¨ — dialytika
«dialytika» is sign of Greek, the “Greek alphabet” script, read as “the two dots”. No sound of its own: the two dots split the pair into two separate vowels. The Greek alphabet has 37 letters in total, and this character can be played right here. Without them αι would read as one e sound. In μαϊντανός (parsley) the dots stand precisely so that it comes out "mai-danos" in two syllables, not "me-danos". They are rare, but where they stand they are obligatory. On a carrier the character looks like this: ϊ. In the alphabet it sits in the “the marks over the vowels” group.
In short
| Character | ¨ |
| Name | dialytika |
| Sound | the two dots |
| What it is | sign |
| On the carrier | ϊ |
In our course the character comes 37th of 37: the order here is not alphabetical but from familiar to unfamiliar, before it comes ΄.
How it sounds
No sound of its own: the two dots split the pair into two separate vowels
The character in the “the marks over the vowels” group
Stress in Greek is not a dictionary hint but an obligatory part of the spelling: a word longer than one syllable without its dash is written with a mistake. The two dots are rarer — needed where two vowels in a row must be read separately.
How to remember this character
A single letter is the hardest thing to remember: memory has nothing to hold on to — a character has no meaning. A three-step loop works: see the character, try to recall the sound, see the right answer.
And come back to it the next day, not in an hour: a check a day or two later beats a check the same day. Nobody holds the whole alphabet — 37 letters — at once.
- It is better to test yourself the next day than at the end of the same session. That is why a word comes back to you tomorrow.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · g = 0.82 when tested a day or two later, against 0.56 on the same day.
- Studying a little every day gets more into your head than spending the same total time in one sitting.checked many timesDonovan & Radosevich, 1999, Journal of Applied Psychology 84(5) · 63 studies compared, difference d = 0.46 — a sizeable figure for a learning effect.
Frequently asked
How does the Greek character ¨ read?
As “the two dots” — it is sign of the “Greek alphabet” script. No sound of its own: the two dots split the pair into two separate vowels.
What is the letter ¨ called?
Dialytika. A character's name and its sound are different things in the Greek script: it is called “dialytika” and reads as “the two dots”. Learn the second one: the name only helps when the alphabet is recited aloud.
What can ¨ be confused with?
Without them αι would read as one e sound. In μαϊντανός (parsley) the dots stand precisely so that it comes out "mai-danos" in two syllables, not "me-danos". They are rare, but where they stand they are obligatory. Similar characters are best studied side by side and deliberately compared: learned on different days, they stay separate and get mixed up at their first meeting inside a word.