General thoughts, elementary questions

[meisenimverbis]

I'm not versed in Greek (as I'd like), so I won't quite discuss anything usually, but I'll have questions or commentaries, and I prefer not to open a new thread for each of them.

For the moment, I'm surprised to find out that what we usually call Venus de Milo is actually Venus of Mēlos... Αφροδίτη τῆς Μήλου.

 

[Bitmap]

Ancient Greek ή is a long /i:/ in Modern Greek.

 

[meisenimverbis]

Ancient Greek ή is a long /i:/ in Modern Greek.

I know. What surprised me is that I never new this... (That the city is called Milos in modern Greek. Because it's a perfectly viable ancient Greek word, I mean, it could be a name with a iota.)

 

[meisenimverbis]

It's such a famous name! In Portuguese, Vênus de Milo is widely known as a name, even if the person doesn't know what it refers to. To change it to Vênus de Mêlos is pratically impossible. It's a "mistake" that will be perpetuated indefinitely... Even in English it's the Italian way of calling it, once it isn't even Milos, but Milo.

 

[meisenimverbis]

Vicipaedia brings the Venus Melia.

 

[Bitmap]

I know. What surprised me is that I never new this... (That the city is called Milos in modern Greek. Because it's a perfectly viable ancient Greek word, I mean, it could be a name with a iota.)

Well, that's the whole point. If it is called Milos now, it was probably spelt with an ή in Ancient Greek.

 

[meisenimverbis]

Well, that's the whole point. If it is called Milos now, it was probably spelt with an ή in Ancient Greek.

It's still spelt with an eta. The eta is pronounced like the iota. But that's not the point. What bothers me is how we say it.

 

[meisenimverbis]

I have a question: In Greek, Melius would be Μήλιος? (Is the diacritic right?)