View source for Greek diacritics

{{Short description|Marks added to letters in Greek}}
{{About|diacritics placed above or below Greek letters|Greek punctuation|Greek orthography#Punctuation}}
{{Redirect|Polytonic|the musical term|Polytonality}}
{{Redirect|Tonos|musical modes|Mode (music)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}
{{Greek Alphabet}}

[[Greek orthography]] has used a variety of [[diacritic]]s starting in the [[Hellenistic period]]. The more complex '''polytonic orthography''' ({{langx|el|πολυτονικό σύστημα γραφής|translit=polytonikó sýstīma grafī́s}}), which includes five diacritics, notates [[Ancient Greek phonology]]. The simpler '''monotonic orthography''' ({{langx|el|μονοτονικό σύστημα γραφής|translit=monotonikó sýstīma grafī́s}}), introduced in 1982, corresponds to [[Modern Greek phonology]], and requires only two diacritics.

Polytonic orthography ({{etymology|grc|''{{wikt-lang|grc|πολύς}}'' ({{transliteration|grc|polýs|}})|much, many||''{{wikt-lang|grc|τόνος}}'' ({{transliteration|grc|tónos|}})|accent}}) is the standard system for [[Ancient Greek]] and [[Medieval Greek]] and includes:
* [[acute accent]] ({{char|<big>´</big>}})
* [[circumflex]] accent ({{char|<big>ˆ</big>}})
* [[grave accent]] ({{char|<big>`</big>}}); these 3 accents indicate different kinds of [[pitch accent]]
* [[rough breathing]] ({{char|<big>῾</big>}}) indicates the presence of the {{IPA|/h/}} sound before a letter
*  [[smooth breathing]] ({{char|<big>᾿</big>}}) indicates the absence of {{IPA|/h/}}.

Since in Modern Greek the pitch accent has been replaced by a [[stress (linguistics)|dynamic accent (stress)]], and {{IPA|/h/}} was lost, most polytonic diacritics have no phonetic significance, and merely reveal the underlying Ancient Greek [[etymology]].

Monotonic orthography ({{etymology|grc|''{{wikt-lang|grc|μόνος}}'' ({{transliteration|grc|mónos}})|single||''{{wikt-lang|grc|τόνος}}'' ({{transliteration|grc|tónos|}})|accent}}) is the standard system for [[Modern Greek]]. It retains two diacritics: 

* single accent or ''tonos'' ({{char|<big>΄</big>}}) that indicates [[stress (linguistics)|stress]], and
*   [[diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis]] ({{char|<big>¨</big>}}), which usually indicates a [[Hiatus (linguistics)|hiatus]] but occasionally indicates a [[diphthong]]: compare modern Greek {{wikt-lang|el|παϊδάκι|παϊδάκια}} ({{IPA|/paiˈðaca/}}, "lamb chops"), with a diphthong, and {{wikt-lang|el|παιδάκι|παιδάκια}} ({{IPA|/peˈðaca/}}, "little children") with a [[monophthong|simple vowel]]. 

A ''tonos'' and a ''diaeresis'' can be combined on a single vowel to indicate a stressed vowel after a hiatus, as in the verb {{lang|el|ταΐζω}} ({{IPA|/taˈizo/}}, "I feed").

Although it is not a diacritic, the [[hypodiastole]] ([[comma]]) has in a similar way the function of a sound-changing diacritic in a handful of Greek words, principally distinguishing {{wikt-lang|el|ό,τι}} ({{transliteration|el|ó,ti}}, "whatever") from {{wikt-lang|el|ότι}} ({{transliteration|el|óti}}, "that").<ref name="nicky">Nicolas, Nick. "[http://www.tlg.uci.edu/~opoudjis/unicode/punctuation.html Greek Unicode Issues: Punctuation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030075755/http://www.tlg.uci.edu/~opoudjis/unicode/punctuation.html |date=2015-10-30 }}". 2005. Accessed 7 Oct 2014.</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Codex Sinaiticus-small.jpg|upright=1.13|thumb|The [[Lord's Prayer]] in a 4th-century [[uncial]] manuscript ''[[Codex Sinaiticus]]'', before the adoption of [[Lower case|minuscule]] polytonic. Note spelling errors: elth''a''tō ē basil''i''a (ΕΛΘΑΤΩΗΒΑΣΙΛΙΑ) instead of elth''e''tō ē basil''ei''a (ΕΛΘΕΤΩ Η ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑ).]]
The original [[Greek alphabet]] did not have diacritics. The Greek alphabet is attested since the 8th century BC, and until 403 BC, variations of the Greek alphabet—which exclusively used what are now known as [[Letter case|capitals]]—were used in different cities and areas. From 403 on, the Athenians decided to employ a version of the [[Ionic Greek|Ionian]] alphabet. With the spread of [[Koine Greek]], a continuation of the [[Attic Greek|Attic]] dialect, the Ionic alphabet superseded the other alphabets, known as [[wikt:epichoric|epichoric]], with varying degrees of speed. The Ionian alphabet, however, also consisted only of capitals.

=== Introduction of breathings ===
[[File:Byzantinischer Maler um 1020 003.jpg|upright=1.59|thumb|An example of polytonic text with [[Ekphonetic notation|ekphonetic neumes]] in [[rubric|red ink]] from a [[Byzantine illuminated manuscript|Byzantine manuscript]], of 1020 AD, displaying the beginning of the [[Gospel of Luke]] (1:3–6)]]
The [[Rough breathing|rough]] and [[smooth breathing]]s were introduced in classical times in order to represent the presence or absence of an {{IPA|[[/h/]]}} in [[Attic Greek]], which had adopted a form of the alphabet in which the letter ⟨Η⟩ ([[eta]]) was no longer available for this purpose as it was used to represent the [[long vowel]] {{IPA|/ɛː/}}.

=== Introduction of accents ===
During the Hellenistic period (3rd century BC), [[Aristophanes of Byzantium]] introduced the breathings—marks of aspiration (the aspiration however being already noted on certain inscriptions, not by means of diacritics but by regular letters or modified letters)—and the accents, of which the use started to spread, to become standard in the Middle Ages. It was not until the 2nd century AD that [[Accent mark|accents]] and breathings appeared sporadically in [[papyrus|papyri]]. The need for the diacritics arose from the gradual divergence between spelling and pronunciation.

=== Uncial script ===
{{Main|Uncial script}}
The [[Uncial script|majuscule]], i.e., a system where text is written entirely in [[capital letters]], was used until the 8th century, when the [[Lower case|minuscule]] polytonic supplanted it.

=== Grave accent rule<!--Linked from 'Bareia'. 'Grave accent rule' redirects here.--> ===
By the [[Byzantine period]], the modern rule that turns an [[acute accent]] (''oxeia'') on the last syllable into a [[grave accent]] (''bareia'')—except before a punctuation sign or an [[enclitic]]—had been firmly established. Certain authors have argued that the grave originally denoted the absence of accent; the modern rule is, in their view, a purely [[Orthography|orthographic]] convention. Originally, certain [[proclitic]] words lost their accent before another word and received the grave, and later this was generalized to all words in the orthography. Others—drawing on, for instance, evidence from [[ancient Greek music]]—consider that the grave was "linguistically real" and expressed a word-final modification of the acute pitch.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Probert |first=Philomen |year=2006 |title=Ancient Greek accentuation |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=  9780199279609 |page=59 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Devine |first=Andrew M. |first2=Laurence D. |last2=Stephens |year=1994 |title=The prosody of Greek speech |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-508546-9 |page=180 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Allen |first=William S. |year=1987 |title=Vox graeca |location=London |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=124–130 }}</ref>

=== Stress accent ===
In the later development of the language, the ancient [[Pitch accent (intonation)|pitch accent]] was replaced by an intensity or [[stress (linguistics)|stress]] accent, making the three types of accent identical, and the {{IPA|/h/}} sound became silent.

===Simplification===
At the beginning of the 20th century (official since the 1960s), the grave was replaced by the acute, and the [[iota subscript]] and the breathings on the rho were abolished, except in printed texts.<ref>{{cite book|title=Συγχρονισμένο ορθογραφικό λεξικό της νεοελληνικής (Contemporary Orthographic Dictionary of Modern Greek)|year=1976|publisher=Κέντρον Εκπαιδευτικών Μελετών και Επιμορφώσεως|author1=Alkis K. Tropaiatis|author2=Telis Peklaris|author3=Philippos D. Kolovos|page=11|language=el}}</ref> Greek [[typewriters]] from that era did not have keys for the grave accent or the iota subscript, and these diacritics were also not taught in primary schools where instruction was in [[Demotic Greek]].

===Official adoption of monotonic system===
Following the official adoption of the [[Demotic Greek|demotic]] form of the language, the monotonic orthography was imposed by law in 1982. The latter uses only the acute accent (or sometimes a [[vertical bar]], intentionally distinct from any of the traditional accents) and [[Diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis]] and omits the breathings. This simplification has been criticized on the grounds that polytonic orthography provides a cultural link to the past.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polytoniko.gr|title=Καλῶς ὁρίσατε στὸν ἱστοχῶρο τῆς Κίνησης Πολιτῶν γιὰ τὴν Ἐπαναφορὰ τοῦ Πολυτονικοῦ Συστήματος|first=Γιάννης|last=Χαραλάμπους|website=www.polytoniko.gr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Welcome to the Web site of the Citizens' Movement for the Re-introduction of the Polytonic System|url=http://www.polytoniko.org/index.php?newlang=en|access-date=2022-02-05|website=www.polytoniko.org}}</ref>

===Modern use of polytonic system===
Some individuals, institutions, and publishers continue to prefer the polytonic system (with or without grave accent), though an official reintroduction of the polytonic system does not seem probable. The [[Church of Greece|Greek Orthodox]] church, the daily newspaper ''[[Estia]],'' as well as books written in ''[[Katharevousa]]'' continue to use the polytonic orthography. Though the polytonic system was not used in Classical Greece, these critics argue that modern Greek, as a continuation of [[medieval Greek|Byzantine]] and post-medieval Greek, should continue their writing conventions.

Some textbooks of Ancient Greek for foreigners have retained the breathings, but dropped all the accents in order to simplify the task for the learner.<ref>{{cite book |last=Betts |first=G. |title=Teach Yourself New Testament Greek |publisher=Teach Yourself Books |location=London |year=2004 |ISBN=0-340-87084-2 }}</ref>

==Description==
Polytonic Greek uses many different diacritics in several categories. At the time of Ancient Greek, each of these marked a significant distinction in pronunciation.

Monotonic orthography for Modern Greek uses only two diacritics, the ''tonos'' and ''diaeresis'' (sometimes used in combination) that have significance in pronunciation, similar to vowels in [[Spanish orthography|Spanish]]. Initial {{IPA|/h/}} is no longer pronounced, and so the rough and smooth breathings are no longer necessary. The unique pitch patterns of the three accents have disappeared, and only a [[stress (linguistics)|stress accent]] remains. The iota subscript was a diacritic invented to mark an [[etymology|etymological]] vowel that was no longer pronounced, so it was dispensed with as well.

{| class="wikitable"
! Acute !! Acute, diaeresis !! Diaeresis
|-
| <span style="font-size:130%">{{lang|grc|Άά Έέ Ήή Ίί Όό Ύύ Ώώ}}</span> || <span style="font-size:130%">{{lang|grc|ΐ ΰ}}</span> || <span style="font-size:130%">{{lang|grc|Ϊϊ Ϋϋ}}</span>
|}

The transliteration of Greek names follows Latin transliteration of Ancient Greek; modern transliteration is different, and does not distinguish many letters and digraphs that have merged by [[iotacism]].

===Accents<span class="anchor" id="Oxeia (accent)"></span><span class="anchor" id="Perispomene"></span>===
{{See also|Ancient Greek accent}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float: right;"
| [[File:Greek acute.svg|50px]]
| [[File:Greek gravis.svg|50px]]
|-
| Acute || Grave
|-
| [[File:Greek circumflex tilde.svg|50px]]
| [[File:Greek circumflex breve.svg|50px]]
|-
| colspan="2" | Circumflex (alternative forms)
|}
The accents ({{langx|grc|τόνοι|tónoi}}, singular: {{langx|grc|τόνος|tónos|label=none}}) are placed on an accented vowel or on the last of the two vowels of a diphthong (ά, but αί) and indicated [[pitch accent|pitch]] patterns in Ancient Greek. The precise nature of the patterns is not certain, but the general nature of each is known.

The '''[[acute accent]]''' ({{langx|grc|ὀξεῖα|oxeîa|sharp|label=none}} or "high"){{snd}} '{{lang|grc|ά}}'{{snd}} marked high pitch on a short vowel or rising pitch on a long vowel.

The acute is also used on the first of two (or occasionally three) successive vowels in Modern Greek to indicate that they are pronounced together as a stressed diphthong.

The '''[[grave accent]]''' ({{langx|grc|βαρεῖα|bareîa|heavy|label=none}} or "low", modern ''varia''){{snd}} '{{lang|grc|ὰ}}'{{snd}} marked normal or low pitch.

The grave was originally written on all unaccented syllables.<ref>[[Herbert Weir Smyth|Smyth]], par. 155</ref> By the Byzantine period it was only used to replace the acute at the end of a word if another accented word follows immediately without [[punctuation]].

The '''[[circumflex]]''' ({{langx|grc|περισπωμένη|perispōménē|twisted around|label=none}}){{snd}} '{{lang|grc|ᾶ}}'{{snd}} marked high and falling pitch within one syllable. In distinction to the angled Latin circumflex, the Greek circumflex is printed in the form of either a [[tilde]] ({{char|◌̃}}) or an [[inverted breve]] ({{char|◌̑}}). It was also known as {{lang|grc|ὀξύβαρυς}} {{transliteration|grc|oxýbarys}} "high-low" or "acute-grave", and its original form ({{char|^}} ) was from a combining of the acute and grave diacritics. Because of its compound nature, it only appeared on long vowels or diphthongs.

===Breathings===
{| class="wikitable" style="float: right;"
| [[File:Greek asper.svg|50px]]
| [[File:Greek lenis.svg|50px]]
|-
| Rough || Smooth
|-
| [[File:Greek asper acute.svg|50px]]
| [[File:Greek lenis circumflex breve.svg|50px]]
|-
| colspan="2" | Combined with accents
|}
The breathings were written over a vowel or ρ.

The '''[[rough breathing]]''' ({{langx|grc|δασὺ πνεῦμα|dasù pneûma|link=no}}; [[Latin]] {{lang|la|spīritus asper}})—'{{lang|grc|ἁ}}'—indicates a voiceless glottal fricative ({{IPA|/h/}}) before the vowel in Ancient Greek. In Greek grammar, this is known as aspiration. This is different from [[aspiration (phonetics)|aspiration]] in [[phonetics]], which applies to consonants, not vowels.
* [[rho (letter)|Rho]] (Ρρ) at the beginning of a word always takes rough breathing, probably marking [[Voiceless alveolar trill|unvoiced]] pronunciation. In Latin, this was [[romanization of Greek|transcribed]] as ''[[list of Latin digraphs#R|rh]]''.
* [[Upsilon]] (Υυ) at the beginning of a word always takes rough breathing. Thus, words from Greek begin with ''hy-'', never with ''y-''.

The '''[[smooth breathing]]''' ({{langx|grc|ψιλὸν πνεῦμα|psīlòn pneûma|label=none}}; Latin {{lang|la|spīritus lēnis}})—'{{lang|grc|ἀ}}'—marked the absence of {{IPA|/h/}}.

A double rho in the middle of a word was originally written with smooth breathing on the first rho and rough breathing on the second one ({{lang|grc|διάῤῥοια}}). In Latin, this was transcribed as ''rrh'' (''diarrhoea'' or ''diarrhea'').

===Coronis===
[[File:Greek coronis crasis.svg|thumb|right|upright=0.54|Coronis, marking crasis in the word {{lang|grc|2=κἀγώ = καὶ ἐγώ}}]]
The '''[[coronis (diacritic)|coronis]]''' ({{langx|grc|κορωνίς|korōnís|curved|label=none}}) marks a vowel contracted by [[crasis]]. It was formerly an apostrophe placed after the contracted vowel, but is now placed over the vowel and is identical to the smooth breathing. Unlike the smooth breathing, it often occurs inside a word.

===Subscript===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;clear:right;"
| [[File:Greek iota placement 03.svg|80px]]
| [[File:Greek iota placement 01.svg|80px]]
| [[File:Greek iota placement 02.svg|80px]]
|-
| [[File:Greek iota placement 04.svg|80px]]
| [[File:Greek iota placement 05.svg|80px]]
| [[File:Greek iota placement 06.svg|80px]]
|-
| colspan="3" | Different styles of subscript/adscript iotas in the word {{lang|grc|ᾠδῇ}}, ("''[[ode]]''", dative)
|}
The '''[[iota subscript]]''' ({{langx|grc|ὑπογεγραμμένη|hypogegramménē|written under|label=none}})—'ι'—is placed under the long vowels [[alpha|ᾱ]], [[eta|η]], and [[omega|ω]] to mark the ancient long diphthongs '''ᾱι''', '''ηι''', and '''ωι''', in which the ι is no longer pronounced.

===Adscript===
Next to a capital, the iota subscript is usually written as a lower-case letter ('''Αι'''), in which case it is called '''[[iota adscript]]''' ({{langx|grc|προσγεγραμμένη|prosgegramménē|written next to|label=none}}).

===Diaeresis===
[[File:Greek diacritic non-diphthong capitals.svg|thumb|right|upright=0.54|Diaeresis, used to distinguish the word {{lang|grc|ΑΫΛΟΣ}} ({{lang|grc|ἄϋλος}}, "immaterial") from the word {{lang|grc|ΑΥΛΟΣ}} ({{lang|grc|αὐλός}} "flute")
]]
In Ancient Greek, the '''[[diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis]]''' ({{langx|el|διαίρεσις|link=no}} or {{langx|el|διαλυτικά|dialytiká|distinguishing|label=none}}) – '''{{lang|grc|ϊ}}''' – appears on the letters {{lang|grc|'''[[iota|ι]]'''}} and {{lang|grc|'''[[upsilon|υ]]'''}} to show that a pair of vowel letters is pronounced separately, rather than as a [[diphthong]] or as a [[Digraph (orthography)|digraph]] for a simple vowel.

In Modern Greek, the diaeresis usually indicates that two successive vowels are pronounced separately (as in {{lang|grc|κοροϊδεύω}} {{IPA|/ko.ro.iˈðe.vo/}}, "I trick, mock"), but occasionally, it marks vowels that are pronounced together as an unstressed diphthong rather than as a [[digraph (orthography)|digraph]] (as in {{lang|el|μποϊκοτάρω}}<!-- el because this is not an ancient word --> {{IPA|/boj.koˈtar.o/}}, "I boycott"). The distinction between two separate vowels and an unstressed diphthong is not always clear, although two separate vowels are far more common.

The diaeresis can be combined with the acute, grave and circumflex but never with breathings, since the letter with the diaeresis cannot be the first vowel of the word.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Abbott|first1=Evelyn|last2=Mansfield|first2=E. D.|year=1977|title=A Primer of Greek Grammar|location=London|publisher=Duckworth|isbn=0-7156-1258-1|page=14}}</ref>

In Modern Greek, the combination of the acute and diaeresis indicates a stressed vowel after a hiatus.

===Vowel length===
In textbooks and dictionaries of Ancient Greek, the '''[[Macron (diacritic)|macron]]'''—'{{lang|grc|ᾱ}}'—and '''[[breve]]'''—'{{lang|grc|ᾰ}}'—are often used over {{lang|grc|'''[[alpha|α]]'''}}, {{lang|grc|'''[[iota|ι]]'''}}, and {{lang|grc|'''[[upsilon|υ]]'''}} to indicate that it is long or short, respectively.

===Nonstandard diacritics===

====Caron====
In some modern non-standard orthographies of Greek dialects, such as [[Cypriot Greek]], [[Griko dialect|Griko]], and [[Tsakonian language|Tsakonian]], a [[caron]] (ˇ) may be used on some consonants to show a palatalized pronunciation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.euralex.org/elx_proceedings/Euralex2012/pp262-266%20Themistocleus,%20Katsoyannou,%20Armosti%20and%20Christodoulou.pdf|title=Cypriot Greek Lexicography: A Reverse Dictionary of Cypriot Greek|access-date=2017-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806040450/http://www.euralex.org/elx_proceedings/Euralex2012/pp262-266%20Themistocleus,%20Katsoyannou,%20Armosti%20and%20Christodoulou.pdf|archive-date=2016-08-06|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omniglot.com/writing/griko.htm|title=Griko alphabets, pronunciation and language|website=www.omniglot.com}}</ref> They are not encoded as precombined characters in Unicode, so they are typed by adding the {{unichar|030C|COMBINING CARON|html=|cwith=◌}} to the Greek letter. Latin diacritics on Greek letters may not be supported by many fonts, and as a fall-back a caron may be replaced by an iota ⟨ι⟩ following the consonant.

An example of a Greek letter with a combining caron and its pronunciation: '''τ̌''' {{IPA|/c/}}.

====Dot above====
A dot diacritic was used above some consonants and vowels in [[Karamanli Turkish]], which was written with the Greek alphabet.<ref>{{cite web |title=Karamanli Turkish alphabet and language |website=omniglot.com |url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/karamanliturkish.htm}}</ref>

==Position in letters==
Diacritics are written above lower-case letters and at the upper left of capital letters. In the case of a [[digraph (orthography)|digraph]], the second vowel takes the diacritics. A breathing diacritic is written to the left of an acute or grave accent but below a circumflex. Accents are written above a diaeresis or between its two dots.

In uppercase (all-caps), accents and breathings are eliminated, in titlecase they appear to the left of the letter rather than above it. Unlike other diacritics, the dieresis is kept above letters also  in uppercase.
Different conventions exist for the handling of the [[iota subscript]].
Diacritics can be found above capital letters in medieval texts and in the French typographical tradition up to the 19th century.
<ref>Nick Nicholas. ''Greek Unicode issues''. https://opoudjis.net/unicode/unicode_gkbkgd.html#titlecase</ref>

==Example==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ The [[Lord's Prayer]]
! Polytonic
! Monotonic
|-
| class="polytonic" lang="grc" |
<poem>
Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου·
ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου·
γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς·
τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον·
καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν,
ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν·
καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.
Ἀμήν.
</poem>
| class="polytonic" lang="grc" |
<poem>
Πάτερ ημών ο εν τοις ουρανοίς· αγιασθήτω το όνομά σου·
ελθέτω η βασιλεία σου·
γενηθήτω το θέλημά σου, ως εν ουρανώ, και επί της γης·
τον άρτον ημών τον επιούσιον δος ημίν σήμερον·
και άφες ημίν τα οφειλήματα ημών,
ως και ημείς αφίεμεν τοις οφειλέταις ημών·
και μη εισενέγκης ημάς εις πειρασμόν, αλλά ρύσαι ημάς από του πονηρού.
Αμήν.
</poem>
|}

==Computer encoding==
There have been problems in representing polytonic Greek on computers, and in displaying polytonic Greek on computer screens and printouts, but these have largely been overcome by the advent of [[Unicode]] and appropriate [[font]]s.

===IETF language tag===
The [[IETF language tag]]s have registered subtag codes for the different orthographies:<ref name="IETF">{{cite web |title=Language subtag registry |url=https://www.iana.org/assignments/language-subtag-registry/language-subtag-registry |publisher=IANA |access-date=13 April 2021 |language=en |date=2021-03-05}}</ref>
* {{code|el-monoton}} for monotonic Greek.
* {{code|el-polyton}} for polytonic Greek.

=== Unicode ===
While the ''tónos'' of monotonic orthography looks similar to the ''oxeîa'' of polytonic orthography in most typefaces, Unicode has historically separate symbols for letters with these diacritics. For example, the monotonic "Greek small letter alpha with ''tónos''" is at U+03AC, while the polytonic "Greek small letter alpha with ''oxeîa''" is at U+1F71. The monotonic and polytonic accent however have been ''[[de jure]]'' equivalent since 1986, and accordingly the ''oxeîa'' diacritic in Unicode decomposes canonically to the monotonic ''tónos''—both are underlyingly treated as equivalent to the multiscript acute accent, U+0301, since letters with ''oxia'' decompose to letters with ''tonos'', which decompose in turn to base letter plus multiscript acute accent. Thus:

* {{unichar|1F71|GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH OXIA}}
* {{unichar|03AC|GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH TONOS}}
** {{unichar|03B1|GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA}} plus {{unichar|0301|COMBINING ACUTE ACCENT|cwith=&#x25CC;}} (shown for explanation only; in practice only the precomposed form is used)

Where a distinction needs to be made (in historic textual analysis, for example), the existence of individual [[code point]]s and a suitable distinguishing typeface ([[computer font]]) make this possible.

==== Upper case ====
{{hatnote|the ''iota'' adscript may appear as subscript depending on the reader's system default font.}}
{| class="wikitable polytonic" style="font-size:180%"
|+ style="font-size:50%" | Vowels by breathing and accent
|-
! scope="col" style="font-size:50%" | Breathing, diaeresis, or length
! scope="col" style="font-size:50%" | Accent
! scope="col" style="font-size:50%" | —
! scope="col" colspan="7" style="font-size:50%" | —
! scope="col" colspan="3" style="font-size:50%" | Adscript
! scope="col" style="font-size:50%" | Rho
|-
! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="3" style="font-size:50%" | —
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | —
| &nbsp; || Α || Ε || Η || Ι || Ο || Υ || Ω || ᾼ || ῌ || ῼ || Ρ
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Acute
| {{big|´}} || Ά || Έ || Ή || Ί || Ό || Ύ || Ώ || &nbsp; || &nbsp; || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Grave
| {{big|`}} || Ὰ || Ὲ || Ὴ || Ὶ || Ὸ || Ὺ || Ὼ || &nbsp; || &nbsp; || &nbsp; || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="4" style="font-size:50%" | Smooth
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | —
| {{big|᾿}} || Ἀ || Ἐ || Ἠ || Ἰ || Ὀ || || Ὠ || ᾈ || ᾘ || ᾨ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Acute
| {{big|῎}} || Ἄ || Ἔ || Ἤ || Ἴ || Ὄ || || Ὤ || ᾌ || ᾜ || ᾬ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Grave
| {{big|῍}} || Ἂ || Ἒ || Ἢ || Ἲ || Ὂ || || Ὢ || ᾊ || ᾚ || ᾪ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Circumflex
| {{big|῏}} || Ἆ || || Ἦ || Ἶ || ||  || Ὦ || ᾎ || ᾞ || ᾮ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="4" style="font-size:50%" | Rough
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | —
| {{big|῾}} || Ἁ || Ἑ || Ἡ || Ἱ || Ὁ || Ὑ || Ὡ || ᾉ || ᾙ || ᾩ || Ῥ
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Acute
| {{big|῞}} || Ἅ || Ἕ || Ἥ || Ἵ || Ὅ || Ὕ || Ὥ || ᾍ || ᾝ || ᾭ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Grave
| {{big|῝}} || Ἃ || Ἓ || Ἣ || Ἳ || Ὃ || Ὓ || Ὣ || ᾋ || ᾛ || ᾫ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Circumflex
| {{big|῟}} || Ἇ || || Ἧ || Ἷ || || Ὗ || Ὧ || ᾏ || ᾟ || ᾯ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Diaeresis
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | —
| {{big|¨}} || ||  || || Ϊ || || Ϋ || ||  || ||  ||
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Macron
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | —
| {{big|ˉ}} || Ᾱ || ||  || Ῑ || || Ῡ || ||  || ||  ||
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Breve
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | —
| {{big|˘}} || Ᾰ || ||  || Ῐ || || Ῠ || ||  || ||  ||
|}

==== Lower case ====
{| class="wikitable polytonic" style="font-size:180%"
|+ style="font-size:50%" | Lower case vowels by breathing and accent
|-
! scope="col" style="font-size:50%" | Breathing, diaeresis, or length
! scope="col" style="font-size:50%" | Accent
! scope="col" style="font-size:50%" | —
! scope="col" colspan="7" style="font-size:50%" | —
! scope="col" colspan="3" style="font-size:50%" | Subscript
! scope="col" style="font-size:50%" | Rho
|-
! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="4" style="font-size:50%" | —
! scope="row" | —
| || α || ε || η || ι || ο || υ || ω || ᾳ || ῃ || ῳ || ρ
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Acute
| {{big|´}} || ά || έ || ή || ί || ό || ύ || ώ || ᾴ || ῄ || ῴ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Grave
| {{big|`}} || ὰ || ὲ || ὴ || ὶ || ὸ || ὺ || ὼ || ᾲ || ῂ || ῲ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Circumflex
| {{big|῀}} || ᾶ || &nbsp; || ῆ || ῖ || &nbsp; || ῦ || ῶ || ᾷ || ῇ || ῷ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="4" style="font-size:50%" | Smooth
! scope="row" | —
| {{big|᾿}} || ἀ || ἐ || ἠ || ἰ || ὀ || ὐ || ὠ || ᾀ || ᾐ || ᾠ || ῤ
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Acute
| {{big|῎}} || ἄ || ἔ || ἤ || ἴ || ὄ || ὔ || ὤ || ᾄ || ᾔ || ᾤ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Grave
| {{big|῍}} || ἂ || ἒ || ἢ || ἲ || ὂ || ὒ || ὢ || ᾂ || ᾒ || ᾢ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Circumflex
| {{big|῏}} || ἆ || &nbsp; || ἦ || ἶ || &nbsp; || ὖ || ὦ || ᾆ || ᾖ || ᾦ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="4" style="font-size:50%" | Rough
! scope="row" | —
| {{big|῾}} || ἁ || ἑ || ἡ || ἱ || ὁ || ὑ || ὡ || ᾁ || ᾑ || ᾡ || ῥ
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Acute
| {{big|῞}} || ἅ || ἕ || ἥ || ἵ || ὅ || ὕ || ὥ || ᾅ || ᾕ || ᾥ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Grave
| {{big|῝}} || ἃ || ἓ || ἣ || ἳ || ὃ || ὓ || ὣ || ᾃ || ᾓ || ᾣ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Circumflex
| {{big|῟}} || ἇ || &nbsp; || ἧ || ἷ || &nbsp; || ὗ || ὧ || ᾇ || ᾗ || ᾧ || &nbsp;
|-
! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="4" style="font-size:50%" | Diaeresis
! scope="row" | —
| {{big|¨}} || ||  || || ϊ || || ϋ || ||  || ||  ||
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Acute
| {{big|΅}} || ||  || || ΐ || || ΰ || ||  || ||  ||
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Grave
| {{big|῭}} || ||  || || ῒ || || ῢ || ||  || ||  ||
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Circumflex
| {{big|῁}} || ||  || || ῗ || || ῧ || ||  || ||  ||
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Macron
! scope="row" | —
| {{big|ˉ}} || ᾱ || ||  || ῑ || || ῡ || ||  || ||  ||
|-
! scope="row" style="font-size:50%" | Breve
! scope="row" | —
| {{big|˘}} || ᾰ || ||  || ῐ || || ῠ || ||  || ||  ||
|}

{{Unicode chart Greek Extended}}

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Acute accent]]
* [[Voiceless glottal fricative]]
* [[Diaeresis (prosody)|Diaeresis]] – [[Synaeresis]]
* [[Greek language]]
* [[Koine Greek phonology]]
* [[Modern Greek grammar]]
* [[Greek alphabet]]
* [[Greek language question]]
* [[Greek ligatures]]
* [[Greek braille]]
* [[Greek minuscule]]
* [[Homeric scholarship#Hellenistic scholars and their aims|Textual criticism]]
* [[Aristarchian symbols]]
* [[Obelism]]
* [[Dagger (typography)]]
* [[Greek numerals]]
* [[Attic numerals]]
* [[Isopsephy]]
* [[Ancient Greek Musical Notation]]
* [[Byzantine Musical Symbols]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |first=Nicolaos M. |last=Panayotakis |chapter=A Watershed in the History of Greek Script: Abolishing the Polytonic |editor-first=Michael S. |editor-last=Macrakis |title=Greek Letters: From Tablets to Pixels |year=1996 |location=New Castle, DE |publisher=Oak Knoll Press |isbn=1-884718-27-2 }} Panayotakis is critical of the adoption of monotonic, and also provides a useful historical sketch.
* {{cite journal|last=Key|first=T. Hewitt|author-link=Thomas Hewitt Key|title=On Greek Accentuation|journal=Transactions of the Philological Society|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3924121;view=1up;seq=129|year=1855|issue=9|ref=Key}} See also: [https://archive.org/details/transactionsphi18britgoog/page/n128/mode/2up].

==External links==
{{Commons category|Greek diacritics}}
'''General information:'''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050527075012/http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~ancgreek/accenthtml/accentuation.html Accentuation history and tutorial]
* [http://www.polytoniko.gr Citizens' Movement for the Reintroduction of the Polytonic System], in Greek and English
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080430001001/http://www.antibaro.gr/society/polytoniko.php How the law to abandon polytonic orthography was passed in the Greek parliament], in Greek
* [http://www.translatum.gr/converter/p2m/polytonic-to-monotonic.php Greek polytonic to monotonic converter] (free online tool)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170514022007/http://www.tonismos.gr/index_en.htm Program that converts (correct) written monotonic texts into polytonic texts]

'''Polytonic Greek fonts:'''
* [http://www.greekfontsociety.gr/pages/en_typefaces20th.html Greek Font Society public domain polytonic fonts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080701213331/http://www.greekfontsociety.gr/pages/en_typefaces20th.html |date=2008-07-01 }}
* [http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/greek-fonts.asp Public domain Greek polytonic unicode fonts]
* [http://www.ecclesia.gr/greek/help.htm#english Athena] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801070927/http://www.ecclesia.gr/greek/help.htm#english |date=2020-08-01 }}, public domain polytonic Greek font

'''How-to guides for polytonic keyboard layouts:'''
* [https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1oiK5KraVvob6fAEhcVjwI99RlWtnBLiSGgDFs96qrbk Google Docs guide for Linux] Covers installation of layouts, use of dead-keys etc. Updated to 2010.

{{Greek language}}
{{Navbox diacritical marks}}

[[Category:Hellenic scripts|Diacritics]]
[[Category:Greek-script diacritics| ]]
[[Category:Greek language|Diacritics]]
[[Category:Koine Greek|Diacritics]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek|Diacritics]]
[[Category:Orthographies by language]]
[[Category:Orthography]]
[[Category:Spelling reform]]
[[Category:Keyboard layouts]]