# si vis pacem para bellum



## faceface

si vis pacem para bellum   <--   do i pronounce this just as it is ?


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## Whodunit

faceface said:
			
		

> si vis pacem para bellum   <--   do i pronounce this just as it is ?



Hello,

actually you have to pronounce it like this:

Si (sharp s - long i)
vis (v like in video - short i - sharp s) 
pacem <-- pax (p - long a - c like k - short e - m)
para (don't know this word, but: p - long a - throat r, French r, not like the English one - short a)
bellum (b - short e - short l - short u - m)

I can't translate it fully, because I don't the root of para.


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## Lakeview

whodunit said:
			
		

> Hello,
> 
> actually you have to pronounce it like this:
> 
> Si (sharp s - long i)
> vis (v like in video - short i - sharp s)
> pacem <-- pax (p - long a - c like k - short e - m)
> para (don't know this word, but: p - long a - throat r, French r, not like the English one - short a)
> bellum (b - short e - short l - short u - m)
> 
> I can't translate it fully, because I don't the root of para.



"if you want peace, prepare for war!"

Otherwise, not much to add to what *whodunit* suggests:

Some would suggest that "v" in Latin is pronounced as a "w" in English.
"R" is probably slightly trilled, as in Italian or Spanish.
The pronunciation of a double consonant should be slightly prolonged.
"Short u" in bellum, meaning like the u in "put"

*see wis PAH-kem PAH-ra BELL-um*

Maybe someone could link you to an actual pronunciation.


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## Whodunit

Lakeview said:
			
		

> "if you want peace, prepare for war!"
> 
> Otherwise, not much to add to what *whodunit* suggests:
> 
> Some would suggest that "v" in Latin is pronounced as a "w" in English.
> "R" is probably slightly trilled, as in Italian or Spanish.
> The pronunciation of a double consonant should be slightly prolonged.
> "Short u" in bellum, meaning like the u in "put"
> 
> *see wis PAH-kem PAH-ra BELL-um*
> 
> Maybe someone could link you to an actual pronunciation.



And again I didn't know the word "parare", of course, I've just learned it, but already forgotten. And para is the imerative - the rest I knew.


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## Outsider

faceface said:
			
		

> si vis pacem para bellum   <--   do i pronounce this just as it is ?


The pronunciation of classical Latin can be a thorny subject. I direct you to this website.


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## Whodunit

Outsider said:
			
		

> The pronunciation of classical Latin can be a thorny subject. I direct you to this website.



Great site. And you're completely right. It's a very thorny subject!!!


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## Södertjej

Pongo mi duda en este hilo porque tengo una duda sobre esta misma frase. La he visto escrita con una coma entre pacem y para, quería confirmar si esto sería correcto o si en Latin no se usa la coma de esa manera. Jamás he estudiado latín así que no tengo ni idea. Muchas gracias.

I'll ask my question in this old thread because there's something I'd like to confirm about this phrase. I've seen it written with a comma between pacem and para. Is that correct or should it be written without any commas at all? Never studied Latin so I have no idea. Thanks so much.


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## Orion7

faceface said:


> si vis pacem para bellum   <--   do i pronounce this just as it is ?


[si viss pātsem para bellum]


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## Stoicorum_simia

Södertjej said:


> Pongo mi duda en este hilo porque tengo una duda sobre esta misma frase. La he visto escrita con una coma entre pacem y para, quería confirmar si esto sería correcto o si en Latin no se usa la coma de esa manera. Jamás he estudiado latín así que no tengo ni idea. Muchas gracias.
> 
> I'll ask my question in this old thread because there's something I'd like to confirm about this phrase. I've seen it written with a comma between pacem and para. Is that correct or should it be written without any commas at all? Never studied Latin so I have no idea. Thanks so much.


 
It's up to you, because punctuation as we know it wasn't used in classical Latin. Nowadays people most often use the rules they would apply in their own language; thus the same text in a German edition will often have a lot more commas than in English or a Romance language.


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## Södertjej

Thank you Stoicorum, I couldn't have imagined punctuation in other languages would be relevant.


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