6
PRONUNCIATION
| Vowels | Latin Examples |
|---|---|
| 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.
6. In diphthongs (two-vowel sounds) both vowels are heard in a single syllable.
| Diphtongs | Latin Examples |
|---|---|
| ae as ai in aisle | tae'-dae |
| au as ou in out | gau'-dĕt |
| ei as ei in eight | hei |
| 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 consontant 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 | rǒ'-să, ĭs |
| t is always like t in native, never as in nation | ră'-tĭ-ō, nā'-tĭ-ō |
