In English, we use the Latin alphabet. Many other European languages use it, too. But from where is this alphabet derived? Well, it is partly thanks to the ancestors of the Greeks!
In English, we have 5 vowels. A, e, i, o, and u. The Greek alphabet has these vowels too. But they have different names. α is called alpha. ε is epsilon. ι is iota. o is omicron. υ is upsilon. The Greek alphabet has two extra vowels. η (eta), and ω (omega).
The rest of the letters in the Greek alphabet are consonants. Some consonants look like consonants in English. κ (kappa) is like the English C or K. β (beta) is like the English B. But some consonants look different. π (pi) is like the English P. φ (phi) is like the English F.
The Greek alphabet has uppercase and lowercase letters. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. The uppercase letter is A. The lowercase letter is α. Epsilon is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet. The uppercase letter is E. The lowercase letter is ϵ.
The Greeks use punctuation like in English too. But it looks different. ; is a question mark in Greek. The ligature kai (ϗ) replaces the ampersand (&) in English.
Greek letters are not just useful for learning Greek. They are used when learning other languages. We use Greek letters in the phonetic alphabet. We use them to learn how to pronounce words.
Take the English word 'think'. How do you say it? Is it th like in 'thank', or th like in 'this'? Well we know that the Greek letter θ (theta) is the th sound in 'think'. So the word 'think' (/θɪŋk/) is pronounced with a th like in 'thank'. Learning Greek letters can help us with our accent.
If you go to university in the USA or Canada, you might hear of a sorority. A sorority is a social group. Only females are allowed in the group. It is a place to make new friends.
A fraternity is the male version of a sorority. To join the group, people must pass tests. They have interviews and tasks to do. If they pass, they can join the group .
The groups are also called Greek letter organizations (GLOs). That is because each group has Greek letters in its name. The first was Phi Beta Kappa (ΦΒΚ) It opened in 1776.
Greek letters are still used in Greek today. But they have touched the whole world. It is just one of ancient Greece's legacies.