Attic Greek Study Guide

📖 Core Concepts Attic Greek – Classical Greek of Athens (5th‑4th c. BC); prestige dialect, basis of Koine. Dialect family – Hellenic branch → Ionic group → Attic as the “prestige” Ionic dialect. Alphabet reform – 403 BC switch from “eastern” Attic alphabet to Ionic (Eucleidian) alphabet (Ψ for /ps/, Ξ for /ks/). Phonology highlights – long ā → ē (except after e, i, r); short ă → ě; loss of digamma w; retention of /h/ (heta). Morphology – characteristic suffixes (‑tes for ‑ter), adjective ‑eios vs. ‑ēios, dual number (nouns, verbs, adjectives). Grammar – α‑stem feminine nouns have long ē in singular; ο‑stem nouns produce spurious diphthongs (‑ou); dative plural ‑ois; neuter plurals take singular verbs. 📌 Must Remember Time frame & prestige – Attic = 5th–4th c. BC Athens; later becomes Koine foundation. Alphabet decree – 403 BC: all public writing must use Ionic alphabet. Vowel shifts – Proto‑Greek long ā → Attic ē (except after e, i, r). Consonant shift – Ionic ‑σσ → Attic ‑ττ (γλῶττα vs. γλῶσσα). Movable nu (ν) – Inserted before vowel‑initial next word or for metrical length. Dual number – Exists but fades by end of 5th c. BC; still important for noun/adjective/verb forms. Spurious diphthongs – ο‑stem genitive ‑ou, e‑stem dative plural ‑ois. Retention of /h/ – Η = /h/ in Attic (unlike psilotic dialects). 🔄 Key Processes Alphabet transition Pre‑5th c. BC: Eastern Attic alphabet (Ψ for /ps/, Χ for /kʰ/, no ξ, ψ). → 5th c. scribes adopt Ionic letters → 403 BC official decree. Compensatory lengthening Loss of s in ‑s clusters → preceding vowel lengthens (e.g., es‑mi → ēmi “I am”). Contraction a + e → long ā (nika‑e → nikā). e + e → ē (spurious diphthong ει). e + o → ō (spurious diphthong ου). Hyphaeresis Delete one of two consecutive vowels (boē‑tho‑os → boēthos). Movable nu insertion Word ending in vowel + next word starting with vowel → add ν to avoid hiatus; also lengthens short syllable for meter. 🔍 Key Comparisons Attic vs. Ionic alphabet – Attic uses Χ for /kʰ/, lacks ξ/ψ; Ionic adds Ξ (/ks/) and Ψ (/ps/). Attic vs. Doric vowel outcome – Long ā → ē in Attic (except after e,i,r); Doric keeps ā. Attic –ττ vs. Ionic –σσ – γλῶττα (Attic) vs. γλῶσσα (Ionic). Attic –rr vs. Ionic –ρσ – χερρόνησος (Attic) vs. χερσόνησος (Ionic). Retention of /h/ – Attic (η = /h/) vs. psilotic dialects (loss of /h/). ⚠️ Common Misunderstandings “All Greek uses the same alphabet.” – Attic switched to Ionic alphabet in 403 BC; earlier inscriptions differ. “Attic never has /h/.” – Wrong; Attic retains heta (/h/) while many other dialects lose it. “Dual number disappears early.” – It survives throughout the Classical period, only fading late 5th c. BC. “Spurious diphthongs are true diphthongs.” – They represent long vowels (ει = /eː/, ου = /oː/) from contraction, not true diphthongs. 🧠 Mental Models / Intuition “Attic = Ionic with a twist.” – Think of Attic as Ionic spelling plus two signature phonological tweaks: ā→ē and ‑σσ→‑ττ. “Contraction = vowel‑pair → single long vowel.” – Whenever you see two vowels meeting, check if they contract to a long vowel (spurious diphthong). “Movable nu = vowel‑vowel bridge.” – Whenever two words would butt together vowel‑vowel, imagine a tiny “bridge” (ν) popping in. 🚩 Exceptions & Edge Cases Long ē retention – After e, i, or r, original long ā stays ā (e.g., γνώμη). Osthoff’s law – Long ē shortens before a long vowel or before u + s (e.g., certain verb forms). Rhotic variation – Double ρ (rr) is Attic; other Ionic dialects may use ρσ. Dual loss timing – By the very end of the 5th c. BC, dual forms become rare; Koine eliminates them. 📍 When to Use Which Choosing alphabet for transliteration – Use Ionic letters (Ψ, Ξ) for any Classical Attic text post‑403 BC; revert to Eastern letters only for pre‑5th c. inscriptions. Identifying dialect in a passage – Look for ‑ττ (Attic) vs. ‑σσ (Ionic) and presence of movable ν (Attic). Parsing a noun’s genitive – If you see ‑ου, treat it as Attic o‑stem genitive (spurious diphthong). Applying contraction rules – When a verb or noun ends in a + vowel, anticipate long ā, e + e → ē, e + o → ō. 👀 Patterns to Recognize ‑ττ in place of‑σσ → Attic. Spurious diphthongs (ει, ου) in endings → Attic contraction. Movable ν before vowel‑initial word → Attic metrical/hiatus avoidance. Dual endings (‑ω, ‑ε) on nouns/verbs → Classical Attic (early period). Long ē in α‑stem feminines (except after e,i,r) → Attic vowel development rule. 🗂️ Exam Traps Distractor: “Attic uses the same alphabet as Homeric Greek.” – Wrong; Homeric (Old Ionic) lacks Ψ, ξ, and retains older letters. Choice: “All Greek dialects lost /h/.” – Incorrect; Attic keeps heta (/h/). Answer option: “‑σσ always stays‑σσ in Attic.” – Misleading; Attic regularly changes it to ‑ττ. Trap: “Dual number is absent in Classical Greek.” – False; it persists through most of the Classical period. Misreading spurious diphthongs as true diphthongs – Leads to incorrect vowel length assumptions. --- Use this guide for a quick, confidence‑boosting review before your exam on Attic Greek.