Schaum's Outline of Latin Grammar - Alan Fishbone [3]
Alphabet
The Latin alphabet is the same as the English but without the letters j and w. For the most part it can be read in the same way, but a few differences must be noted.
CONSONANTS
c
is always pronounced hard, as in cat, never soft like an s.
g
is always pronounced hard, as in god, never soft like a j.
h
is always pronounced, as in hot, never left silent.
i
sometimes acts as a consonant before a vowel and is pronounced as the letter y in English.
v
is always pronounced as the letter w in English.
qu is always pronounced as one consonant, sounding, as in English, like kw.
The other consonant letters are pronounced as in English.
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Introduction to the Latin Alphabet and Pronunciation VOWELS
Vowels in Latin are said to be either long or short, depending on the time taken to pronounce them within a given word.
Long vowels will be marked in this text with a horizontal bar above them. This mark is known as a macron.
There are differences of pronunciation between the long and short versions of the same vowels:
aÅ
(as in odd)
a
(as in hot)
eÅ
(as in hate)
e
(as in pet)
õÅ
(as in feet)
i
(as in ®n)
oÅ
(as in bone)
o
(as in ought)
uÅ
(as in moon)
u
(as in put)
DIPTHONGS
Two vowels pronounced together as one sound make a dipthong.
There are six dipthongs in Latin:
ae (as in my)
au (as in cow)
ei
(as in pay)
eu (as read1)
oe (as in boy)
ui (as in win)
As vowel sounds, dipthongs are long.
Pronunciation of Latin Words
The accentuation of a Latin word is determined by its second-to-last or penultimate syllable.2
1 This dipthong appears mostly in Greek words that have been assimilated into Latin, e.g., TheÅseus.
2 This rule is sometimes referred to as the law of the penult, this term being shorthand for the penultimate syllable of a word.
Introduction to the Latin Alphabet and Pronunciation xv
If this syllable is long, then it must be stressed, that is, it receives the accentuation when the word is pronounced. If this syllable is short, the syllable immediately before it is accentuated. (A two-syllable word will always be stressed on the ®rst syllable.)
How is a syllable long? A syllable is long if it has a long vowel or a dipthong, or if the vowel of the syllable is followed by two or more consonants. Otherwise it is short.
õÅnsula
The second-to-last syllable, -sul-, is
short. The vowel u is short, not a
dipthong, and followed by only one
consonant. Therefore the syllable
before it, õÅn-, is accented in
pronunciation.
impleÅvi
The second syllable -leÅ- is long
because it contains a long vowel.
Therefore it is accented in
pronunciation.
Practice reading aloud the following words. Remember to consider whether the penultimate syllable is long or short.
1. mõÅserat
2. animaÅlia
3. inter
4. nostroÅs
5. animoÅs
6. urbibus
7. ambulaÅmus
8. salve
9. iustitia
10. sanguinis
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CHAPTER 1
The Noun
A noun is a word that denotes a person, place, or thingÐfor example, pig.
Every instance of a Latin noun has the three grammatical properties of number, gender, and case.
Number: Like English nouns, Latin nouns are singular or plural. This difference is shown by a change in the word's form.
e.g., mouse
mice
muÅs
muÅreÅs
pig
pigs
porcus
porcõÅ
Gender: English nouns do not show gender. Latin has three gendersÐmasculine, feminine, and neuterÐbut usually any given noun will have only one.
While nouns denoting male or female persons often show the expected gender, these genders do not necessarily correspond to the noun's meaning.
e.g., feÅmina, woman, is feminine
vir, man, is masculine
saxum, rock, is neuter
but
servituÅs, slavery, is feminine
liber, book, is masculine
forum, forum, is neuter
Case is the means by which a noun shows its meaning in a sentence. English sentences create meaning through word order. A noun shows its grammatical function by its position in the sentence or from its combination with other words such as prepositions.