Iotacism

Iotacism is the pronunciation of Greek vowels and diphthongs with an iota-like sound, especially the merger of several distinct sounds into /i/. It is a hallmark of later Greek pronunciation.

Greek phonology: The sound system and sound patterns of the Greek language. Iotacism is a sound change within Greek’s phonological history.
Ancient Greek phonology: The sound system of Greek in antiquity, reconstructed from writing, meter, and comparative evidence. Its vowel distinctions are the historical starting point for the mergers called iotacism.
Biblical Greek: The varieties of Greek used in the books of the Christian Bible. Pronunciation assumptions affect how Biblical Greek is read aloud and taught.
Erasmian pronunciation: A conventional system for pronouncing Ancient Greek that aims to preserve distinctions among historical vowels. It contrasts with iotacistic readings by keeping several vowel spellings distinct in speech.
Vowel merger: A sound change in which previously distinct vowels become identical in pronunciation. Iotacism is chiefly the merger of several Greek vowel sounds into /i/.
Koine Greek: The common form of Greek that spread across the eastern Mediterranean after Alexander the Great. Many vowel developments associated with iotacism unfolded during the history of Koine Greek.
Greek pronunciation: The spoken realization of Greek sounds in a particular historical period or modern variety. Iotacism helps distinguish later pronunciation traditions from reconstructed ancient ones.
Reconstructed Ancient Greek pronunciation: A scholarly model of ancient Greek speech based on linguistic, metrical, and historical evidence. Reconstructions generally restore distinctions that later iotacism merged.
Iota: The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet, representing /i/ in modern Greek. Its name and sound provide the model for the i-like pronunciation in iotacism.
Byzantine Greek: The medieval form of Greek used in the Byzantine Empire and its literary traditions. Byzantine evidence documents stages in the spread of i-like vowel pronunciations.

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