less aware of the fact that their alphabet was an adaptation of the Phoenician alphabet, and there were several reports of the alphabet being created in ancient Greece. One famous example is Herodotus:

So, these Phoenicians, including the Gefirs, came with Kadmos and settled this land [Boeotia], and they passed on a lot of knowledge to the Hellenes and, in particular, taught them the alphabet, which, it seems to me, the Hellenes did not have before, but which was originally used by all Phoenicians. Over time, both the sound and the shape of the letters have changed (Herodotus, 5.58).

Kadmos, mentioned by Herodotus, is the Greek spelling for Cadmus, the legendary Phoenician of Greek folklore who was considered the founder and first king of Thebes in Boeotia. Interestingly, his name seems to be related to the Phoenician word qadm "east". Due to the alleged involvement of Cadmus and the Phoenicians in the transmission of the alphabet, in the 6th century BC. The Crete official with scribal duties was still called poinikastas "Phoenicianizer" and early writing was sometimes called "Cadmean letters". The Greeks called them the alphabets phoinikeia grammata, which can be translated as "Phoenician letters". Some Greeks, however, were unwilling to acknowledge the oriental influence of their alphabet, so they justified the origin of the name phoinikeia grammata with various apocryphal accounts: some said that the alphabet was invented by Phoenix, the tutor of Achilleus, while others said that the name was associated with the leaves of phoinix "palm tree".

SCRIPTS DERIVED FROM THE GREEK ALPHABET
There were several versions of the early Greek alphabet, broadly classified into two different groups: Eastern and Western alphabets. In 403 BC. E. Athens took the lead in unifying many versions of the alphabet, and one of the Eastern versions of the Greek alphabet was adopted as the official one. This official version gradually displaced all other versions in Greece and it became dominant. As Greek influence grew in the Mediterranean world, several communities came into contact with the Greek idea of ​​writing, and some of them developed their own writing systems based on the Greek model. The Western version of the Greek alphabet used by the Greek colonists in Sicily made its way to the Italian peninsula. The Etruscans and Messapians created their own alphabet based on the Greek alphabet, inspiring the old Italic scripts, the source of the Latin alphabet. In the Near East, the Carians, Lycians, Lydians, Pamphylians, and Phrygians also created their own versions of the alphabet based on Greek. When the Greeks gained control of Egypt during the Hellenistic period, the Egyptian writing system was replaced by the Coptic alphabet, which was also based on the Greek alphabet.

The Gothic alphabet, the Glagolitic alphabet, and the modern Cyrillic and Latin alphabets are ultimately derived from the Greek alphabet. Although the Greek alphabet is only used for the Greek language today, it is the root script of most of the scripts in use today in the Western world.