Editing Lambda (section)

{{Short description|Eleventh letter in the Greek alphabet}}
{{About|the Greek letter}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Λ|Turned v|ʎ|Radical 11{{!}}入|El (Cyrillic){{!}}Л}}
{{Greek Alphabet|letter=lambda}}
'''Lambda''' ({{IPAc-en|'|l|{|m|d|@|audio=en-us-lambda.ogg}};<ref>{{OED|lambda}}</ref> uppercase '''{{lang|el|Λ}}''', lowercase '''{{lang|el|λ}}'''; {{langx|el|λάμ(β)δα}}, ''lám(b)da'') is the eleventh letter of the [[Greek alphabet]], representing the [[Dental, alveolar and postalveolar lateral approximants|voiced alveolar lateral approximant]] {{IPA|el|l|IPA}}. In the system of [[Greek numerals]], lambda has a value of 30. Lambda is derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]] [[Lamed]]. Lambda gave rise to the [[Latin script|Latin]] [[L]] and the [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] [[El (Cyrillic)|El]] (Л). The ancient [[Alexandrine grammarians|grammarians]] and dramatists give evidence to the pronunciation as {{IPA|el|laːbdaː|}} ({{lang|grc|λάβδα}}) in [[Classical Greek]] times.<ref>Herbert Weir Smyth. ''A Greek Grammar for Colleges''. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0007 I.1.c]</ref> In [[Modern Greek]], the name of the letter, Λάμδα, is pronounced {{IPA|el|ˈlam.ða|}}.

In [[Epichoric alphabets|early Greek alphabets]], the shape and orientation of lambda varied.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://poinikastas.csad.ox.ac.uk/browseGlyphs.shtml|title=Epigraphic Sources for Early Greek Writing|website=Poinikastas.CSAD.ox.ac.uk|access-date=2011-10-03}}</ref> Most variants consisted of two straight strokes, one longer than the other, connected at their ends. The angle might be in the upper-left, lower-left ("Western" alphabets) or top ("Eastern" alphabets). Other variants had a vertical line with a horizontal or sloped stroke running to the right. With the general adoption of the [[History of the Greek alphabet#Standardization – the Ionic alphabet|Ionic alphabet]], Greek settled on an angle at the top; the Romans put the angle at the lower-left.

[[File:NAMA Alphabet grec.jpg|thumb|The Greek alphabet on a [[black figure]] [[Bowl (vessel)|vessel]], with a Phoenician-lamed-shaped lambda. The gamma has the shape of modern lambda.]]