The rules of Greeklish are somewhat nebulous and have been passed on from student to student. To our knowledge, no attempt to codify them has been attempted before. They have existed in an unwritten form and have been modified slightly from time to time.
These rules are a best approximation of the understood, unwritten rules of Greeklish.
Types of Greeklish:
(Examples given here may be found on the Greeklish page.)
1 Greek translation of English phrase
(familiar phrases are preferred)
e.g. Loukas, eimi patersou - "Luke, I am your father"
2 Greek transliteration of English word or phrase
(familiar phrases are preferred)
e.g. I et donats - "I eat donuts"
3 Combination of English and Greek
(English may be transliterated or left as is, but the transliterated form is preferred)
e.g. Esthio donats - "I eat donuts"
this type includes transliterationary puns
e.g. Lego my ego - lit. "I say my I" - "Leggo my Eggo"
Humorous words and phrases are preferred.
In addition, interesting or thought provoking phrases are allowed.
Material that is relevant to HPU or Brownwood is typical in HPU Greeklish.
HPU Greeklish is transliterated and pronounced using Modern Greek pronunciation.
Erasmean Greek pronunciation may be used sparingly to make a word or phrase smoother.
Accent marks are optional and are typically used only when needed to make a point.
The rough breathing mark may be used to approximate the English letter "h,"though it may be left out if desired.
In transliteration, the sound of the word is more important than a direct letter to letter transliteration:
Greek ou for English "oo", long "u", and "w".
When Greek posseses no direct equivalent for a needed English letter, use your best guess to approximate it.
To our knowledge, Greek translaterated into English has not been used in Greeklish. However, if you can come up with a humorous way of doing so, please let us know.
Any additions or corrections to these rules may be sent to us using the guestbook on the main unfrat page.
the Greeklish Society