Note on ει: In classical Attic this was a single sound (monophthong) written with two letters (digraph). In some works this long vowel derived from a true diphthong, always spelled ΕΙ in the old Attic alphabet (genuine diphthong). In some other words this vowel resulted from the process of contraction (as in the infinitive ending -ειν from -εεν) or compensatory lengthening (as in aorist stem ἀγγειλ- from root ἀγγελ-, and was spelled Ε in the old Attic alphabet (spurious diphthong). The distinction between spurious and genuine is important for interpreting inscriptions and for understanding some contractions in Attic inflections.
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Pronunciation Guide
