Editing Upsilon (section)

==Pronunciation==
In early [[Attic Greek]] (6th century BCE), it was pronounced {{IPAblink|u|}} (a [[close back rounded vowel]] like the English "long o͞o").<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rXYDQwehOVMC&q=upsilon+%22back+vowel%22|title=Greek Writing from Knossos to Homer: A Linguistic Interpretation of the Origin of the Greek Alphabet and the Continuity of Ancient Greek Literacy|first=Roger D.|last=Woodard|date=June 12, 1997|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195355666|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qmHsrNYoe4MC&q=upsilon+%22Close+back+rounded+vowel%22+greek&pg=PA12|title=Introduction to Attic Greek|first=Donald J.|last=Mastronarde|date=February 21, 2013|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=9780520275713|via=Google Books}}</ref> In [[Ancient Greek language|Classical Greek]], it was pronounced {{IPAblink|y|}} (a [[close front rounded vowel]]), at least until 1030.<ref>F. Lauritzen, "Michael the Grammarian's irony about Hypsilon. A step towards reconstructing Byzantine pronunciation", ''Byzantinoslavica'', '''67''' (2009)</ref> In [[Modern Greek]], it is pronounced {{IPA|{{IPAblink|i|}}}}; in the [[digraph (orthography)|digraph]]s {{IPA|⟨αυ⟩}} and {{IPA|⟨ευ⟩}}, as {{IPA|/f/}} or {{IPA|/v/}}; and in the digraph {{IPA|⟨ου⟩}} as {{IPA|/u/}}. In ancient Greek, it occurred in both [[Ancient Greek phonology#Vowels|long and short]] versions, but Modern Greek does not have a length distinction.

As an initial letter in Classical Greek, it always carried the [[rough breathing]] (equivalent to ''h'') as reflected in the many [[English words of Greek origin|Greek-derived English words]], such as those that begin with ''hyper-'' and ''hypo-''. This rough breathing was derived from an older pronunciation that used a [[Sibilant consonant|sibilant]] instead; this sibilant was not lost in Latin, giving rise to such cognates as ''super-'' (for ''hyper-'') and ''sub-'' (for ''hypo-'').

Upsilon participated as the second element in [[falling diphthong]]s, which have subsequently developed in various ways.