Modern Greek (from 1453) Dialects: Cappadocian Cheimarriotika Cretan Cypriot Demotic Griko Katharevousa Pontic Tsakonian Maniot Yevanic This box: view talk

*Dates (beginning with Ancient Greek) from Wallace D. B. (1996). Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. p. 12. ISBN 0310218950. 

Homeric Greek is the form of Ancient Greek that was used by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey. It is an archaic version of Ionic Greek with admixtures from certain other dialects such as Aeolic Greek. It later served as the basis of Epic Greek the language of epic poetry typically in dactylic hexameter of poets such as Hesiod. Unlike later forms of the language Homeric Greek did not have available in most circumstances a true definite article.1 Compositions in Epic Greek may date from as late as the 3rd century AD though its decline was inevitable with the rise of Koine Greek. Contents 1 Main features 2 Vocabulary 3 Sample 4 See also 5 External links 6 Books 7 References Main features This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose if appropriate. Editing help is available. (December 2008)

Only irregular forms are provided omitted forms can usually be predicted by following patterns seen in Ionic Greek.

Nouns First Declension Nominative Singular: ends in - even after and . For Example rather than . However some nouns do end in -. Genitive Plural: usually ends in - or -. For example rather than . Dative Plural: almost always ends in - or -. For example is equivalent to . Certain first declension nouns may end in - () rather than - ( ). For Example rather than . Genitive Singular of these nouns ends in - or - rather than -. For example as opposed to . Second Declension Genitive Singular: ends in - as well as -. For example as well as . Genitive and Dative Dual: ends in -. Thus appears rather than . Dative Plural: ends in - and -. For example as well as . Third Declension Accusative Singular: ends in - as well as -. For example as well as . Dative Plural: ends in - and -. For example or . Homeric Greek lacks the quantitative metathesis present in later Greek: Homeric instead of instead of instead of instead of instead of Homeric Greek sometimes uses different stems: instead of

Pronouns First Person Singular (I) Genitive Singular: . First Person Plural (We) Accusative Plural: . Genitive Plural: . Dative Plural: () Second Person Singular (You) Genitive Singular: . Second Person Plural (You) Accusative Plural: . Genitive Plural: . Dative Plural: () Third Person Singular Masculine (Him) Accusative Singular: . Genitive Singular: . Dative Singular: . Third Person Plural (Them) Accusative Plural: . Genitive Plural: . Dative Plural: . Third Person Singular Pronoun (He She It) (The Relative) OR Singular Article (The) (This is rare) Nominative Singular: . (etc.) Third Person Plural Pronoun (He She It) (The Relative) OR Plural Article (The) (This is rare) Nominative Plural: . Dative Plural: . Interrogative Pronoun Singular and Plural (Who What Which) Nominative Singular: . Accusative Singular: . Genitive Singular: . Dative Singular: . Genitive Plural: .

A Note on Nouns I. Take note of the Homeric alternation between -- and --. This can be of metrical use. For example and are equivalent; and ; and . II. The ending - (-) can be used for the Dative Singular and Plural of nouns and adjectives (occasionally for the Genitive Singular and Plural as well). For example (...by force) (...with tears) and (...in the mountains).

Verbs Person Endings - appears rather than -. For example for in the Third Person Plural Active. The Third Plural Middle/Passive often ends in - or -; for example is equivalent to . Tenses Future: Generally remains uncontracted. For example appears instead of or instead of . Present or Imperfect: These tenses sometimes take iterative form with the letters -- penultimate with the ending. For example : 'they kept on running away' Aorist or Imperfect: Both tenses can occasionally drop their augments. For example may appear instead of . Resultantly necessary adjustments may need to be made in compounds; in this vein would appear instead of . Moods Subjunctive The Subjunctive appears with a short vowel. Thus the form rather than . The Second Singular Middle Subjunctive ending appears as both - and -. The Third Singular Active Subjunctive ends in -. Thus we see the form instead of . Occasionally the Subjunctive is used in place of the future and in general remarks. Infinitive The infinitive appears with the endings - - and - in place of - and -. For example for ; instead of ; or for ; and () in place of . Contracted Verbs In contracted verbs where Attic employs an -- Homeric Greek will use -- or -- in place of --. For example Attic becomes . Similarly in places where -- contracts to -- or -- contracts to -- Homeric Greek will show either or .

Adverbs Adverbial Suffixes -: conveys a sense of 'to where'; : 'to the war' -: conveys a sense of 'how'; : 'with cries' -: conveys a sense of 'from where'; : 'from above' -:conveys a sense of 'where'; : 'on high' Particles : force conveys transition: 'so' or 'next' : force conveys emphasis: 'indeed' : force conveys emphasis: 'surely' : force conveys emphasis: 'just' or 'even' : force conveys a general remark or a connective: 'and' : force conveys assertion: 'I tell you ...' Vocabulary Homer (the Iliad and the Odyssey) uses about 9000 words of which 1382 are proper names. Of the 7618 remaining words 2307 are hapax legomena.23 Sample The Iliad lines 1-7 . Robert Fitzgerald (1974): Anger be now your song immortal one Akhilleus' anger doomed and ruinous that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss and crowded brave souls into the undergloom leaving so many dead men--carrion for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done. Begin it when the two men first contending broke with one another--                     the Lord Marshal Agamemnon Atreus' son and Prince Akhilleus. Alexander Pope (1720): Achilles' wrath to Greece the direful spring Of woes unnumber'd heavenly goddess sing! That wrath which hurl'd to Pluto's gloomy reign The souls of mighty chiefs untimely slain; Whose limbs unburied on the naked shore Devouring dogs and hungry vultures tore. Since great Achilles and Atrides strove Such was the sovereign doom and such the will of Jove! Samuel Butler: Sing O goddess the anger of Achilles son of Peleus that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus king of men and great Achilles first fell out with one another. Andrew Lang: Sing goddess the wrath of Achilles Peleus' son the ruinous wrath that brought on the Achaians woes innumerable and hurled down into Hades many strong souls of heroes and gave their bodies to be a prey to dogs and all winged fowls; and so the counsel of Zeus wrought out its accomplishment from the day when first strife parted Atreides king of men and noble Achilles. Robert Fagles: RageGoddess sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles murderous doomed that cost the Achaeans countless losses hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls great fighters' souls but made their bodies carrion feasts for the dogs and birds and the will of Zeus was moving towards its end. Begin Muse when the two first broke and clashed Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles. See also Ancient Greek dialects Homeric texts External links http://www.Handheldclassics.com has interlinear versions of the Iliad and Odyssey for the Palm Pilot The Chicago Homer http://www.library.northwestern.edu/homer provides a Web-based interface for studying Homer (and Hesiod) suitable for beginners or experts Books Pharr Clyde. Homeric Greek: A Book for Beginners. University of Oklahoma Press Norman new edition 1959. Revised edition: John Wright 1985. ISBN 0-8061-1937-3. References Goodwin William W. (1879). A Greek Grammar (pp 204). St Martin's Press. The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 5 Books 17-20 Geoffrey Stephen Kirk Mark W. Edwards Cambridge University Press 1991 ISBN 9780521312080 p53 footnote 72 Google preview H. L. Ahrens Griechische Formenlehre (Gttingen 1852) A. Fick Die homerische Odyssee in der ursprnglichen Sprachform wiederhergestelt (Gttingen 1883) Die homerische Ilias (ibid. 1886) W. Schulze Quaestiones epicae (Goterslohe 1892). B. Delbrck Syntactische Forschungen (Halle 18711879) Wilhelm Hartel Homerische Studien (i-vi. Vienna) Albert Thumb Zur Geschichte des griech. Digamma Indogermanische Forschungen (1898) D. B. 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