CLAS 104: A Note on Transliteration
compiled by John Porter, University of Saskatchewan

Compare Morford and Lenardon, pp. 818-20.
(Note: their preferred spelling is that listed to the right of the equal sign.)

In English, the tradition until recently has been to present most Greek names and terms in a Latinized form. Thus, e.g.:

• the Greek kappa (κ) is represented by a Roman c
• the Greek termination omicron-sigma (-ος) is represented by the Latin -us
• the Greek termination in eta (-η [= long final e]) is represented by the Latin -e or -a (but pronounced as a separate syllable, in either case: e.g., the name Antiope has four syllables)
• the Greek diphthong alpha-iota (αι) is represented by the Latin ae

In some instances, the latinized versions drop the Greek declensional endings altogether: Gk. Homeros becomes Homer, Platon becomes Plato.

Of late, this tradition has been challenged, with many texts avoiding the older latinized spellings, although they vary in the degree to which they follow this practice and in their consistency. (Some examples are provided below.) I will use the latinized forms (as do Morford and Lenardon), on the grounds that they are still the ones employed in most of today's popular literature, but I might not always be consistent.

You should stick to the forms presented in Morford and Lenardon. Spelling does count in this course: partial credit might be given for minor slips, but your safest course is to present the names as they are presented in the textbook.

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