Egg or egg? Train or train? Boy or boy? Similar questions find their answers in the pages of this book, which serves as a Spelling Guide, as it examines the relationships of Modern Greek writing with each of the essential levels of language analysis (phonology, morphology, semantics / lexicology, syntax).

Special chapters are dedicated to the writing of proper nouns, the representation of the accent, and the use of capital letters. However, the book does not limit itself to this purely practical aspect. By reading it, the reader will resolve other queries as well: Why are some spellings considered more correct than others? How is the correct way of writing words established? Who decides this? When and by whom was Modern Greek spelling regulated? Can it change in the future? And furthermore, how do scientific inquiries intertwine with ideological factors, and together determine the current form of Modern Greek spelling - as well as the spelling of all languages?

In order to answer all these questions, a general introduction to the relationship between language and writing is presented, and the first part of the book is devoted to describing the different systems that developed throughout human civilization's history. Then, the focus is naturally placed on the Greek language and its various methods of recording.

We start from the first written testimonies of Ancient Greek with Linear B, move on to the creation of the Greek alphabet, its evolution, and the way it represented Ancient, Hellenistic, and Medieval Greek, and arrive at the considerations related to the writing of Modern Greek, the recent views on accent reform, and contemporary discussions about how historically grounded Modern Greek spelling should be. And what about Greeklish?