Part II.
PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING.
§ 251. In pronouncing Latin we must remember that in it, unlike English,
(1) each letter has a sound,
(2) no letter has more than one sound.
The few exceptions to this rule are given below.
§ 252. Vowels.—All the Latin vowels are found in English except long E, long O, and Y.
Lat. ē is the French é as in état. The nearest English sound—that in state, stay, etc.—is a diphthong.
Lat. ō is the French o or au, as in chose, chaud. The nearest English sound—that in note, know, etc.—is a diphthong.
Lat. y is the French u in lune, or German ü in grün. It is made by putting the lips in the position for Lat. u (oo), and then pronouncing Lat. i (ee).[1]
The vowels must be carefully pronounced at the end of words and before r. The ordinary English pronunciation reduces final -ă, -ar, -er, -ir, -ur all to the same sound, the obscure vowel sound which is heard in panorama.
Final -ĕ is not to be pronounced like '-y (as in lady), but like ĕ in other positions. Thus the vowels in rĕgĕrĕ testĭs and rĕgĕrĕt estĭs are sounded in precisely the same way.
§ 253. Diphthongs.—These are best learned by first pronouncing the vowels which compose them separately, and then running them together. Thus: AE as a(h)—é, AU as a(h)—oo, OE as o-é, UI as oo—ee, and so forth.
EI is the Eng. ey as in grey. The nearest sounds in English to the other diphthongs are: to AE, ai in Isaiah (pronounced broadly and nearly as eye); to AU, ou in house (pronounced broadly); to OE, oi in boil.
To EU and UI there is nothing nearer than yoo and wee, which consist of a consonant followed by a vowel.
- ↑ Those who cannot do this may pronounce it like i(ee).
