Professor G. Babiniotis’ explains the history and the adventures of the Greek writing, all the way from the very beginning to the orthography of modern Greek. A fascinating book treating the contribution of the Greek alphabet to contemporary civilisation, a civilisation of written language.
The book consists of three parts:
Part I: Alphabet – History, evolution, importance
- Writing systems and their differences
- Evolution of writing in Greece (hieroglyphic – Linear A – Linear B – Cypro-Minoan – Cypriot syllabary – alphabet)
- Greek alphabet: Time of introduction, origin, structure and evolution
- Gradual shaping and development of letters
- Importance of the adoption of the Greek alphabet and influence on other alphabets
Part II: Letters – The individual and fascinating story of each one of the 24 letters
- The original prototype form of each letter and its development from the Phoenician alphabet
- Local varieties of each letter in ancient Greece
- Transition to minuscule script and modern low case characters
- Original phonetic value and pronunciation
Part III: Writing and orthography
- Michael Ventris and the decipherment of Linear B
- Articles about: aesthetics of writing – quality of written communication – writer’s relationship with his text – importance of handwriting
- The historical-etymological basis of Modern Greek orthography and relevant criteria
- Monotonic orthography of Modern Greek: Suggestions for improving the standard system
Prominent features of this edition:
- Readable, non-technical discussion
- Full bibliographic account
- Detailed charts and tables
- Selected illustrations and documented inscriptions
- Detailed indexes of names, terms, tables and illustrations
