# Latin: Pronounciation



## ronanpoirier

Hi, I study Biology at university. So, I have to deal with a lot of scientifical names and they are mostly in Latin! So I'd like to learn the pronunciation of Latin letters because I can't stand people speaking AE separated! That sounds awful!

I wish I could have learnt Latin at school :-(

Thanks in advance! _o/


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## Etcetera

That's what my Latin textbook says.
There's two ways of pronouncing Latin words, the first representing the classic pronunciation of Rome, and the other - the pronunciation common in Middle Ages.
Latin letters are usually pronounced as in, say, Chech - that is to say, _magister _is pronounced as [ma'gister]. The letter *y* is pronounced as French *u* in _tu_. 
The letter *i *may stand for both vowel and consonant (in _etiam_ and _iussus_ correspondingly). It depends on the sound's position. It's always consonant before a vowel in the word's beginning and between two vocals. 
As for diphtongs, they're pronounced like that:
au = [au]
eu = [eu]
ae = [ae] or [e] (in Middle Age Latin)
oe = [oe]. In Middle Age it was pronounced like the German ö)
ei = [ei]
ui = [ui]

*c *can be pronouced as [k], but before *e, i, y, ae, oe *it's pronounced as [ts].
*ph* stands for [f], *rh *is pronounced as [r], *th *as [t], *ch *sounds like [x] in Scottish _loch, _for example. 
*qu *is pronounced as [kw]. 
*h *is close to Ukrainian *г* or German *h*.

Hope that will help, and if I've made any mistakes, other forer@s will correct them.


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## Whodunit

Etcetera said:
			
		

> Latin letters are usually pronounced as in, say, Chech - that is to say, _magister _is pronounced as [ma'gister]. The letter *y* is pronounced as French *u* in _tu_.


 
Let me ask you something, Etcetera: When do you use a "y" in Latin? As far as I know, there's no [y] sound (as in French tu) in Latin, but I may be wrong, of course.



> The letter *i *may stand for both vocal and consonant (in _etiam_ and _iussus_ correspondingly). It depends on the sound's position. It's always consonant before a vocal in the word's beginning and between two vocals.


 
гласный = vowel (this is the word you were looking for. Are you confusing it with the German Vokal? )
голосовой = vocal (it's an adjective)

You're totally right about the "i" pronunciation.



> As for diphtongs, they're pronounced likt that:
> au = [au]
> eu = [eu]
> ae = [ae] or [e] (in Middle Age Latin)
> oe = [oe]. In Middle Age it was pronounced like the German ö)
> ei = [ei]
> ui = [ui]


 
I can't speak for different eras and ages, but this is what I have learned:
au = [a̠̮ʊ]
eu = [e_j_ʊ] (the "j" is often not pronounced)
ae = [æ], sometimes [eː]
oe = [o̮e]
ei = [ej]
ui = [uj]



> *c *can be pronouced as [k], but before *e, i, y, ae, oe *it's pronounced as [ts].


 
I always use [k]. It's optional. 



> *ch *sounds like [x] in Scottish _loch, _for example.


 
Never heard about that. In class, we use the German [ç] pronunciation, which is definitely wrong, I think. I'd say [k].



> *h *is close to Ukrainian *г* or German *h*.


 
And to the English *h*. 



> Hope that will help, and if I've made any mistakes, other forer@s will correct them.


 
I've not correcting anything, I've just suggested something.


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## Etcetera

Whodunit said:
			
		

> Let me ask you something, Etcetera: When do you use a "y" in Latin? As far as I know, there's no [y] sound (as in French tu) in Latin, but I may be wrong, of course.


But what about Cyclops, for instance? And also Syracusae, Syria, Syrtus? All those words seem to be borrowings from Greek. 



> гласный = vowel (this is the word you were looking for. Are you confusing it with the German Vokal? )
> голосовой = vocal (it's an adjective)


*laughs and claps* Oh my, I really am! The point is that I'd been studying German for six years, and although I wasn't so good a learner and got rid of my German classes as soon as I left school. But... My friend, she's a German major, often suggests I should try and do some German...



> I always use [k]. It's optional.


In Classic (Roman) Latin, it's so. 



> Never heard about that. In class, we use the German [ç] pronunciation, which is definitely wrong, I think. I'd say [k].


Yes, you're right here, I've checked my textbook once again, and it says 'ch' may be pronounced as [k]. Unfortunately, I can't remember how we used to pronounce this in our Larin classes. 

Thank you for your suggestions.


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## Outsider

There are many different ways to pronounce Latin, firstly because Latin itself was pronounced differently in different periods of history, and secondly because after Latin became a dead language most people simply pronounced it according to the phonology of _their_ language.

Nowadays, there are two main common ways to pronounce Latin:

- one attempts to reconstruct the pronunciation it had in its classical period. We cannot be 100% sure about it, because there were no tape recorders back then -- but, through careful linguistic analysis, it's possible to get a pretty good idea. This is called the *reconstructed pronunciation of Latin*.

- the other is the *ecclesiastical pronunciation*, used by the Catholic Church, which is basically just Latin pronounced with a modern Italian accent.

You will find many websites on the net that explain each of them (and books, too!)

However, if I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about the pronounciation of Latin. For a biologist, what matters the most is to be able to write Latin, not pronounce it.


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## Outsider

*Whodunit* and *Etcetera*:

The letter Y and the digraphs CH, PH, RH, TH were alien to Latin. They were introduced into the language by intellectuals who wanted to borrow words from Greek, and keep pronouncing them as in the original. If we are to take the wishes of those intellectuals into account, then:

- Y is pronounced like the German ü;
- CH, PH and TH are aspirated consonants, pronounced C, P, T followed by a puff of air, as they are pronounced in Germanic languages, at the beginning of words.
- There seems to be some uncertainty about the pronunciation of RH.

Of course, the common man never paid much attention to these pedanteries, and simply pronounced Y as I, C as CH, PH as F, and so on.


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## ronanpoirier

Thanks everybody! But, Whodunit:



			
				Whodunit said:
			
		

> au = [a̠̮ʊ]
> eu = [e_j_ʊ] (the "j" is often not pronounced)
> ae = [æ], sometimes [eː]
> oe = [o̮e]
> ei = [ej]
> ui = [uj]



I don't get the pronounciation   I don't know too much about the IPA's sings for vowels :-S i get /a/ /e/ /j/ and /u/ but the other symbols i don't understand


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## se16teddy

This looks to me like a RELIABLE source of advice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_spelling_and_pronunciation


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## Whodunit

ronanpoirier said:
			
		

> Thanks everybody! But, Whodunit:
> 
> I don't get the pronounciation  I don't know too much about the IPA's sings for vowels :-S i get /a/ /e/ /j/ and /u/ but the other symbols i don't understand


 
You could try to learn it. 

Just read look at this table and this triangle*. 


*Even though it is not a proper triangle, linguists still call it like that.


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