A Handbook of the English Language

by R. G. Latham

[§ 161]. In this state it was imported into Greece.

Now, as it rarely happens that any two languages have precisely the same elementary articulate sounds, so it rarely happens that an alphabet can be transplanted from one tongue to another, and be found to suit. When such is the case, alterations are required. The extent to which these alterations are made at all, or (if made) made on a right principle varies with different languages. Some adapt an introduced alphabet well: others badly.

Of the twenty-two Phœnician letters the Greeks took but twenty-one. The eighteenth letter, tsadi

צ

was never imported into Europe.

Compared with the Semitic, the Old Greek alphabet ran thus:—

	Hebrew.	Greek.		Hebrew.	Greek.
1.	א	Α.	13.	מ	Μ.
2.	ב	Β.	14.	נ	Ν.
3.	ג	Γ.	15.	ס	Σ?
4.	ד	Δ.	16.	ע	Ο.
5.	ה	Ε.	17.	פ	Π.
6.	ו	Digamma.	18.	צ	—
7.	ז	Ζ.	19.	ק	A letter called koppa, afterwards ejected.
8.	ח	Η.
9.	ט	Θ.
10.	י	Ι.	20.	ר	Ρ.
11.	כ	Κ.	21.	ש	M afterwards Σ?
12.	ל	Λ.	22.	ת	Τ.

The names of the letters were as follows:

	Hebrew.	Greek.		Hebrew.	Greek.
1.	Aleph	Alpha.	12.	Lamed	Lambda.
2.	Beth	Bæta.	13.	Mem	Mu.
3.	Gimel	Gamma.	14.	Nun	Nu.
4.	Daleth	Delta.	15.	Samech	Sigma?
5.	He	E, psilon.	16.	Ayn	O.
6.	Vaw	Digamma.	17.	Pe	Pi.
7.	Zayn	Zæta.	18.	Tsadi	——
8.	Heth	Hæta.	19.	Kof	Koppa, Archaic.
9.	Teth	Thæta.	20.	Resh	Rho.
10.	Yod	Iôta.	21.	Sin	San, Doric.
11.	Kaph	Kappa.	22.	Tau	Tau.