Zeta

Zeta (uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; Ancient Greek: ζῆτα, Demotic Greek: ζήτα, classical [d͡zɛ̌:ta] or [zdɛ̌:ta] zē̂ta; Modern Greek: [ˈzita] zíta) is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek
numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived from thePhoenician letter zayin . Letters that arose from zeta include the RomanZ and Cyrillic З.

Contents
Name
Uses
Letter
Arguments for [zd]
Arguments for [dz]
Summary
Numeral
Mathematics and science
Meteorology
Character encodings
See also
References

Name
Unlike the other Greek letters, this letter did not take its name from thePhoenician letter from which it was derived; it was given a new name on the pattern of
beta, eta and theta.

The word zeta is the ancestor of zed, the name of the Latin letterZ in Commonwealth English.Swedish and many Romanic languages (such as Italian and Spanish), do not distinguish between the Greek
and Roman forms of the letter; "zeta" is used to refer to the Roman letterZ as well as the Greek letter.

Uses

Letter
The letter ζ represents thevoiced alveolar fricative/z/ in Modern Greek.

The sound represented by zeta in Greek before 400 BCE is disputed. SeeAncient Greek phonologyand Pronunciation of Ancient Greek in teaching.

Most handbooks agree on attributing to it the pronunciation /zd/ (like Mazda), but some scholars believe that it was an affricate /dz/ (like adze). The
modern pronunciation was, in all likelihood, established in the Hellenistic age and may have already been a common practice in Classical Attic; for
example, it could count as one or two consonants metrically in Attic drama.

The Greek alphabet on ablack figure

Arguments for [zd]
vessel, with the PhoenicianI shape
1. PIE *zd becomes ζ in Greek (e.g. *sísdō > ἵζω). Contra: these words are rare and it is therefore more probable thatzd * was absorbed of the zeta.
by *dz (< *dj, *gj, *j); further, a change from the cluster /zd/ to theaffricate /dz/ is typologically more likelythan the other way around
(which would violate thesonority hierarchy).
2. Without [sd] there would be an empty space between[sb] and [sɡ] in the Greek sound system (πρέσβυς, σβέννυμι, φάσγανον), and a voiced affricate [dz] would not have a
voiceless correspondent.Contra: a) words with [sb] and [sɡ] are rare, and exceptions in phonological and (even more so) phonotactic patterns are in no way uncommon; b) there
was [sd] in ὅσδε, εἰσδέχται etc.; and c) there was in fact a voiceless correspondent in Archaic Greek[ts] ( > Attic, Boeotian ττ, Ionic, Doric σσ).
3. Persian names with zd and z are transcribed with ζ and σ respectively in Classical Greek (e.g.Artavazda = Ἀρτάβαζος/Ἀρτάοζος ~ Zara(n)ka- = Σαράγγαι. Similarly, the Philistine
city Ashdod was transcribed as Ἄζωτος.
4. Some inscriptions have -ζ- written for a combination -ς + δ- resulting from separate words, e.g. θεοζ οτος for θεος δοτος "god-given".
5. Some Attic inscriptions have -σζ- for -σδ- or -ζ-, which is thought to parallel -σστ- for -στ- and therefore to imply[zd] a pronunciation.
6. ν disappears before ζ like before σ(σ), στ: e.g. πλάνζω
* > πλᾰ́ζω, *σύνζυγος > σύζυγος, *συνστέλλω > σῠστέλλω. Contra: ν may have disappeared before /dz/ if one accepts that
it had the allophone [z] in that position like /ts/ had the allophone[s]: cf. Cretan ἴαττα ~ ἀποδίδονσα (Hinge).
7. Verbs beginning with ζ haveἐ- in the perfect reduplication like the verbs beginning with στ (e.g.ἔζηκα = ἔσταλται). Contra: a) The most prominent example of a verb beginning
with στ has in fact ἑ- < *se- in the perfect reduplication (ἕστηκα); b) the words with /ts/ > σ(σ) also haveἐ-: Homer ἔσσυμαι, -ται, Ion. ἐσσημένῳ.
8. Alcman, Sappho, Alcaeus and Theocritus have σδ for Attic-Ionic ζ. Contra: The tradition would not have invented this special digraph for these poets [zd] if was the normal
pronunciation in all Greek. Furthermore, this convention is not found in contemporary inscriptions, and the orthography of the manuscripts and papyriAlexandrine is rather than
historical. Thus, σδ indicates only a different pronunciation fromHellenistic Greek [z(ː)], i.e. either [zd] or [dz].
9. The grammarians Dionysius Thrax and Dionysius of Halicarnassusclass ζ with the "double" (διπλᾶ) letters ψ, ξ and analyse it as σ + δ.Contra: The Roman grammarianVerrius
Flaccus believed in the opposite sequence, δ + σ (inVelius Longus, De orthogr. 51), and Aristotle says that it was a matter of dispute M ( etaph. 993a) (though Aristotle might as
well be referring to a [zː] pronunciation). It is even possible that the letter sometimes and for some speakers varied in pronunciation depending upon word position, i.e., like the
letter X in English, which is (usually) pronounced [z] initially but [gz] or [ks] elsewhere (cf. Xerxes).
10. Some Attic transcriptions of Asia Minor toponyms (βυζζ αντειον, αζζειον, etc.) show a -ζζ- for ζ; assuming thatAttic value was [zd], it may be an attempt to transcribe a dialectal[dz]
pronunciation; the reverse cannot be ruled completely , but a -σδ- transcription would have been more likely in this case. This suggests that dif ferent dialects had different
pronunciations. (For a similar example in theSlavic languages, cf. Serbo-Croatian (iz)među, Russian между, Polish między, and Czech mezi, "between".)

Arguments for [dz]

1. The Greek inscriptions almost never write ζ in words likeὅσδε, τούσδε or εἰσδέχται, so there must have been a difference between this sound and the sound ofἵζω, Ἀθήναζε.
Contra: a few inscriptions do seem to suggest that ζ was pronounced like σδ; furthermore, all words with written σδ are morphologically transparent, and written σδ may simply be
echoing the morphology. (Note, for example, that we write "ads" where the morphology is transparent, and "adze" where it is not, even though the pronunciation is the same.)
2. It seems improbable that Greek would invent a special symbol for the bisegmental combination [zd], which could be represented by σδ without any problems./ds/, on the other
hand, would have the same sequence of plosive and sibilant as the double letters of the Ionic alphabet /ps/ψ and ξ /ks/, thereby avoiding a written plosive at the end of a syllable.
Contra: the use of a special symbol for[zd] is no more or no less improbable than the use of ψ for[ps] and ξ for [ks], or, for that matter, the later invention ϛ (stigma) for [st], which
happens to be the voiceless counterpart of[zd]. Furthermore, it is not clear that ζ was pronounced[zd] when it was originally invented.Mycenean Greek had a special symbol to
denote some sort of affricate or palatal consonant; ζ may have been invented for this sound, which later developed into [zd]. (For a parallel development, note that original palatal
Proto-Slavic /tʲ/ developed into /ʃt/ in Old Church Slavonic, with similar developments having led to combinations such asдз and жд being quite common inRussian.)
 3. Boeotian, Elean, Laconian and Cretan δδ are more easily explained as a direct development from dz * than through an intermediary *zd. Contra: a) the sound developmentdz >
dd is improbable (Mendez Dosuna); b) ν has disappeared before ζ > δδ in Laconian πλαδδιῆν (Aristoph., Lys. 171, 990) and Boeotianσαλπίδδω (Sch. Lond. in Dion. Thrax 493),
which suggests that these dialects have had a phase ofmetathesis (Teodorsson).
4. Greek in South Italy has preserved[dz] until modern times. Contra: a) this may be a later development from[zd] or [z] under the influence of Italian; b) even if it is derived from an
ancient [dz], it may be a dialectal pronunciation.
5. Vulgar Latin inscriptions use the Greek letter Z for indigenous affricates (e.g. zeta = diaeta), and the Greek ζ is continued by a Romance af fricate in the ending -ίζω > Italian. -
eggiare, French -oyer. Italian, similarly, has consistently used Z for[dz] and [ts] (Lat. prandium > It. pranzo, "lunch"). Contra: whether the pronunciation ofζ was [dz], [zd] or [zː], di
would probably still have been the closest native Latin sound; furthermore, the inscriptions are centuries later than the time for which [zd] is assumed.

Summary

σδ is attested only in the lyric poetry of the Greek isle of Lesbos and the city-state of Sparta during the Archaic Age and in Bucolic poetry from the Hellenistic Age. Most scholars
would take this as an indication that the[zd]-pronunciation existed in the dialects of these authors.
The transcriptions fromPersian by Xenophon and testimony by grammarians support the pronunciation[zd] in Classical Attic.
[z(ː)] is attested from c. 350 BC inAttic inscriptions, and was the probable value inKoine.
[dʒ] or [dz] may have existed in some other dialects in parallel.

Numeral
Zeta has the numerical value 7 rather than 6 because the letterdigamma (also called 'stigma' as a Greek numeral) was originally in the sixth position in the alphabet.

Mathematics and science

The uppercase zeta is not used, because it is normally identical to LatinZ. The lower case letter can be used to represent:

The Riemann zeta function in mathematics

The damping ratio of an oscillating system in engineering and physics
The effective nuclear charge on an electron ni quantum chemistry
The electrokinetic potential in colloidal systems
The lag angle in helicopter blade dynamics
Relative vorticity in the atmosphere and ocean
A number whose discrete values (eigenvalues) are the positive roots of transcendental equations, used in the series solutions for transient one-dimensional conduction equations
The heat flux across or through a plane (Industrial Materials echnology)
T
The Weierstrass zeta-function
In physical chemistry equilibrium computations (using lower case Zetaʒ)),
( the extent of reaction

Meteorology
The name Zeta was a name used in the2005 Atlantic hurricane seasonas the record-breakingTropical Storm Zeta.

Character encodings
Greek Zeta / Coptic Zata

Character Ζ ζ
Unicode name GREEK CAPITAL LETTER ZETA GREEK SMALL LETTER ZETA COPTIC CAPITAL LETTER ZATA COPTIC SMALL LETTER ZATA

Encodings decimal hex decimal hex decimal hex decimal hex

Unicode 918 U+0396 950 U+03B6 11402 U+2C8A 11403 U+2C8B
UTF-8 206 150 CE 96 206 182 CE B6 226 178 138 E2 B2 8A 226 178 139 E2 B2 8B
Numeric character reference &#918; &#x396; &#950; &#x3B6; &#11402; &#x2C8A; &#11403; &#x2C8B;
Named character reference &Zeta; &zeta;
DOS Greek 133 85 157 9D
DOS Greek-2 169 A9 223 DF
Windows 1253 198 C6 230 E6
TeX \zeta

Mathematical Zeta

Character 𝚭 𝛇 𝛧 𝜁 𝜡 𝜻
Unicode MATHEMATICAL BOLD MATHEMATICAL BOLD MATHEMATICAL ITALIC MATHEMATICAL ITALIC MATHEMATICAL BOLD ITALIC MATHEMATICAL BOLD ITALIC
name CAPITAL ZETA SMALL ZETA CAPITAL ZETA SMALL ZETA CAPITAL ZETA SMALL ZETA

Encodings decimal hex decimal hex decimal hex decimal hex decimal hex decimal hex
Unicode 120493 U+1D6AD 120519 U+1D6C7 120551 U+1D6E7 120577 U+1D701 120609 U+1D721 120635 U+1D73B
240 157 F0 9D 240 157 F0 9D 240 157 F0 9D 240 157 F0 9D 240 157 F0 9D 240 157 F0 9D
UTF-8
154 173 9A AD 155 135 9B 87 155 167 9B A7 156 129 9C 81 156 161 9C A1 156 187 9C BB
55349 D835 55349 D835 55349 D835 55349 D835 55349 D835 55349 D835
UTF-16
57005 DEAD 57031 DEC7 57063 DEE7 57089 DF01 57121 DF21 57147 DF3B
Numeric
character &#120493; &#x1D6AD; &#120519; &#x1D6C7; &#120551; &#x1D6E7; &#120577; &#x1D701; &#120609; &#x1D721; &#120635; &#x1D73B;
reference
 Character 𝝛 𝝵 𝞕 𝞯
MATHEMATICAL SANS-SERIF MATHEMATICAL SANS-SERIF MATHEMATICAL SANS-SERIF MATHEMATICAL SANS-SERIF
Unicode name
BOLD CAPITAL ZETA BOLD SMALL ZETA BOLD ITALIC CAPITAL ZETA BOLD ITALIC SMALL ZETA

Encodings decimal hex decimal hex decimal hex decimal hex

Unicode 120667 U+1D75B 120693 U+1D775 120725 U+1D795 120751 U+1D7AF
UTF-8 240 157 157 155 F0 9D 9D 9B 240 157 157 181 F0 9D 9D B5 240 157 158 149 F0 9D 9E 95 240 157 158 175 F0 9D 9E AF
UTF-16 55349 57179 D835 DF5B 55349 57205 D835 DF75 55349 57237 D835 DF95 55349 57263 D835 DFAF
Numeric character reference &#120667; &#x1D75B; &#120693; &#x1D775; &#120725; &#x1D795; &#120751; &#x1D7AF;

These characters are used only as mathematical symbols. Stylized Greek text should be encoded using the normal Greek letters, with markup and formatting to indicate text style.

See also
Z, z - Latin
З, з - Ze (Cyrillic)

References
Allen, William Sidney. Vox Graeca: A guide to the pronunciation of Classical Greek. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987, pp. 56–59.
Hinge, George. “Die Aussprache des griechischen Zeta”, inDie Sprache Alkmans: Textgeschichte und Sprachgeschichte. PhD dissertation. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press,
2001, pp. 212–234 = [1]
Méndez Dosuna, Julián. “On <Ζ> for <Δ> in Greek dialectal inscriptions”,Die Sprache 35 (1993): 82–114.
Rohlfs, Gerhard. “Die Aussprache des z (ζ) im Altgriechischen”,Das Altertum 8 (1962): 3–8.
Teodorsson, Sven-Tage. “On the pronunciation of ancient greek zeta”,Lingua 47, no. 4 (April 1979): 323–32.
Teodorsson, Sven-Tage. “The pronunciation of zeta in different Greek dialects”, inDialectologia Graeca: Actas del II Coloquio internacional de dialectología griega
, eds. E. Crespo
et al. Madrid: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 1993, pp. 305–321.

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