Nafsica or Nafsika

[Jimbo]

A while ago there was a discussion on the subject of how to spell Princess Nafsika on Facebook. I researched this quite thoroughly, and you may find the results interesting or tedious:

It's all down to the Romans and Latin. Latin (or Italian) does not have a K character. So when the Roman and later scholars wrote about the myth of how Odysseus was shipwrecked on an island bearing a marked resemblance to Kerkyra, they changed all the Ks to CC. Greek does not have the letter C. So it's about alphabets.

There is also some confusion about the letter U in Greek. It's really a V or F sound. I was brought up to pronounce Epidaurus in the Bible as epi-daw-rus, but if you've been to the wonderful theatre near Nafplion you'll know is epi-dav-ross. The Latin scholars, confronted with the word Nafsika in Greek changed it Nausiccaa - which sounds to us like a stomach complaint.

In Homer it's Nausikâ. Notice the kappa (K) and the U (F or V) and you get Nafsika. O Spiros fully accepted the answer, so you may notice that the webcam is Nafsika and not Nafsica.

Keep warm!

[Karen]

Thanks Jim, great post

[Tredegar Boy]

I stand corrected Jimbo. I will duly correct future posts

[maggiesaes]

That is interesting,I find etymology fascinating.

[Jimbo]

Thanks, all. I should really have said that the U is actually mostly halfway between F and V sounds. That's hard for English-speakers to distinguish.

Greek people are endlessly forgiving about these things, but it's nice to get it right.

I find the letter G a bit of a problem. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's almost an H sound. For example, England in Greek is Agglia and that's fairly hard with two gammas - Agg -LEE-a.

But the real name of the village is, of course, not San Stefanos but Agios Stefanos, and it seems to be much softer - AH-yee-oss STAY-fan-oss.

I'm sure Tredegar Boy will be able to help with Welsh, which has similar traps!

[Tredegar Boy]

Unfortunately Jimbo though welsh I'm of the generation that didn't have welsh on the curriculam when in school. So my knowledge doesn't stretch beyond the national anthem and a few key words.

My sons were doing compulsory welsh from age 7 up to 6th form under the Welsh Language Act and are far more knowledgable on such matters.

[maggiesaes]

I moved to Wakes 22 years ago,learned the language and worked in a Welsh  Medium school.
My grandchildren have Welsh as their first language.

I found it fascinating,having learned Latin and German at school,languages seemingly totally different but there are many clues in each.
When I first  started Welsh lessons I used to practice reading addresses in the phone book out loud to get the pronunciation.

[Jimbo]

My Welsh mother didn't speak any English until she was 11.

[geordieborn]

Amazing, just as well my mum told me to watch out for anyone south of the Tyne Bridge and north of Ashington ( ˘︹˘ )

[gillie]

As I understand it, it's not "u" on its own that sounds like an f or v, it does sound like an "u" as pronounced in the north of England. It only sounds like f or v when precede by an e or a u, as in Epidaurus and or eugenia which is pronounces evyenniaa. I think. Anyway it's what I was taught in the Greek classes I went to!

[gillie]

Also we were taught that the double gammas in Agglia can be pronounced more like anglia! It's all very complicated - possibly regional??

[maggiesaes]

Amazing, just as well my mum told me to watch out for anyone south of the Tyne Bridge and north of Ashington ( ˘︹˘ )

My first husband (died very young) came from Ashington

[maggiesaes]

My Welsh mother didn't speak any English until she was 11.

Very Welsh speaking here in this valley but of course it is a very ‘local’ dialect  and use of mutations.