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CICERO’S LATIN
- ū (tūto), as oo in shoot, Ital. u in luna (not as u (yew) in acute).
- ŭ (cŭtis), as u in full (not as u in accurate, nor as u in shun).
§ 82. Diphthongs.
The sounds of the diphthongs may be arrived at by running the two component vowel-sounds rapidly together, the second being pronounced lightly. The most important are:
- ae (portae) = a⁔
+e, nearly as ai in Isaiah (broadly pronounced), Fr. émail (not as a in late). - au (aurum) = a⁔
+u, as ou in hour, as Ital. au in flauto. - oe (poena) = o⁔
+e, nearly as oi in boil (not as ee in feet, nor as a in late).
The following diphthongs occur more rarely:
- ui (huic, cui) = u⁔
+i, as Fr. oui. - eu (heu) = e⁔
+u, nearly as English ew in new. - ei (ei interjection, or Pompēī, voc. of Pompeius) = e⁔
+i, as ey in grey (not as i in dine).
The recommendations for ae and oe were based mainly on practical considerations, since it has been found by experience that this pronunciation is of great convenience. It is certain that this was the pronunciation given them in early Latin, and that they were still clearly distinct from the long ē in the time of Cicero, though their precise sound then is difficult to determine.
