# Γεια/Γειά



## panettonea

I've seen the word γεια spelled both with an accent and without.  Are both forms equally correct, or does the spelling just depend on the context?


----------



## Andrious

Unless I'm terribly mistaken, all the monosyllabic words in greek language get no accent, except a few interrogative ones like "Πού;" or "Πώς;". So I guess "Γειά" is just a bad use of language.


----------



## Perseas

No, it does not depend on the context._ Γεια_ is monosyllable, so it should be written without an accent, according to a rule of the monotonic system (orthographical reform of 1982). Few people however still follow the polytonic system (_γειά_). You have to discern if there is consistency in the polytonic orthography, otherwise it is error.


----------



## panettonea

Thanks, Andrious and Perseas.  Well, what about this:

http://www.wordreference.com/gren/γεια

Some of the instances on that page have an accent.  So, are the people who compiled the WR dictionary just a bunch of dopes???


----------



## Andrious

Well, I just had a look at Triantafyllidis Grammar of Modern Greek and I didn't find something new, except a few more cases of monosyllabic words that do get accent (like "ή"="or").


----------



## panettonea

Andrious said:


> Well, I just had a look at Triantafyllidis Grammar of Modern Greek and I didn't find something new, except a few more cases of monosyllabic words that do get accent (like "ή"="or").



So this is all about as clear as mud, huh?


----------



## Andrious

Well, I wouldn't say so but let's wait a couple of our other experts just to be sure.


----------



## Perseas

From the Concise Modern Grammar by Triandaphyllidis.

Monosyllables are not written with an accent. (_Γεια_ is monosyllable).
Exceptions:
a. The conjuction ή (or).
b. The interrogative adverbs πού (where) and πώς (how).
c. Weak forms of the personal pronoun (μου, σου, του, της, τον,την, το, μας, σας, τους, τα) are written with an accent when there is a possiblity that they be read as enclitics: ο πατέρας μού είπε (= the father told me). <<ο πατέρας μου είπε=my father said>>


----------



## panettonea

Perseas said:


> From the Concise Modern Grammar by Triandaphyllidis.
> 
> Monosyllables are not written with an accent. (_Γεια_ is monosyllable).
> Exceptions:
> a. The conjuction ή (or).
> b. The interrogative adverbs πού (where) and πώς (how).
> c. Weak forms of the personal pronoun (μου, σου, του, της, τον,την, το, μας, σας, τους, τα) are written with an accent when there is a possiblity that they be read as enclitics: ο πατέρας μού είπε (= the father told me). <<ο πατέρας μου είπε=my father said>>



Thanks.  My pocket Collins Gem Greek-English dictionary puts an accent on _γεια_ too, so it seems the editors just ignored what Papa Triandaphyllidis had to say.  I guess they never met a rule they didn't want to break.


----------

