Roman Pronunciation of Latin | Page 2

is inferior to the other two in quality, but they in turn are comparatively meagre in quantity.
In the first place, we know (a most important piece of knowledge) that, as a rule, Latin was pronounced as written. This is evident from the fact, among others, that the same exceptions recur, and are mentioned over and over again, in the grammarians, and that so much is made of comparatively, and confessedly, insignificant points. Such, we may be sure, would not have been the case had exceptions been numerous. Then we have the authority of Quintilian--than whom is no higher. He speaks of the subtleties of the grammarians:
[Quint. I. iv. 6.] Interiora velut sacri hujus adeuntibus apparebit multa rerum subtilitas, quae non modo acuere ingenia puerilia sed exercere altissimam quoque eruditionem ac scientiam possit.
And says:
[Id, ib. iv. 7.] An cujuslibet auris est exigere litterarum sonos?
But after citing some of those idiosyncrasies which appear on the pages of all the grammarians, he finally sums up the matter in the following significant words:
[Id. ib. vii. 30, 31.] Indicium autem suum grammaticus interponat his omnibus; nam hoc valere plurimum debet. Ego (note the ego) nisi quod consuetudo obtinuerit sic scribendum quidque judico, quomodo sonat. Hic enim est usus litterarum, ut custodiant voces et velut depositum reddant legentibus, itaque id exprimere debent quod dicturi sumus.
This is still a characteristic of the Italian language, so that one may by books, getting the rules from the grammarians, learn to pronounce the language with a good degree of correctness.
On this point Professor Munro says:
"We see in the first volume of the Corpus Inscr. Latin. a map, as it were, of the language spread open before us, and feel sure that change of spelling meant systematical change of pronunciation: _coira, coera, cura; aiquos, aequos, aecus; queicumque, quicumque, etc., etc."
And again:
"We know exactly how Cicero or Quintilian did or could spell; we know the syllable on which they placed the accent of almost every word; and in almost every case we already follow them in this. I have the conviction that in their best days philological people took vast pains to make the writing exactly reproduce the sounding; and that if Quintilian or Tacitus spelt a word differently from Cicero or Livy, he also spoke it so far differently."
Three chief factors are essential to the Latin language, and each of these must be known with some good degree of certainty, if we would lay claim to an understanding of Roman pronunciation.
These are:
(1) Sounds of the letters (vowels, diphthongs, consonants);
(2) Quantity;
(3) Accent.
SOUNDS OF THE LETTERS.
VOWELS.
The vowels are five: A, E, I, O, U.
These when uttered alone are always long.
[Pompei. Comm. ad Donat. Keil. v. V. p. 101 et al.] Vocales autem quinque sunt: A, E, I, O, U. Istae quinque, quando solae proferuntur, longae sunt semper: quando solas litteras dicis, longae sunt. A sola longa est; E sola longa est.
A is uttered with the mouth widely opened, the tongue suspended and not touching the teeth:
[Ars Gram. Mar. Vict. de orthographia et de metrica ratione, I. vi. 6.] A littera rictu patulo, suspensa neque impressa dentibus lingua, enuntiatur.
E is uttered with the mouth less widely open, and the lips drawn back and inward:
[Id. ib. vi. 7.] E quae sequitur, de represso modice rictu oris, reductisque introrsum labiis, effertur.
I will voice itself with the mouth half closed and the teeth gently pressed by the tongue:
[Id. ib. vi. 8.] I semicluso ore, impressisque sensim lingua dentibus, vocem dabit.
O (long) will give the "tragic sound" through rounded opening, with lips protruded, the tongue pendulous in the roof of the mouth:
[Id. ib. vi. 9.] O longum autem, protrusis labiis rictu tereti, lingua arcu oris pendula, sonum tragicum dabit.
U is uttered with the lips protruding and approaching each other, like the Greek ou:
[Id. ib. vi. 10.] U litteram quotiens enuntiamus, productis et coeuntibus labris efferemus... quam nisi per ou conjunctam Graeci scribere ac pronuntiare non possunt.
Of these five vowels the grammarians say that three (A, I, U) do not change their quality with their quantity:
[Pompei. Comm. ad Donat. Keil. v. V. p. 101.] De istis quinque litteris tres sunt, quae sive breves sive longae ejusdemmodi sunt, A, I, U: similiter habent sive longae sive breves.
But two (E, O) change their quality:
[Id. ib.] O vero et E non sonant breves. E aliter longa aliter brevis sonat. Dicit ita Terentianus (hoc dixit) 'Quotienscumque E longam volumus proferri, vicina sit ad I (i with macron to show length) litteram.' Ipse sonus sic debet sonare, quomodo sonat I (i without macron to show short) littera. Quando dicis evitat, vicina debet esse, sic pressa, sic angusta, ut vicina sit ad I litteram. Quando vis dicere brevem e simpliciter sonat. O longa sit an brevis. Si longa est, debet sonus ipse intra palatum sonare, ut si dices orator, quasi intra sonat, intra palatum. Si