A New Short Guide to the Accentuation of Ancient Greek

by Philomen Probert

The original aim of this book was to provide an updated reprint of J.P. Postgate's "Short Guide to the Accentuation of Ancient Greek" (1924). It has developed considerably during the preparation, still including what was most useful in Postgate but now incorporating much additional material and information based on the latest scholarship. It is intended for those who have already learned some Greek but who wish to acquaint themselves with the workings of the accent system, either for the first time or by way of revision. An introductory part outlines clearly the evidence for our knowledge of Greek accentuation and quotes some of our ancient sources for the sound of the accent. The remainder of the book is designed to facilitate the learning of the accents themselves. Exercises are included throughout.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language

215 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2003

Reviews

[Koen Crolla · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and very practical introduction to the accentuation of Ancient Greek aimed primarily at students who took Greek in secondary school but weren't taught to write accents—which apparently includes almost all UK students and a solid majority of Belgian ones—and who are looking to get up to speed with the rest of us, with useful exercises (and answer key!).
Unfortunately this focus on practicality comes at the expense of much discussion on the theoretical linguistic bases of that accent (there is some—where nuance is needed it is preserved), but there are other, longer books for that.