The ABCs of Greek

EDIT: ARGH! The tables are messed up, and this whole entry looks so chim!

Note: This is only a summary. The full version of this entry is directly available as a printable PDF (you may need Acrobat Reader).

SUMMARY: English (UK) Received Pronunciation

alpha α, beta β, gamma γ. el-fe, bee-te, gam-me. ælfə, bi:tə, gæmə. as opposed to el-fa, bei-ta, gAA-ma. - adolescent. ad-de-les-snt. ædəlesnt as opposed to a-dol-le-snt

I have been rather disappointed by the pronunciation of certain words by many. In some cases, I was innocently correct at first, but unfortunately switched to the incorrect pronunciation because of cross-references with unreliable sources.

When you encounter these words, don't bother looking up the dictionaries for their pronunciation. Look at them here and commit to memory.

That's the purpose of this entry. How many people actually bother to look up pronunciation anyway? But I do it all the same. My explanation of the evidence here can be faulted, but the evidence is still proof.

Forgive any pedantry, if present.

Proving the Received Pronunciation

[For brevity, this section has been moved to the printable PDF version.]

Qualifying my sources

[For brevity, the reliability of the sources has been moved to the printable PDF version.]

1. Cambridge Dictionaries Online
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Dictionary: Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Reliability: [Refer to printable PDF]

2. AskOxford
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Dictionary: Compact Oxford English Dictionary
Reliability: [Refer to printable PDF]

3. Merriam-Webster Online/Merriam-Webster Unabridged
Publisher: Merriam-Website, Inc
Dictionary: Merriam-Webster Online/Merriam-Webster Unabridged/Merriam-Webster Collegiate
Reliability: [Refer to printable PDF]