Koine Greek: Difference between revisions

| nativename = {{lang|grc|ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος}}

| pronunciation = {{IPA|grc|(h)e̝ kyˈne̝ diˈalektos ~<br/>i cyˈni ðiˈalektos||generic=yes}}

'''Koine Greek'''{{Efn|Pronunciation: ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|k|ɔɪ|n|i}} {{respell|KOY|nee}};,<ref name=collins>{{cite Collins Dictionary|Koine

|access-date=2014-09-24}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|k|ɔɪ|n|eɪ}} {{respell|KOY|nay}}, {{small|or}} {{IPAc-en|k|ɔɪ|ˈ|n|eɪ}} {{respell|koy|NAY}};.<ref>{{cite Dictionary.com|Koine}}</ref><ref name="mw">{{cite Merriam-Webster|Koine}}</ref>}} Koine ({{langLang-elgrc-x-koine|label=none|ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος|hē koinèkoinḕ diálektos}}, {{lit|lk=yes|the common dialect}}),{{efn|1=Pronunciation: {{IPA-|grc|(h)e̝ kyˈne̝ diˈalektos||generic=yes}}, ~ {{IPA|grc|i cyˈni ðiˈalektos|langlabel=later|small=no}}.}} also known as '''Hellenistic Greek''', '''common Attic''', the '''Alexandrian dialect''', '''Biblical Greek''', '''Septuagint Greek''' or '''New Testament Greek''', was the [[koiné language|common supra-regional form]] of [[Greek language|Greek]] spoken and written during the [[Hellenistic period]], the [[Roman Empire]] and the early [[Byzantine Empire]]. It evolved from the spread of Greek following the conquests of [[Alexander the Great]] in the fourth century BC, and served as the [[lingua franca]] of much of the Mediterranean region and the Middle East during the following centuries. It was based mainly on [[Attic Greek|Attic]] and related [[Ionic Greek|Ionic]] speech forms, with various admixtures brought about through [[dialect levelling]] with other varieties.<ref name="Bubenik">{{cite book|last=Bubenik|first=V.|year=2007|chapter=The rise of Koiné|editor=A. F. Christidis|title=A history of Ancient Greek: from the beginnings to late antiquity|location=Cambridge|publisher=University Press|pages=342–345}}</ref>

Literary Koine was the medium of much [[Post-classicalGreece historyin the Roman era|post-classical]] Greek literary and scholarly writing, such as the works of [[Plutarch]] and [[Polybius]].<ref name="Bubenik"/> Koine is also the language of the [[Septuagint]] (the 3rd century BC Greek translation of the [[Hebrew Bible]]), the Christian [[New Testament]], and of most early Christian theological writing by the [[Church Fathers]]. In this context, Koine Greek is also known as "Biblical", "New Testament", "ecclesiastical", or "patristic" Greek.<ref>{{cite book |title=A history of ancient Greek |first1=Maria|last1=Chritē |first2=Maria|last2=Arapopoulou |date=11 January 2007|publisher=[[Center for the Greek Language]] |location=[[Thessaloniki]], Greece |page=436 |isbn=978-0-521-83307-3}}</ref> The Roman Emperor [[Marcus Aurelius]] wrote his private thoughts in Koine Greek in a work that is now known as ''[[Meditations]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stoictherapy.com/maintenance.php|title=Maintenance|website=www.stoictherapy.com}}</ref> Koine Greek continues to be used as the liturgical language of services in the [[Greek Orthodox Church]] and in some [[Greek Catholic Church|Greek Catholic churches]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Makrides|first1=Vasilios N|last2=Roudometof|first2=Victor|title=Orthodox Christianity in 21st Century Greece: The Role of Religion in Culture, Ethnicity and Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WrQxT4sk2x8C&pg=PA8|year=2013|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-4094-8075-4|page=8}} "A proposal to introduce Modern Greek into the Divine Liturgy was rejected in 2002"</ref>

Koine period Greek differs from [[AncientClassical Greek]] in many ways: [[grammar]], [[morphology (linguistics)|word formation]], [[vocabulary]] and [[phonology]] (sound system).<ref>A concise survey of the major differences between Attic and Koine Greek can be found in Reece, Steve, "[https://www.academia.edu/30641319/Teaching_Koine_Greek_in_a_Classics_Department Teaching Koine Greek in a Classics Department]", ''Classical Journal'' 93.4 (1998) 417–429. https://www.academia.edu/30641319/Teaching_Koine_Greek_in_a_Classics_Department</ref>

The Koine-period Greek in the table is taken from a reconstruction by Benjamin Kantor of New Testament Judeo-Palestinian Koine Greek. The realizations of most phonemes reflect general changes around the Greek-speaking world, including vowel isochrony and monophthongization, but certain sound values differ from other Koine varieties such as Attic, Egyptian and Anatolian.<ref>{{Harvcolnb|Kantor|2023|p=345,764}}</ref>

More general Koine phonological developments includinginclude the spirantization of {{lang|grc-x-biblical|Γ}}, with palatal allophone before front-vowels and a plosive allophone after nasals, and {{lang|grc-x-biblical|β}}. Press<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Pronunciation of Greek Stops in the Papyri |last1=Gignac|first1=Francis T. |journal=Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association |year=1970|doi=10.2307/2936047}}</ref> {{lang|grc-x-biblical|φ, θ}} and {{lang|grc-x-biblical|χ}} still preserve their ancient aspirated plosive values, while the unaspirated stops {{lang|grc-x-biblical|π, τ, κ}} have perhaps begun to develop voiced allophones after nasals.<ref>Horrocks (2010): 111, 170–1</ref> Initial aspiration has also likely become an optional sound for many speakers of the popular variety.<ref>Horrocks (2010): 171, 179.</ref>{{Efn|For convenience, the rough breathing mark represents {{IPA|/h/}}, even if it was not commonly used in contemporary orthography. Parentheses denote the loss of the sound.|name=|group=}} Monophthongization (including the initial stage in the fortition of the second element in the αυ/ευ diphthongs) and the loss of vowel-timing distinctions are carried through.

On the other hand, Kantor argues for certain vowel qualities differing from the rest of the Koine in the Judean dialect. Although it is impossible to know the exact realizations of vowels, it is tentatively argued that the mid-vowels {{lang|grc-x-biblical|ε}}/{{lang|grc-x-biblical|αι}} and {{lang|grc-x-biblical|η}} had a more open pronunciation than other Koine dialects, distinguished as open-mid {{IPA|/ɛ/}} vs. close-mid {{IPA|/e/}},<ref>{{Harvcolnb|Kantor|2023|p=613}}</ref>, rather than as true-mid {{IPA|/e̞/}} vs. close-mid {{IPA|/e̝/}} as has been suggested for other varieties such as Egyptian.<ref>In example, c.f. Horrocks (2010), 167.</ref> This is evidenced on the basis of Hebrew transcriptions of {{lang|grc-x-biblical|ε}} with ''pataḥ/qamets'' {{IPA|/a/}} and not ''tsere/segol'' {{IPA|/e/}}. Additionally, it is posited that {{lang|grc-x-biblical|α}} perhaps had a back vowel pronunciation as {{IPA|/ɑ/}}, dragged backwards due to the opening of {{lang|grc-x-biblical|ε}}. Influence of the Aramaic substrate could have also caused confusion between {{lang|grc-x-biblical|α}} and {{lang|grc-x-biblical|ο}}, providing further evidence for the back vowel realization.<ref>{{Harvcolnb|Kantor|2023|p=613}}</ref>.

{{quote|{{lang|grc-x-koine|περὶ ὧν Θισ[β]εῖς λόγους ἐποιήσαντο· περὶ τῶν καθ᾿αὑκαθ᾿ αὑ[τ]οὺς πραγμάτων, οἵτινες ἐν τῇ φιλίᾳ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ ἐνέμειναν, ὅπως αὐτοῖς δοθῶσιν [ο]ἷς τὰ καθ᾿ αὑτοὺς πράγματα ἐξηγήσωνται, περὶ τούτου τοῦ πράγματος οὕτως ἔδοξεν· ὅπως Κόιντος Μαίνιος στρατηγὸς τῶν ἐκ τῆς συνκλήτου [π]έντε ἀποτάξῃ οἳ ἂν αὐτῷ ἐκ τῶν δημοσίων πρα[γμ]άτων καὶ τῆς ἰδίας πίστεως φαίνωνται.}}<br />{{IPA-el|peri hoːn tʰizbîːs lóɡuːs epojéːsanto; peri toːn katʰ hautùːs praːɡmátoːn, hoítines en tiː pʰilíaːi tiː heːmetéraːi enémiːnan, hópoːs autois dotʰôːsin hois ta katʰ hautùːs práːɡmata ekseːɡéːsoːntai, peri túːtuː tuː práːɡmatos húːtoːs édoksen; hópoːs ˈkʷintos ˈmainios strateːɡòs toːn ek teːs syŋkléːtuː pénte apotáksiː, hoi an autoːi ek toːn deːmosíoːn praːɡmátoːn kai teːs idíaːs písteoːs pʰaínoːntai|}}<br />Concerning those matters about which the citizens of Thisbae made representations. Concerning their own affairs: the following decision was taken concerning the proposal that those who remained true to our friendship should be given the facilities to conduct their own affairs; that our praetor/governor Quintus Maenius should delegate five members of the senate who seemed to him appropriate in the light of their public actions and individual good faith.}}

{{quote|{{lang|grc-x-biblical| Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν. πάντα δι᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν ὃ γέγονεν. ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.}}<br />{{IPA-el |ˈen arˈkʰi in o ˈloɣos, ke o ˈloɣos im bros to(n) tʰeˈo(n), ke tʰeˈos in o ˈloɣos. ˈutos in en arˈkʰi pros to(n) tʰeˈo(n). ˈpanda di aɸˈtu eˈʝeneto, ke kʰoˈris aɸˈtu eˈʝeneto ude ˈen o ˈʝeɣonen. en aɸˈto zoˈi in, ke i zoˈi in to pʰos ton anˈtʰropon; ke to pʰos en di skoˈtia ˈpʰeni, ke i skoˈti(a) a(ɸ)ˈto u kaˈtelaβen|}}<br />[[John 1:1|In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.]] He was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.}}

*[[P. E. Easterling|Easterling, P. E.]], and [[Carol Handley]]. 2001. ''Greek Scripts: An Illustrated Introduction.'' London: Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies.