Cross Your T’s, But Don’t Dot Those I’s

This is a Greek i: ι.

I find it really, really hard to refrain from dotting it. Forty-eight days studying Greek and I am still sticking dots on top.

Παράθυρο (Window), Pronounced pah-RAH-thee-ro, Is Fun to Say

At the same time, I keep forgetting to cross my t’s. This is a Greek t: τ. For some reason, by the time I do the curvy stem of the umbrella, I tend to forget about the top. Resulting in a Greek i rather than a t. That obviously messes up my spelling.

Also: I have found yet another Greek word whose syllable stress surprises me. “Schedule” in Greek is πρόγραμμα, which is pronounced PRO-grah-mah. I keep wanting to pronounce it as in Spanish: pro-GRAH-mah.

Really, the stress in Greek falls on the same syllable it does in English—the first one. And yet it sounds so weird to my ear. Why?

Is English more closely related to Greek in terms of syllable stress than to other languages I’ve studied? How did syllable stress patterns evolve in different languages? I need answers.

On a non-language note, I am having better and better luck with running. Things are looking up for me and my right foot.