Resources for Latin
The Alphabet
The pronunciation of Latin has changed through the centuries.
At the time of Julius Caesar it is probable that the pronunciation was similar to that given below as "Classical"
As the Roman Empire declined, and individual regions of Europe became autonomous, the pronunciation of the language changed, and the language itself changed, producing the "Romance" family of European languages which include Italian, French, Spanish, and Romansch which we have today.
During the Middle Ages the Church and the Universities used Latin to communicate across national boundaries, but the pronunciation had changed from the Classical.
"Church Latin" refers to the pronunciation used for liturgical texts. This is the pronunciation used when singing Latin texts such as the Ave Maria.
NOTE - Music students should be guided by their vocal coaches as to the pronunciation of Latin texts set to music. Pronunciation when singing is sometimes different to that used when speaking.
In this course it is more important that you learn to read and understand Latin, and be able to translate Latin into English, rather than worry about some particular system of pronunciation.
As we will be dealing with classical Latin texts, and a story set at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, my advice is to use a Classical pronunciation for most of your work, and then remember to make appropriate changes when reading or singing liturgical texts.
Pronunciation
Most of the Latin consonants are pronounced exactly like English ones.
Latin vowels have two "lengths" - long and short. Long vowels are held for a longer time when they are spoken, and this also alters to sound of the vowel.
This happens in English too, but we do not often think about it - we just speak as we have heard others speak. For example, think how you would pronounce car, care, cat, crate, bet, Bert, cede, pin, pine, fir, emir, on, one, gone, done, up, upon, Rupert.
Latin texts did not show whether a vowel was long or short - people just learned the correct pronunciation from their parents and teachers. Modern textbooks help us by indicating long vowels, usually by printing a line above a long vowel. The line is called a macron. Because macrons are more difficult to print, some books and websites will indicate the long vowels in bold type or use an accent.
Consonants
| Letter | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|
| Classical | Church | |
| B, b | b as in bat | b as in bat |
| C, c | c as in cat | c as in cat unless followed by e, i, ae, or oe then ch as in church |
| D, d | d as in dog | d as in dog |
| F, f | f as in fill | f as in fill |
| G, g | g as in get | g as in get unless followed by e, i, or y then j as in job or g as in angel |
| H, h | h as in hop | h as in hop |
| I, i, J, j | J and I were regarded as different forms of the same letter up until the 17th century AD J is merely an I with an elongated tail. J is used before vowels, I before consonants or as part of diphthongs The dot on i and j was not used until the 11th century AD |
|
| y as in yet | y as in yet | |
| K, k | k as in kiss | k as in kiss |
| L, l | l as in let | l as in let |
| M, m | m as in man | m as in man |
| N, n | n as in not | n as in not |
| P, p | p as in pit | p as in pit |
| Q, q | Q is always follwed by a U | |
| qu as in quick | qu as in quick | |
| R, r | R is slightly rolled or trilled, and aspirated - "hrr" | |
| rr as in terrible | rr as in terrible | |
| S, s | s as in sit | s as in sit |
| T, t | t as in tip | t as in tip |
| U, u, V, v | U and V were regarded as different forms of the same letter up until the Middle Ages The letter was sounded as a vowel ("oo") if it was followed by a consonant, and as a consonant if it was followed by a vowel |
|
| w as in way | v as in vet | |
| X, x | x as in taxi | x as in taxi |
| Z, z | dz as in adze | dz as in adze |
Vowels
Vowels have approximately the same sounds in both Classical and Church Latin
Long vowels are held for about twice as long as short ones, and the sound is broadened
| Letter | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|
| Short | Long | |
| A, a | a as in cat | ā as in father |
| E, e | e as in get | ē as in hey |
| I, i | i as in it | ī as in machine |
| Before other vowels i sounds as y in yes | ||
| O, o | o as in not | ō as in no |
| U, u | u as in put | ū as in tuba |
| Y, y | y as in hymn or ü as in über | no long form |
Diphthongs
| Combination | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|
| Classical | Church | |
| ae | ai as in aisle | ey as in they |
| au | au as in Faust | au as in Faust |
| ei | ei as in reign | ei as in reign |
| oe | oy as in boy | ey as in they |
| ui | ui as in quick | ui as in quick |
Other combinations of letters
When consonants occur in pairs, try to pronounce each consonant individually
ch is pronounced as ch in Scottish loch, German Ach
gn is pronounced as ng in singing
bs is pronounced as ps in oops
th is pronounced as "t" with a puff of air following. t as in Ptui
i or j between two vowels acts as a vowel to the first one, forming a diphthong with it, and as a consonant to the second one, taking the sound of y as in yes
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
