Latin PronunciationLatin Pronunciation Before we get started, let’s go over a couple of important Before we get started, let’s go over a couple of important

rules.rules. Latin is no longer a spoken language, so I don’t make correct Latin is no longer a spoken language, so I don’t make correct

pronunciation a big issue. Don’t feel shy or embarrassed, please. pronunciation a big issue. Don’t feel shy or embarrassed, please. You are all in the same boat so no one except for me has an You are all in the same boat so no one except for me has an advantage over anyone else! I expect everyone to respect everyone advantage over anyone else! I expect everyone to respect everyone else. NO pointing fingers or laughing at a person who tries or doing else. NO pointing fingers or laughing at a person who tries or doing anything to make someone feel bad!anything to make someone feel bad!

No one really knows what authentic Latin sounded like any more! No one really knows what authentic Latin sounded like any more! Latin evolved into the modern Romance languages which developed Latin evolved into the modern Romance languages which developed their own unique styles and there is no one left who knows what it their own unique styles and there is no one left who knows what it actually sounded like. We think we know because of how documents actually sounded like. We think we know because of how documents were copied into other languages like Greek where we know for were copied into other languages like Greek where we know for certain how things sounded.certain how things sounded.

There are actually 2 different kinds of Latin taught in schools today: There are actually 2 different kinds of Latin taught in schools today: Classic Latin and Ecclesiastic Latin. Classic Latin is the older form of Classic Latin and Ecclesiastic Latin. Classic Latin is the older form of Latin. It is what I teach. Ecclesiastic Latin is the “modern” version Latin. It is what I teach. Ecclesiastic Latin is the “modern” version that is used in the Catholic Church. If you are catholic, the sounds I that is used in the Catholic Church. If you are catholic, the sounds I teach will be different from what you hear in church. I’ll point those teach will be different from what you hear in church. I’ll point those differences out along the way. Ecclesiastic Latin sounds more like differences out along the way. Ecclesiastic Latin sounds more like modern day Italian.modern day Italian.

The Roman Alphabet Part I:The Roman Alphabet Part I:consonant soundsconsonant sounds

Latin is probably the easiest language for native English Latin is probably the easiest language for native English speakers to pronounce. speakers to pronounce.

Except for one, it does not use sounds that we don’t Except for one, it does not use sounds that we don’t normally use in English, so you won’t have to try to make normally use in English, so you won’t have to try to make your tongue and teeth do strange things to get the your tongue and teeth do strange things to get the sounds correct. Also, we actually have more letters in sounds correct. Also, we actually have more letters in English than there are in Latin!English than there are in Latin!

What about the one sound that’s different? What about the one sound that’s different?

No big deal! No one speaks Latin any more except for No big deal! No one speaks Latin any more except for fun, so who’s going to worry about it?! If you can make fun, so who’s going to worry about it?! If you can make the sound, terrific! If you can’t, I promise that NO ONE the sound, terrific! If you can’t, I promise that NO ONE will care!will care!

Let’s get started!Let’s get started!

B says “b” as in the word B says “b” as in the word bboy.oy. C says “k” as in the word C says “k” as in the word ccake.ake. D says “d” as in the word D says “d” as in the word ddog.og. F says “f” as in the word F says “f” as in the word ffog.og. G says “g” as in the word G says “g” as in the word ggo.o. H is sometimes silent as in the word H is sometimes silent as in the word hhourour

or says “h” as in the word or says “h” as in the word hhome.ome.

I I I did not make a mistake! I know that in English, the

letter I is a vowel and we are learning consonants. But in Latin, sometimes the I actually makes the

sound of a consonant. When that happens it is called the consonantal I. The sound of the consonantal I is “y” as in yes. As Latin evolved, the Catholic Church made changes

to the language in an effort to make it easier to teach to the tribal peoples who were finding it difficult.

So they took the I and added a hook ˘ to the bottom of it and it looked like this: J! In earlier Latin documents there are no J letters at all. They don’t come in until much later, after the language had been around for about 1000 years already.

So how do you know if the I is a vowel or a consonant? Just look to the next letter. If that letter is a vowel, then the I is a consonant. If that letter is a consonant, then the I is a vowel.

J exists only in later Latin. Our text book J exists only in later Latin. Our text book does not use it at all, but the AP texts and does not use it at all, but the AP texts and more “modern” original documents use the more “modern” original documents use the J. If you see it, it says “y” as in J. If you see it, it says “y” as in yyes.es.

L says “l” as in the word L says “l” as in the word lleg.eg. M says “m” as in the word M says “m” as in the word mmom.om. N says “n” as in the word N says “n” as in the word nno.o. P says “p” as in the word P says “p” as in the word ppin.in. Q(u) says “kw” as in the word Q(u) says “kw” as in the word ququick. The ick. The qq

will always have a will always have a uu with it, just like in with it, just like in English.English.

R says “r” as in the word R says “r” as in the word rred. ed. This is the one sound that we believe was truly This is the one sound that we believe was truly

different in authentic Latin. The real sound (we different in authentic Latin. The real sound (we believe) was rolled like the same sound in Spanish. If believe) was rolled like the same sound in Spanish. If you can make that happen, terrific! If you can’t, don’t you can make that happen, terrific! If you can’t, don’t worry about it. I won’t tell!worry about it. I won’t tell!

S says “s” as in the word S says “s” as in the word ssay. ay. Don’t get lazy on this one, please. English likes to do Don’t get lazy on this one, please. English likes to do

strange things with this letter like in the word rostrange things with this letter like in the word rosse. e. How did it start sounding like a “z”? I don’t know, but How did it start sounding like a “z”? I don’t know, but let’s not do that here!let’s not do that here!

T says “t” as in the word T says “t” as in the word ttoasoastt. . Notice how crisply we say both of the “t” sounds here. Notice how crisply we say both of the “t” sounds here.

Don’t make it lazy like in the word hospi Don’t make it lazy like in the word hospittal.al.

V says “w” as in the word V says “w” as in the word wwater. Strange, ater. Strange, isn’t it!isn’t it!

X says “ks” as in X says “ks” as in xx-ray. Never the “z” -ray. Never the “z” sound like the first sound like the first xx in in XeroxXerox..

Y says “oo” as in the word sY says “oo” as in the word soooon. That’s n. That’s another strange one. This letter is not another strange one. This letter is not actually Latin, it is Greek. Its real name in actually Latin, it is Greek. Its real name in Greek is Upsilon and it is more like our Greek is Upsilon and it is more like our letter letter uu. I have included it in this list . I have included it in this list because the Romans took many Greek because the Romans took many Greek words and used them as their own. It will words and used them as their own. It will matter more to you when you get to the matter more to you when you get to the AP level where pronunciation is more AP level where pronunciation is more important.important.

Last things:Last things:

What about the K, W, and Z? What about the K, W, and Z? These letters don’t exist in Latin so you don’t have to These letters don’t exist in Latin so you don’t have to

worry about them.worry about them.

Also, let’s take another look at the letters “c” and Also, let’s take another look at the letters “c” and “g”. In English these letters can have both a soft “g”. In English these letters can have both a soft sound and a hard sound:sound and a hard sound: Soft = Soft = ccircus and ircus and ggiraffeiraffe Hard = Hard = ccan and an and ggive.ive.

In Latin you will never use the soft sound, In Latin you will never use the soft sound, always the hard one.always the hard one.

The Roman Alphabet Part II:The Roman Alphabet Part II:vowel soundsvowel sounds

Vowel sounds in many languages can be Vowel sounds in many languages can be the most confusing sounds to deal with the most confusing sounds to deal with because there are so many variations.because there are so many variations.

For example, take the vowel For example, take the vowel aa in English. in English. hathat aboutabout hayhay father father

Four different sounds for just one letter!Four different sounds for just one letter!

In Latin?In Latin? Vowel sounds in Latin are Vowel sounds in Latin are muchmuch easier to deal easier to deal

with because each vowel has only two sounds.with because each vowel has only two sounds.

Each vowel can be short or long.Each vowel can be short or long.

Short vowels have no markings on them – that’s Short vowels have no markings on them – that’s how you know they are short!how you know they are short!

Long vowels have a mark called a macron or Long vowels have a mark called a macron or long mark above them which looks like this: ¯long mark above them which looks like this: ¯

Sometimes there is a noticeable difference in Sometimes there is a noticeable difference in pronunciation and sometimes the difference is pronunciation and sometimes the difference is very subtle, but they are all easy.very subtle, but they are all easy.

Let’s get started!Let’s get started! a says “a” as in the word a says “a” as in the word aago.go. ā says “a” as in the word fā says “a” as in the word faather.ther. e says “e” as in the word be says “e” as in the word beeg.g. ē says “e” as in the word hē says “e” as in the word heey.y. i says “i” as in the word bi says “i” as in the word b iig.g. ī says “i” as in the word brī says “i” as in the word br iief.ef. o says “o” as in the word go says “o” as in the word gooat.at. ō says “o” as in the word hō says “o” as in the word hoope.pe. u says “u” as in the word pu says “u” as in the word puut.t. ū says “u” as in the word sū says “u” as in the word soooon.n.

Let’s put them to work!Let’s put them to work!

Now that you can pronounce the vowel Now that you can pronounce the vowel sounds and the consonant sounds you sounds and the consonant sounds you can put them together to make whole can put them together to make whole words. Let’s try them and see how it goes.words. Let’s try them and see how it goes.

Mārspārdatmalā

noxpostdigitīcūr

iamfitcertēquid

lēgesociīsnārratiūstus

hīcquīmōnsvīs

The Roman Alphabet Part III:The Roman Alphabet Part III:DiphthongsDiphthongs

All right, so now we can do consonants All right, so now we can do consonants and vowels. But what in the world are and vowels. But what in the world are diphthongs?diphthongs?

Diphthongs are combinations of letters Diphthongs are combinations of letters that make one sound. that make one sound.

In English we have diphthongs made up of In English we have diphthongs made up of both consonants and vowels. In Latin only both consonants and vowels. In Latin only vowels work as diphthongs.vowels work as diphthongs.

Examples in EnglishExamples in English

Whenever we see the combination “ch” we know Whenever we see the combination “ch” we know to pronounce the sound of a “k” for words like to pronounce the sound of a “k” for words like charactercharacter. But it can make a unique sound in . But it can make a unique sound in words like words like chickenchicken..

The combination of “th” also makes a unique The combination of “th” also makes a unique sound not represented by any one letter. It sound not represented by any one letter. It simply says “th”simply says “th”

Other examples include things like Other examples include things like rh,rh, ph, kn, ph, kn, qu, and gu.qu, and gu.

Examples of vowel diphthongs include things Examples of vowel diphthongs include things like like au, ie, ou, ough, augh, etc.au, ie, ou, ough, augh, etc.

Now for LatinNow for Latin

There are only a few diphthongs in Latin, There are only a few diphthongs in Latin, but they are very common and should be but they are very common and should be learned thoroughly.learned thoroughly. ae says “ai” like in the word hae says “ai” like in the word h iigh.gh. au says “ow” like in the word hau says “ow” like in the word howow.. oe says “oy” like in the word boe says “oy” like in the word booy.y. ui says “whee” like in the word ui says “whee” like in the word wheewhee!!

• Note that the ui diphthong occurs only when the i is Note that the ui diphthong occurs only when the i is a vowel, not a consonant.a vowel, not a consonant.

eu says “eeyoo”. We don’t have this sound in eu says “eeyoo”. We don’t have this sound in English.English.

Let’s practice!Let’s practice!

Try pronouncing these Latin words that Try pronouncing these Latin words that contain diphthongs.contain diphthongs.

audio

clausae

moenia

puellae

huius