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Lesson Transcript

Iro: Γεια σας! Hello, everyone! Είμαι η Ηρώ.
Maria: Maria here! Pronunciation Series Lesson 1, on Greek vowels.
Maria: Hello, and welcome to the first Pronunciation lesson at GreekPod101.com, where we study modern Greek in a fun, educational format!
Iro: So brush up on the Greek that you started learning long ago, or start learning today.
Maria: Thanks for being here with us. In this lesson, our focus will be the pronunciation of Greek vowels.
Iro: ..."-α," "-ε," "-η," "-ι," etc.
Maria: Sounds very Greek.
Iro: It's the sound of history.
Maria: Absolutely.
Iro: Now, some vowels are quite difficult to pronounce.
Maria: Okay, let's have all of you guys out there master your Greek vowels.
Iro: We will help you pronounce sounds properly in Greek.
Maria: Now today, we will not work on ALL the sounds in Greek. Only vowels.
Iro: Oh, by the way! In this lesson, we are going to refer to sounds as vowels. So whenever we say "vowel," think "sound"; don't think "letter."
Maria: Now let's go.
Iro: First of all, pronouncing Greek is only hard if you refuse to open your mouth.
Maria: Yes, this is something you might want to keep in mind.
Iro: It really makes it easier for you if you make your mouth work.
Maria: Don't hesitate to exaggerate the width of your mouth.
Iro: Like this…"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA." Wide open!
Maria: You might be in the line at the bakery or driving your convertible right now. But we don't care. Repeat after Iro…
Iro: "AAAAAAA" – "EEEEEEE"- "IIIIIII" - "OOOOOOO." These should be easy to pronounce. And now that your mouth is stretched...
Maria: By the way, how many vowels are there in Greek?
Iro: Seven. Most of them are easily accessible to pretty much everyone.
Maria: Today, we will only work on those that are difficult.
Iro: Yeap.
Maria: Are there a lot of similarities between English and Greek vowels?
Iro: Well, as English is a partial descendant from Greek, many words and sounds are the same.
Maria: Okay, that can be helpful. Now let's start!
Iro: Ok!
"A (άλφα)," which is as a sound pronounced [A]
"E (έψιλον)," [E]
"H (ήτα)," [H]
"I (γιώτα)," [I]
"O (όμικρον)," [O]
"Y (psilonύψιλον)," [Y]
"Ω (ωμέγα)," [O]
Maria: As you may have noticed, there are three "-ι" and two "-o."
Iro: Greek has three vowels representing the sound [ee] and two representing the sound [o]. This is because in classical Greek, the different vowels did actually have different sounds, which we will talk about in other lessons.
Maria: It's difficult to know the difference at first when you are not familiar with the language yet, but it will be easier and easier as you learn more.
The good thing is these vowels are all very similar to the English pronunciation, so they shouldn't be too difficult to get the hang of!
Iro: Okay, get ready to pronounce!
Maria: First, open your mouth and imagine you're at the dentist. Say "AAAAAA."
Iro: Remember to relax your mouth.
Maria: Oh, and of course you don't have to open it as much as at the dentist's.
Iro: "AAAA." Excellent! Isn't that fun?
Maria: Okay, now the last step is to put it in a word.
Iro: Okay, everyone, I'm going to say a series of words and I will leave a silence between each word.
Maria: Now, your job is to repeat each word after Iro.
Iro: Ready? Go! Αριθμός" .
Maria: Which is "number".
Iro: Άνθρωπος.
Maria: ...which is "human." Okay, now for the sound [An], which will pretty much be the same process, except that your mouth will be wide open.
Iro: Okay, now for the sound [e]. Mouth open everyone. And, with me, "EEEEEEEE."
Maria: It's basically the same here…opened, relaxed mouth, and pronounce "-e" as you would pronounce "elephant." "EEEEEEE."
Iro: "EEEEE."
Maria: What words do we have that start with "-e?"
Iro: How about "elephant!" Ελέφαντας.
Maria: Wow, that's easy! Ελέφαντας.
Iro: Next up, we have the sounds for "-ι."
Maria: The Greek alphabet has three ways of writing "-ι," but they are all pronounced the same in a word, right?
Iro: That's right. The names of the vowels are different–"H(ήτα)," "I(γιώτα)," and "Y(ύψιλον)," but when put in a word, they all make the sound [ι].
Maria: So, what are some words with "-H," "-I," and "-Y?"
Iro: Okay again, you all, repeat after me, and I'll leave a silence after each word. Let's go… Ήλιος.
Maria: Which is "sun."
Iro: Ημερολόγιο.
Maria: Which is "calendar." Next up is "-o."
Iro: Form your mouth like you're making an "-o" sound, but unlike English, don't narrow your mouth at the end of the sound.
Maria: Yes, relax and let out the "-o" sound.
Iro: I hope you guys are following. It's quite a gymnastic exercise!
Maria: And "OOOOOOOOOO."
Iro: "OOOOOOO." Here are some words to repeat after me again…Όνομα…
Maria: Which is "name."
Iro: Όμορφο…
Maria: Which is "beautiful."
Iro: These are the basic sounds of the vowels in Greek.
Maria: Yes, as we mentioned earlier, there is more than one way of writing these sounds.
Iro: This is because in classical Greek, the different vowels did actually have different sounds. However, over the centuries, the pronunciations shifted to what they are today.
Maria: That just about does it for this lesson. But, before we go, we want to tell you about a way to drastically improve your pronunciation.
Iro: The voice-recording tool...
Maria: Yes, the voice-recording tool in the Premium Learning Center...
Iro: Record your voice with a click of a button,
Maria: …and then play it back just as easily.
Iro: So you record your voice and then listen to it.
Maria: Compare it to the native speakers...
Iro: And adjust your pronunciation!
Maria: This will help you improve your pronunciation quickly!
Maria: Thank you for listening!
Iro: Ευχαριστώ! Γειά σας!
Maria: Bye!

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