Greek alphabet
Introduction
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since the 8th century BC. It is the oldest continuously used true alphabet, and has provided the basis for the Latin, Cyrillic, Armenian, Coptic, Gothic, and many other writing systems.
History
The Greek alphabet was developed from the Phoenician alphabet, during the 8th century BC. Unlike the Phoenician alphabet, which was an abjad (a writing system where each symbol stands for a consonant), the Greek alphabet is an alphabet, with symbols for both vowels and consonants.
The exact circumstances of its creation are unknown, but it is generally agreed that it was created by either the Phoenicians or a Greek with first-hand knowledge of Phoenician script. The earliest known fragmentary Greek inscriptions date from this time, 770–750 BC, and they match Phoenician letter forms of c. 800–750 BC.
Structure
The Greek alphabet consists of 24 letters, each with an uppercase and lowercase form. The letters are also used to represent numbers in the Greek numeral system. The order of the Greek alphabet is: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Mu, Nu, Xi, Omicron, Pi, Rho, Sigma, Tau, Upsilon, Phi, Chi, Psi, and Omega.
Usage
The Greek alphabet is still used today and is the script of the Greek language. It is also used in the sciences, particularly in mathematics and physics, to denote constants, variables, and functions.
Influence
The Greek alphabet has had a significant influence on other writing systems. The Latin alphabet, used to write English and many other languages, was derived from the Greek alphabet through the Etruscan alphabet. The Cyrillic alphabet, used to write Russian and other Slavic languages, was also derived from the Greek alphabet.