What are the ways in which Greek print might indicate diaeresis?

1. What is diaeresis in Greek?
2. What are examples of diaeresis?
3. What do the Greek diacritics mean?
4. What is the origin of diaeresis?

What is diaeresis in Greek?

diaeresis, also spelled dieresis, (from Greek diairein, “to divide”), the resolution of one syllable into two, especially by separating the vowel elements of a diphthong and, by extension, two adjacent vowels. It is also the mark placed over a vowel to indicate that it is pronounced as a separate syllable.

What are examples of diaeresis?

A diaeresis is used when you have two vowels next to one another that should be pronounced as separate syllables instead jumbled together as a diphthong. The word “naïve” is a good example. When you pronounce it, you can clearly hear how it's divided into two parts—na- and -ive.

What do the Greek diacritics mean?

The three accent marks available in Greek were used originally to indicate variations in pitch. These three marks are called acute (τόν), grave (τὸ), and circumflex (τῶν). By the time of the New Testament, though, these pitch variations had begun to be replaced by simple stress accent.

What is the origin of diaeresis?

The word diaeresis is from Greek diaíresis (διαίρεσις), meaning "division", "separation", or "distinction".