Changes

Originally Greek was only written with what are today considered capital letters. The lowercase letters are based on handwritten forms developed during the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine period]].<ref>[http://biblaridion.blogspot.com/2005/08/greek-miniscule-script.html Greek Miniscule Script], Biblaridion. Retrieved November 26, 2008.</ref> In the case of sigma, the lowercase form varies depending on if it occurs at the end of a word (ς).

Originally Greek was only written with what are today considered capital letters. The lowercase letters are based on handwritten forms developed during the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine period]].<ref>[http://biblaridion.blogspot.com/2005/08/greek-miniscule-script.html Greek Miniscule Script], Biblaridion. Retrieved November 26, 2008.</ref> In the case of sigma, the lowercase form varies depending on if it occurs at the end of a word (ς).

Most of the letters are named after their models in the Phoenician alphabet – compare Semitic alef, bet, gimel to Greek alpha, beta, gamma. Zeta seems to have been named to better fit with beta, eta, and theta. The origins of phi, chi, and psi are debated, but their names were simply patterned off the other -i letters. Epsilon, omicron, upsilon, and omega are the only letters with distinctly Greek names, all with origins in the Byzantine Empire. Epsilon and upsilon where given the affix -psilon (ψιλόν, "simple")<ref name="quin">[http://www.quinapalus.com/gr0.1.html Lesson 1: The Greek Alphabet (capitals)], Quinapalus. Retrieved November 27, 2008.</ref> in order to distinguish them, respectively, from the digraphs αι and οι, which by that time had come to be pronounced the same way.<ref name="Smyth">[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0007&layout=&query=toc&loc=1 Herbert Weir Smyth, ''A Greek Grammar for Colleges''], Perseus Digital Library. Retrieved November 27, 2008.</ref> Omicron ("small o") and omega ("great o")<ref name="quin" /> were named in order to distinguish them from each other, having also come to have the same pronunciation.<ref name="Smyth" />

Most of the letters are named after their models in the Phoenician alphabet – compare Semitic alef, bet, gimel to Greek alpha, beta, gamma. Zeta seems to have been named to better fit with beta, eta, and theta. The origins of phi, chi, and psi are debated, but their names were simply patterned off the other -i letters. Epsilon, omicron, upsilon, and omega are the only letters with distinctly Greek names, all with origins in the Byzantine Empire. Epsilon and upsilon where given the [[affix]] -psilon (ψιλόν, "simple")<ref name="quin">[http://www.quinapalus.com/gr0.1.html Lesson 1: The Greek Alphabet (capitals)], Quinapalus. Retrieved November 27, 2008.</ref> in order to distinguish them, respectively, from the digraphs αι and οι, which by that time had come to be pronounced the same way.<ref name="Smyth">[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0007&layout=&query=toc&loc=1 Herbert Weir Smyth, ''A Greek Grammar for Colleges''], Perseus Digital Library. Retrieved November 27, 2008.</ref> Omicron ("small o") and omega ("great o")<ref name="quin" /> were named in order to distinguish them from each other, having also come to have the same pronunciation.<ref name="Smyth" />

==Pronunciation==

==Pronunciation==