Philemon Zachariou, A concise description of the development of the Greek language hat geschrieben:Nowhere in classical literature are any vowels named “long” or “short”. Vowel length was a concept invented by later grammarians in an attempt to return to the vanishing art of classical versification (poetry), where syllabic length was vital to rhythm, the heartbeat of metrical verse. In speech the concept of vowel length does not apply, for all syllables in a Greek word pronounced orthophonically (apart from any intonational effects) are equally timed. The “long-short” distinction of Ω, Η and Ο, Ε is positional, not intrinsic; it pertains to rhythmical length or grammar, not to regular speech.
Wenn das so ist, warum habe ich dann gelernt, daß Eta und Omega lange Vokale sind? Und wenn sie das nicht sind, was sind sie dann? Was heißt die Unterscheidung sei bloß “positional”?