Editing Ancient Greek (section)

===Differences from Proto-Indo-European===
{{Main|Proto-Greek language}}
Ancient Greek differs from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] (PIE) and other Indo-European languages in certain ways. In [[phonotactics]], ancient Greek words could end only in a vowel or {{IPA|/n s r/}}; final stops were lost, as in {{lang|grc|γάλα}} "milk", compared with {{lang|grc|γάλακτος}} "of milk" (genitive). Ancient Greek of the classical period also differed in both the inventory and distribution of original PIE phonemes due to numerous sound changes,<ref name="Fortson">{{Cite book |title=Indo-European language and culture: an introduction |url=https://archive.org/details/indoeuropeanlang00ivbe |url-access=limited |last=Fortson |first=Benjamin W. |publisher=Blackwell|year=2004 |isbn=978-1405103152 |location=Malden, Mass |pages=[https://archive.org/details/indoeuropeanlang00ivbe/page/n241 226]–231 |oclc=54529041 }}</ref> notably the following:
* PIE {{lang|ine-x-proto|s}} became {{IPA|/h/}} at the beginning of a word ([[debuccalization]]): Latin ''{{lang|la|sex}}'', English ''six'', ancient Greek {{lang|grc|ἕξ}} {{IPA|/héks/}}.
* PIE {{lang|ine-x-proto|s}} was [[elision|elided]] between vowels after an intermediate step of debuccalization: Sanskrit ''{{IAST|janasas}}'', Latin ''{{lang|la|generis}}'' (where ''s'' > ''r'' by [[Rhotacism (sound change)|rhotacism]]), Greek *{{Lang|grc|genesos}} > *{{Lang|grc|genehos}} > ancient Greek {{lang|grc|γένεος}} ({{IPA|/ɡéneos/}}), Attic {{lang|grc|γένους}} ({{IPA|/ɡénoːs/}}) "of a kind".
* PIE {{lang|ine-x-proto|y}} {{IPA|/j/}} became {{IPA|/h/}} (debuccalization) or {{IPA|/(d)z/}} ([[fortition]]): Sanskrit ''{{IAST|yas}}'', ancient Greek {{lang|grc|ὅς}} {{IPA|/hós/}} "who" (relative pronoun); Latin ''{{lang|la|iugum}}'', English ''yoke'', ancient Greek {{lang|grc|ζυγός}} {{IPA|/zyɡós/}}.
* PIE {{lang|ine-x-proto|w}}, which occurred in [[Mycenaean Greek|Mycenaean]] and some non-Attic dialects, was lost: early Doric {{lang|grc|ϝέργον}} {{IPA|/wérɡon/}}, English ''work'', Attic Greek {{lang|grc|ἔργον}} {{IPA|/érɡon/}}.
* PIE and Mycenaean labiovelars changed to plain stops (labials, dentals, and velars) in the later Greek dialects: for instance, PIE {{lang|ine-x-proto|kʷ}} became {{IPA|/p/}} or {{IPA|/t/}} in Attic: Attic Greek {{lang|grc|ποῦ}} {{IPA|/pôː/}} "where?", Latin ''{{lang|la|quō}}''; Attic Greek {{lang|grc|τίς}} {{IPA|/tís/}}, Latin ''{{lang|la|quis}}'' "who?".
* PIE "voiced aspirated" stops {{lang|ine-x-proto|bʰ dʰ ǵʰ gʰ gʷʰ|proto=no}} were devoiced and became the aspirated stops {{lang|grc|φ θ χ}} {{IPA|/pʰ tʰ kʰ/}} in ancient Greek.