New Latin Grammar | Page 6

c) ph, th, ch are aspirates. These are confined almost exclusively to words derived from
the Greek, and were equivalent to p + h, t + h, c + h, i.e. to the corresponding voiceless
mutes with a following breath, as in Eng. _loop-hole_, _hot-house_, _block-house_.
4. The Mutes admit of classification also as

Labials, p, b, ph. Dentals (or Linguals), t, d, th. Gutturals (or Palatals), c, k, q, g, ch.
5. The Liquids are l, r. These sounds were voiced.
6. The Nasals are m, n. These were voiced. Besides its ordinary sound, n, when followed
by a guttural mute also had another sound,--that of ng in sing,--the so-called n
_adulterīnum_; as,--
anceps, double, pronounced angceps.
7. The Spirants (sometimes called Fricatives) are f, s, h. These were voiceless.
8. The Semivowels are j and v. These were voiced.
9. Double Consonants are x and z. Of these, x was equivalent to cs, while the equivalence
of z is uncertain. See § 3, 3.
10. The following table will indicate the relations of the consonant sounds:--
VOICELESS. VOICED. ASPIRATES. p, b, ph, (Labials). Mutes, t, d, th, (Dentals). c, k,
q, g, ch, (Gutturals). Liquids, l, r, Nasals, m, n, f, (Labial). Spirants, s, (Dental). h,
(Guttural). Semivowels, j, v.
a. The Double Consonants, x and z, being compound sounds, do not admit of
classification in the above table.
SOUNDS OF THE LETTERS.
3. The following pronunciation (often called Roman) is substantially that employed by
the Romans at the height of their civilization; i.e., roughly, from 50 B.C. to 50 A.D.
1. Vowels.
Ä as in _father_; ă as in the first syllable _ahá_; Ä“ as in _they_; Ä• as in _met_; Ä«
as in _machine_; Ä- as in _pin_; Å as in _note_; Å as in obey, _melody_; Å« as in _rude_;
Å- as in _put_; y like French u, German _ü_.
2. Diphthongs.
ae like ai in eu with its two elements, Ä• and Å-, _aisle_; pronounced in rapid succession;
oe like oi in _oil_; ui occurs almost exclusively in ei as in _rein_; cui and huic. These
words may au like ow in _how_; be pronounced as though written kwee and wheek.
3. Consonants.
b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, qu are pronounced as in English, except that bs, bt are pronounced
ps, pt.
c is always pronounced as k.

t is always a plain t, never with the sound of sh as in Eng. oration.
g always as in _get_; when ngu precedes a vowel, gu has the sound of gw, as in anguis,
languidus.
j has the sound of y as in yet.
r was probably slightly trilled with the tip of the tongue.
s always voiceless as in _sin_; in suÄdeÅ, suÄvis, suÄ“scÅ, and in compounds and
derivatives of these words, su has the sound of sw.
v like w.
x always like _ks_; never like Eng. gz or z.
z uncertain in sound; possibly like Eng. zd, possibly like z. The latter sound is
recommended.
The aspirates ph, ch, th were pronounced very nearly like our stressed Eng. p, c, _t_--so
nearly so, that, for practical purposes, the latter sounds suffice.
Doubled letters, like ll, mm, tt, etc., should be so pronounced that both members of the
combination are distinctly articulated.
SYLLABLES.
4. There are as many syllables in a Latin word as there are separate vowels and
diphthongs.
In the division of words into syllables,--
1. A single consonant is joined to the following vowel; as, vo-lat, ge-rit, pe-rit, a-dest.
2. Doubled consonants, like tt, ss, etc., are always separated; as, vit-ta, mis-sus.
3. Other combinations of two or more consonants are regularly separated, and the first
consonant of the combination is joined with the preceding vowel; as, ma-gis-trī,
dig-nus, mÅn-strum, sis-te-re.
4. An exception to Rule 3 occurs when the two consonants consist of a mute followed by
l or r (pl, cl, tl; pr, cr, tr, etc.). In such cases both consonants are regularly joined to the
following vowel; as, a-grÄ«, vo-lu-cris, pa-tris, mÄ-tris. Yet if the l or r introduces the
second part of a compound, the two consonants are separated; as, ab-rumpÅ, ad-lÄtus.
5. The double consonant x is joined to the preceding vowel; as, ax-is, tēx-ī.
QUANTITY.

5. A. Quantity of Vowels.
A vowel is long or short according to the length of time required for its pronunciation.
No absolute rule can be given for determining the quantity of Latin vowels. This
knowledge must be gained, in large measure, by experience; but the following principles
are of aid:--
1. A vowel is long,[6]--
a) before nf or ns; as, Ä«nfÄns, Ä«nferior, cÅnsÅ«mÅ, cÄ“nseÅ, Ä«nsum.
b) when the result of contraction; as, nīlum for nihilum.
2. A vowel is short,--
a) before nt, nd; as, amant,