How many letters are in the modern Greek alphabet?
Q: How many letters are in the modern Greek alphabet?
A: The modern Greek alphabet has 24 letters.
Q: What language is the Greek alphabet used to write?
A: The Greek alphabet is used to write the Greek language.
Q: Are there equivalents of most of the Greek letters in English?
A: Yes, most letters in the Greek alphabet have an equivalent in the English language.
Q: Where did the Greeks get their alphabet from?
A: The Greeks borrowed their alphabet from the Phoenician alphabet around 10th century BC, with some changes made to fit it for use with the Greek language.
Q: How was reading made easier for trading with other cultures?
A: Vowels were added to make reading easier for trading with other cultures, as Indo-European languages do not use consonant-based roots like those found in Semitic languages such as Phoenician, Arabic, Hebrew and Aramaic.
Q: In which direction was early Greek written?
A: Early Greek was written from right to left, same as Phoenician. After 6th century BC however it began to be written from left to right.
Q: Who invented diacritics (accent marks) and when were they introduced?
A: Aristophanes of Byzantium invented diacritics (accent marks) around 257–185 BC, in order to mark tone or pitch of words in spoken form.
