Dialytika

Dialytika refers to a set of diacritical marks used in Greek orthography to indicate that adjacent vowels are to be pronounced in separate syllables rather than forming a diphthong. The term comes from the Greek διάλυτικά, meaning separators or breakers. In practice, dialytika most often denotes the diaeresis, a diacritic consisting of two dots placed over the second of two vowels to signal hiatus.

Usage of dialytika serves to prevent ambiguity in pronunciation. The marks are applied to vowels such as iota (ι) and upsilon (υ) to ensure that the two vowels are heard as distinct sounds, not as a single vowel sound. An illustrative example in Greek is Αϊτή, the name Haiti, where the diaeresis indicates that the vowels are pronounced separately rather than as a single diphthong.

History and status: The diaeresis appeared in Greek manuscripts as a readability aid to indicate hiatus and to clarify pronunciation. In Modern Greek typography, the use of dialytika has fluctuated and is less common in everyday spelling, but the marks remain part of the orthographic repertoire. They continue to appear in certain words, names, and scholarly or pedagogical contexts, and in teaching materials that emphasize pronunciation and historical forms.

See also: Diaeresis; Greek orthography; Diacritics; Hiatus.