Latin for Beginners by Benjamin Leonard D'Ooge (bill gates books recommendations txt) 📕

the examples in class, the pupils following.]

«4.» Latin was not pronounced like English. The Romans at the beginning of the Christian era pronounced their language substantially as described below.

«5.» The vowels have the following sounds:

VOWELS[2] LATIN EXAMPLES

  ā as in father hāc, stās
  ă like the first a in aha´,
    never as in hat ă´-măt, că-nās
  ē as in they tē´-lă, mē´-tă
  ĕ as in met tĕ´-nĕt, mĕr´-cēs
  ī as in machine sĕr´-tī, prā´-tī
  ĭ as in bit sĭ´-tĭs, bĭ´-bī
  ō as in holy Rō´-mă, ō´-rĭs
  ŏ as in wholly, never as in
    hot mŏ´-dŏ, bŏ´-nōs
  ū as in rude, or as oo in
    boot ū´-mŏr, tū´-bĕr
  ŭ as in full, or as oo in
    foot ŭt, tū´-tŭs

NOTE. It is to be observed that there is a decided difference in sound, except in the case of a, between the long and the short vowels. It is not merely a matter of quantity but also of quality.

[Footnote 2: Long vowels are marked ¯, short ones ˘.]

«6.» In «diphthongs» (two-vowel sounds) both vowels are heard in a single syllable.

DIPHTHONGS LATIN EXAMPLES

  «ae» as ai in aisle tae´-dae
  «au» as ou in out gau´-dĕt
  «ei» as ei in eight dein´-dĕ
  «eu» as ĕ´o͝o (a short e
    followed by a short u in
    one syllable) seu
  «oe» like oi in toil foe´-dŭs
  «ui» like o͝o´ĭ (a short u
    followed by a short i in one
    syllable. Cf. English we) cui, huic

NOTE. Give all the vowels and diphthongs their proper sounds and do not slur over them in unaccented syllables, as is done in English.

«7.» «Consonants» are pronounced as in English, except that

CONSONANTS LATIN EXAMPLES

«c» is always like c in cat, never as in cent că´-dō, cĭ´-bŭs, cē´-nă «g» is always like g in get, never as in gem gĕ´-mō, gĭg´-nō «i consonant» is always like y in yes iăm, iŏ´-cŭs «n» before c, qu, or g is like ng in sing (compare the sound of n in anchor) ăn´-cŏ-ră (ang´-ko-ra) «qu», «gu», and sometimes «su» before a vowel have the sound of qw, gw, and sw. Here u has the value of consonant v and is not counted a vowel ĭn´-quĭt, quī, lĭn´-guă, săn´-guĭs, suā´-dĕ-ō «s» is like s in sea, never as in ease rŏ´-să, ĭs «t» is always like t in native, never as in nation ră´-tĭ-ō, nā´-tĭ-ō «v» is like w in wine, never as in vine «vī´-nŭm», «vĭr» «x» has the value of two consonants (cs or gs) and is like x in extract, not as in exact «ĕx´-trā», «ĕx-āc´-tŭs» «bs» is like ps and «bt» like pt «ŭrbs», «ŏb-tĭ´-nĕ-ō» «ch», «ph», and «th» are like c, p, t «pŭl´-chĕr», «Phoe´-bē», «thĕ-ā´-trŭm»

a. In combinations of consonants give each its distinct sound. Doubled consonants should be pronounced with a slight pause between the two sounds. Thus pronounce tt as in rat-trap, not as in rattle; pp as in hop-pole, not as in upper. Examples, «mĭt´-tō», «Ăp´pĭ-ŭs», «bĕl´-lŭm.»

SYLLABLES

«8.» A Latin word has as many syllables as it has vowels and diphthongs. Thus «aes-tā´-tĕ» has three syllables, «au-dĭ-ĕn´-dŭs» has four.

a. Two vowels with a consonant between them never make one syllable, as is so often the case in English. Compare English inside with Latin īn-sī´-dĕ.

«9.» Words are divided into syllables as follows:

1. A single consonant between two vowels goes with the second. Thus «ă-mā´-bĭ-lĭs», «mĕ-mŏ´-rĭ-ă», «ĭn-tĕ´-rĕ-ā», «ă´-bĕst», «pĕ-rē´-gĭt».[3]

[Footnote 3: In writing and printing it is customary to divide the parts of a compound, as «inter-eā», «ab-est», «sub-āctus», «per-ēgit», contrary to the correct phonetic rule.]

2. Combinations of two or more consonants:

a. A consonant followed by l or r goes with the l or r. Thus «pū´-blĭ-cŭs», «ă´-grī».

EXCEPTION. Prepositional compounds of this nature, as also ll and rr, follow rule b. Thus «ăb´-lŭ-ō», «ăb-rŭm´-pō», «ĭl´-lĕ», «fĕr´-rŭm».

b. In all other combinations of consonants the first consonant goes with the preceding vowel.[4] Thus «măg´-nŭs», «ĕ-gĕs´-tās», «vĭc-tō´-rĭ-ă», «hŏs´-pĕs», «ăn´-nŭs», «sŭ-bāc´-tŭs».

[Footnote 4: The combination nct is divided nc-t, as fūnc-tŭs, sānc-tŭs.]

3. The last syllable of a word is called the ul´-ti-ma; the one next to the last, the pe-nult´; the one before the penult, the an´-te-pe-nult´.

«10.» EXERCISE

Divide the words in the following passage into syllables and pronounce them, placing the accent as indicated:

Vā́dĕ ăd fŏrmī́căm, Ō pĭ́gĕr, ĕt cōnsī́dĕrā vĭ́ās ĕ́iŭs ĕt dĭ́scĕ săpĭĕ́ntĭăm: quae cŭm nōn hắbĕăt dŭ́cĕm nĕc praecĕptṓrĕm nĕc prī́ncĭpĕm, pắrăt ĭn aestā́tĕ cĭ́bŭm sĭ́bĭ ĕt cŏ́ngrĕgăt ĭn mĕ́ssĕ quŏd cŏ́mĕdăt.

[[Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which, having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest.]]

QUANTITY

«11.» The quantity of a vowel or a syllable is the time it takes to pronounce it. Correct pronunciation and accent depend upon the proper observance of quantity.

«12.» «Quantity of Vowels.» Vowels are either long (¯) or short (˘). In this book the long vowels are marked. Unmarked vowels are to be considered short.

1. A vowel is short before another vowel or h; as «pŏ-ē´-ta», «tră´-hō».

2. A vowel is short before nt and nd, before final m or t, and, except in words of one syllable, before final l or r. Thus «a´-mănt», «a-măn´-dus», «a-mā´-băm», «a-mā´-băt», «a´-ni-măl», «a´-mŏr».

3. A vowel is long before nf, ns, nx, and nct. Thus «īn´-fe-rō», «re´-gēns», «sān´-xī», «sānc´-tus».

4. Diphthongs are always long, and are not marked.

«13.» «Quantity of Syllables.» Syllables are either long or short, and their quantity must be carefully distinguished from that of vowels.

1. «A syllable is short»,

a. If it ends in a short vowel; as «ă´-mō», «pĭ´-grĭ».

NOTE. In final syllables the short vowel may be followed by a final consonant. Thus the word «mĕ-mŏ´-rĭ-ăm» contains four short syllables. In the first three a short vowel ends the syllable, in the last the short vowel is followed by a final consonant.

2. «A syllable is long»,

a. If it contains a long vowel or a diphthong, as «cū´-rō», «poe´-nae», «aes-tā´-te».

b. If it ends in a consonant which is followed by another consonant, as «cor´-pus», «mag´-nus».

NOTE. The vowel in a long syllable may be either long or short, and should be pronounced accordingly. Thus in «ter´-ra», «in´-ter», the first syllable is long, but the vowel in each case is short and should be given the short sound. In words like «saxum» the first syllable is long because x has the value of two consonants (cs or gs).

3. In determining quantity h is not counted a consonant.

NOTE. Give about twice as much time to the long syllables as to the short ones. It takes about as long to pronounce a short vowel plus a consonant as it does to pronounce a long vowel or a diphthong, and so these quantities are considered equally long. For example, it takes about as long to say «cŭr´-rō» as it does «cū´-rō», and so each of these first syllables is long. Compare «mŏl´-lis» and «mō´-lis», «ā-mĭs´-sī» and «ā-mi´-sī».

ACCENT

«14.» Words of two syllables are accented on the first, as «mēn´-sa», «Cae´-sar».

«15.» Words of more than two syllables are accented on the penult if the penult is long. If the penult is short, accent the antepenult. Thus «mo-nē´-mus», «re´-gi-tur», «a-gri´-co-la», «a-man´-dus».

NOTE. Observe that the position of the accent is determined by the length of the syllable and not by the length of the vowel in the syllable. (Cf. §13.2, Note.)

«16.» Certain little words called enclit´ics[5] which have no separate existence, are added to and pronounced with a preceding word. The most common are «-que», and; «-ve», or; and