What is Romanization of Greek?
Q: What is Romanization of Greek?
A: Romanization of Greek is a way to write the Greek language (either Ancient or Modern Greek) with the Roman alphabet.
Q: How can it be done?
A: It can be done by mapping either letters (called transliteration) or sounds (called transcription).
Q: What is an example of transliteration in English?
A: The Greek name Ἰωάννης can be transliterated as Johannes, which became John in Modern English.
Q: How does Modern Greek differ from Ancient Greek?
A: The sounds of Modern Greek are quite different from those of Ancient Greek, which has had an influence on the terms used in English and other languages and has led to a number of different romanizations for names and placenames in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Q: Who issued their system for romanizing names for official purposes?
A: The Hellenic Organization for Standardization (ELOT) issued its system in co-operation with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1983.
Q: When was ELOT's system adopted by various organizations?
A: ELOT's system was adopted (with minor modifications) by the United Nations' Fifth Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names at Montreal in 1987, by the United Kingdom's Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use (PCGN) and by the United States' Board on Geographic Names (BGN) in 1996, and by ISO itself in 1997.
Q: Are Greeks allowed to use irregular forms when writing their names officially?
A: Greeks are permitted to use irregular forms such as "Demetrios" for Δημήτριος provided that official identification and documents also list the standard forms like "Dimitrios".
