Last week we looked at the way vowels sound in
ecclesiastical Latin. The principle remains the same for consonants, because
Latin is a totally phonetic language.
After you have learned to say a certain combination of letters, they
will sound the same - with very few exceptions – wherever you find them.
Before taking on consonants, though, let us look at another
kind of letter – the diphthong. This is two vowels that sound together. In
Latin, there are effectively only two diphthongs: “æ” and “œ” (and they are
generally written like that, with the letters touching, to show that they are
diphthongs). Both are pronounced like the Latin “e,” i.e., as if they were a
long “A” in English. An example of the first is “aeternum” (forever). You say it as if it were spelled “eternum”, which
it often is. The second diphthong used in Latin is the one in “coeli” (heavens), said as if it were
spelled, “celi,” which it never is.
A note about the “y” in Latin: It is sometimes used as a consonant,
sometimes as a vowel, as it is in English. When used as a vowel, it is then pronounced
exactly as the Latin “I,” i.e., like an English “ee.”
A rule that is important for vowels and/or diphthongs in Latin is that all of
them are always sounded. For example, if you have two vowels in a row, as in
“esurierunt,” you would say both the “i” and the “e” in the middle of the word.
Another way to put it is that where there is a vowel or diphthong, there is a
syllable. So the word above has five syllables: “Ay-soo- ree-ay-roont.”
Some common words in Church Latin will be good for practice.
Dominus (Lord) is pronounced
“Doh-mee-noos,” while Deus (God)
sounds like “Day-oos.” The name for the Blessed Virgin, Maria, is said “Mah-ree-ah.” These are very basic Latin words, which most
Catholics know from having heard them in well-known hymns, but we will address
more vocabulary later.
Now on to consonants, which are, of course, far more
numerous than vowels. Alphabetically, B
is the next letter and it is pronounced the same way as English, like the b in “bat.” C is more interesting; when it comes before the vowels, “a,” “o” or “u,”
“c” always sounds like the English “k.” When it is used before “e,” “i,” “y” or
either diphthong (ae or oe) it is pronounced like the English “ch.” When “c” is
doubled in Latin, as in the word “ecce,” (behold), it is pronounced like “tch,”
i.e., “Aytch-ay.”
The next two can be dealt with quickly, as they sound mostly
as they do in English: “d” as in “down,” “f,” as in “foot.“ “G” however, changes, depending on the
letters following it. It sounds like the
“g” in “gold,” before consonants (except “n”) and before “a,” “o” and “u.” An example
is “gratias” (thanks). However, before “e”,“i”, and “y,” and the two diphthongs
(which are treated like “e” for our purposes) the Latin “g” sounds like the
English “j.” An example of this is “genuit” (kneels). Last, the “g” before an “n,” as in “magnum,”
(great), is pronounced with the “n,” like
the middle letters in “canyon,” i.e., as if “gn” were spelled “ny.”
If your eyes are glazing over by now, remember that once you
start applying these rules to actual vocabulary, which we will do in later
lessons, it will soon become automatic. The ability to say or sing the mother
tongue of the Church will seem worth the effort to struggle through a few
lessons.
As encouragement, there is no “k” or “w” in Latin. (Some say
there is no “J” either, because the Romans used an “i” for the consonant “j”.
However, Latin transcribers often change the “i” to a “j” in order to avoid confusion
with the vowel “i.”)
Next week: More consonants, including the controversial “h”.
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Who knew the controversy inherent
in learning the Latin language?! |
See the first Latin lesson here, or on the "Latin Lessons" page.
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