Comments on: How do you write with a Greek accent? http://lessonsgreek.com/how-do-you-write-with-a-greek-accent.html The Greek language online. Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:00:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: vilgessuola http://lessonsgreek.com/how-do-you-write-with-a-greek-accent.html/comment-page-1#comment-91 vilgessuola Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:06:01 +0000 http://lessonsgreek.com/how-do-you-write-with-a-greek-accent.html#comment-91 Most obvious things: many Greek speakers don't distinguish between 's' and 'sh', so seat and sheet, sit and sh** come out sounding the same. There's also a group of affricate consonants that are not found in Greek, so you hear the following substitutions: 'ts' for 'ch' - tseeze for cheese 'dz' for 'j' - dzelly for jelly 'z' for the 's' sound in 'pleasure' 'treasure' so you hear plezoor, trezoor. When two vowel sounds come together they are pronounced in Greek as separate syllables, so the word 'bacon' which has been borrowed into Greek is pronounced 'bay-ee-con' Long and short vowels are a big problem and most Greek speakers don't distinguish between bit and beat, sit and seat, etc. The 'h' sound in 'hat' doesn't occur in Greek, so Greek speakers often substitute a sound rather like German 'ch' in Ich or Nacht Greek uses a narrower pitch range than English and people tend to speak louder than English speakers, which can make English speakers think Greeks are being angry or aggressive when they don't intend to be. Most obvious things: many Greek speakers don’t distinguish between ‘s’ and ‘sh’, so seat and sheet, sit and sh** come out sounding the same.

There’s also a group of affricate consonants that are not found in Greek, so you hear the following substitutions:

‘ts’ for ‘ch’ – tseeze for cheese
‘dz’ for ‘j’ – dzelly for jelly
‘z’ for the ‘s’ sound in ‘pleasure’ ‘treasure’ so you hear plezoor, trezoor.

When two vowel sounds come together they are pronounced in Greek as separate syllables, so the word ‘bacon’ which has been borrowed into Greek is pronounced ‘bay-ee-con’

Long and short vowels are a big problem and most Greek speakers don’t distinguish between bit and beat, sit and seat, etc.

The ‘h’ sound in ‘hat’ doesn’t occur in Greek, so Greek speakers often substitute a sound rather like German ‘ch’ in Ich or Nacht

Greek uses a narrower pitch range than English and people tend to speak louder than English speakers, which can make English speakers think Greeks are being angry or aggressive when they don’t intend to be.

]]> By: Eitan F http://lessonsgreek.com/how-do-you-write-with-a-greek-accent.html/comment-page-1#comment-92 Eitan F Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:06:01 +0000 http://lessonsgreek.com/how-do-you-write-with-a-greek-accent.html#comment-92 in greek there are not consonant like j or g (as in general) and sh. so you may hear greek say indzecs'n (injection), su (shoe).... in greek there are not consonant like j or g (as in general) and sh. so you may hear greek say indzecs’n (injection), su (shoe)….

]]>