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<blockquote data-quote="John Quixote" data-source="post: 1865212" data-attributes="member: 694">Here's the full breakdown, folks. Pronunciation of Latin letters in the Classical and Ecclesiastical/Medieval/Late dialects. Off the top of my head:&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; A - [ɑ], as in pot.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Ā - [ɑ<img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"&nbsp; class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious&nbsp; &nbsp; :]" data-shortname=":]" />, as in father, held half again as long as the short vowel.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; B - {b} as English.&nbsp;&nbsp; In Classical Latin, /bs/ are /bt/ is devoiced and pronounced [ps] and [pt] (urbs, &quot;city&quot;, is pronounced [ʊrps] in Classical Latin, but [urbs] in Late Latin).&nbsp;C - [k]. A /c/ is always prounounced [k] in Classical Latin. In Late Latin, /c/ is pronounced [k] before back vowels (/a/, /o/, and /u/), and as [ʧ] (like English church) before front vowels (/i/, /e/, /y/, /æ/, and /œ/). In Scientific Latin, the /c/ softens even further before front vowels, to [ts] in German pronunciation and simply <s> in British and French pronunciation.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; D - [d], as in English.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; E - [ɛ] in Classical Latin, as in English get.&nbsp; [e] in Late Latin, as in English date.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Ē - [e<img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"&nbsp; class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious&nbsp; &nbsp; :]" data-shortname=":]" />, as in English make.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; F - [f], as in English.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; G - [g] as in give. A /g/ is always pronounced [g] in Classical Latin. In Late Latin, /g/ is prounounced [g] before back vowels, and [ʤ] as in English gem before front vowels.</s>&nbsp;<s>H - [h]. In Classical Latin, the /h/ is always sounded, as is typical in American English. In Late Latin, an /h/ is often silent, as in British English, except in mihi and nihil, when it's pronounced as [x], the voiceless velar fricative of Scottish loch or German ich.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; I - [ɪ] in Classical Latin, as in English pit. {i} in Late Latin, as in Frech sit.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Ī - [i<img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"&nbsp; class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious&nbsp; &nbsp; :]" data-shortname=":]" />, as in English speed.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; J - [j], as in English yes. A /j/ is simply a consonantal /i/, and /i/ is always pronounced this way when it begins a word and is followed by a vowel; or when it is the second part of a dipthong and is followed by a vowel: iaceo/jaceo, iuris/juris, cuius/cujus, eius/ejus.</s>&nbsp;<s>K - [k], used in Latin only for transcribing Greek words, and even then, the Romans much prefered to use /c/ or /q/. In very early Latin, the Romans followed the same rule that the Etruscans pretty much made up, using &quot;c&quot; (gamma) before /i/, /e/, and /o/, &quot;k&quot; (kappa) before /a/, and &quot;q&quot; (qoppa) before /u/, but by the Classical period, /c/ was the standard spelling, /q/ was relegated to instances of the /qu/ diconsonant, and /k/ was hardly used at all.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; L - [l], as in English.</s>&nbsp;<s>M - [m], as in English, but in Classical Latin, a final -um was probably pronounced [ũ], nasalizing the vowel and dropping the consonant, like in modern French bon [bõ].</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; N - [n], as in English.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; O - [ɔ] in Classical Latin, as in caught.&nbsp; [o] in Late Latin, as in English go.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Ō - [o<img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"&nbsp; class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious&nbsp; &nbsp; :]" data-shortname=":]" />, as in boat.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; P - [p] as in English.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Q - [k], and as in English, is typically followed by a consonantal /u/, pronounced [kw].</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; R - [ɾ] in Classical Latin, a tongue flap, as in the way Americans say letter or ladder. If written double, /rr/, the pronunciation was a velar trill, [r], as in Spanish and Italian /r/ (not French, which is a uvular trill). In Late Latin, /r/ is always trilled.</s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; S - <s>, as in English.</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; T - [t], as in English.</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; U - [ʊ] in Classical Latin, as in English put. {u} in Late Latin, as in English do.</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Ū - [u<img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"&nbsp; class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious&nbsp; &nbsp; :]" data-shortname=":]" />, as in English pool.</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; V - [w] in Classical Latin, and [v] in Late Latin.&nbsp; As with i/j, u/v are actually the same letter.&nbsp; </s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; W - Never occurs in Latin, except as a /uu/ ligature.</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; X - [ks] in Classical Latin.&nbsp; Sometimes voices to [gz] between vowels in Late Latin.</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Y - [y] in Classical Latin, as in German ü or French u.&nbsp; In Late Latin, always treated just like /i/.</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Ȳ - [y<img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"&nbsp; class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious&nbsp; &nbsp; :]" data-shortname=":]" /> in Classical Latin, as the German and French sounds held half again as long.&nbsp; In Late Latin, treated as /ī/.</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Z - [dz].&nbsp; Only prounoucned [z] in modern Scientific Latin.</s></s>&nbsp;<s><s>CH, PH, TH - In Classical Latin, they represented Greek chi, phi, and theta and were simple aspirated consonants, pronounced [kh], [ph], and [th]. In Late Latin, /ch/ and /ph/ can be pronounced [x] and [f], but /th/ is still pronounced [th], not [θ].</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; AE, OE - Classical Latin dipthongs, pronounced [ɑj] and [oj], like English pie and oil.</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Æ, Œ - Late Latin simple vowles, treated as /e/.</s></s><s><s>&nbsp;&nbsp; AU, EI, EU - Dipthongs appearing in both Classical and Late Latin, pronoucned [ɑw], [ej], and [ew].</s></s><s><s>&nbsp;&nbsp; UI - Dipthong pronounced [uj], and only appears in huius/hujus, hui, cuius/cujus, cui, &amp; huic..</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; SC - Always [sk] in Classical Latin.&nbsp; In Late Latin, [sk] before back vowels and [ʃ] (as English sh) before front vowels.</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; XC - Always [ksk] in Classical Latin.&nbsp; In Late Latin, [ksk] before back vowels and [kʃ] before front vowels.</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; GN - [ŋn] in Classical Latin, as in hangnail (magnus sounds like &quot;mang-nus&quot;).&nbsp; In Late Latin, [nj], as in modern French and Italian (magnus sounds like &quot;man-yoos&quot;).</s></s><s><s>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; TI - Always [ti] in Classical Latin.&nbsp; In Late Latin, [ti] after an /s/ or /x/, but [tsi] after all other letters.</s></s></blockquote>

[QUOTE="John Quixote, post: 1865212, member: 694"] Here's the full breakdown, folks. Pronunciation of Latin letters in the Classical and Ecclesiastical/Medieval/Late dialects. Off the top of my head: A - [ɑ], as in p[b]o[/b]t. Ā - [ɑ:], as in f[b]a[/b]ther, held half again as long as the short vowel. B - {b} as English. In Classical Latin, /bs/ are /bt/ is devoiced and pronounced [ps] and [pt] ([i]urbs[/i], "city", is pronounced [ʊrps] in Classical Latin, but [urbs] in Late Latin). C - [k]. A /c/ is always prounounced [k] in Classical Latin. In Late Latin, /c/ is pronounced [k] before back vowels (/a/, /o/, and /u/), and as [ʧ] (like English[b] ch[/b]ur[b]ch[/b]) before front vowels (/i/, /e/, /y/, /æ/, and /œ/). In Scientific Latin, the /c/ softens even further before front vowels, to [ts] in German pronunciation and simply [s] in British and French pronunciation. D - [d], as in English. E - [ɛ] in Classical Latin, as in English g[b]e[/b]t. [e] in Late Latin, as in English d[b]a[/b]te. Ē - [e:], as in English m[b]a[/b]ke. F - [f], as in English. G - [g] as in [b]g[/b]ive. A /g/ is always pronounced [g] in Classical Latin. In Late Latin, /g/ is prounounced [g] before back vowels, and [ʤ] as in English [b]g[/b]em before front vowels. H - [h]. In Classical Latin, the /h/ is always sounded, as is typical in American English. In Late Latin, an /h/ is often silent, as in British English, except in [i]mihi[/i] and [i]nihil[/i], when it's pronounced as [x], the voiceless velar fricative of Scottish lo[b]ch [/b]or German i[b]ch[/b]. I - [ɪ] in Classical Latin, as in English p[b]i[/b]t. {i} in Late Latin, as in Frech s[b]i[/b]t. Ī - [i:], as in English sp[b]ee[/b]d. J - [j], as in English [b]y[/b]es. A /j/ is simply a consonantal /i/, and /i/ is always pronounced this way when it begins a word and is followed by a vowel; or when it is the second part of a dipthong and is followed by a vowel: [i]iaceo/jaceo, iuris/juris, cuius/cujus, eius/ejus[/i]. K - [k], used in Latin only for transcribing Greek words, and even then, the Romans much prefered to use /c/ or /q/. In very early Latin, the Romans followed the same rule that the Etruscans pretty much made up, using "c" (gamma) before /i/, /e/, and /o/, "k" (kappa) before /a/, and "q" (qoppa) before /u/, but by the Classical period, /c/ was the standard spelling, /q/ was relegated to instances of the /qu/ diconsonant, and /k/ was hardly used at all. L - [l], as in English. M - [m], as in English, but in Classical Latin, a final -um was probably pronounced [ũ], nasalizing the vowel and dropping the consonant, like in modern French [i]bon[/i] [bõ]. N - [n], as in English. O - [ɔ] in Classical Latin, as in c[b]au[/b]ght. [o] in Late Latin, as in English g[b]o[/b]. Ō - [o:], as in b[b]oa[/b]t. P - [p] as in English. Q - [k], and as in English, is typically followed by a consonantal /u/, pronounced [kw]. R - [ɾ] in Classical Latin, a tongue flap, as in the way Americans say le[b]tt[/b]er or la[b]dd[/b]er. If written double, /rr/, the pronunciation was a velar trill, [r], as in Spanish and Italian /r/ (not French, which is a uvular trill). In Late Latin, /r/ is always trilled. S - [s], as in English. T - [t], as in English. U - [ʊ] in Classical Latin, as in English p[b]u[/b]t. {u} in Late Latin, as in English d[b]o[/b]. Ū - [u:], as in English p[b]oo[/b]l. V - [w] in Classical Latin, and [v] in Late Latin. As with i/j, u/v are actually the same letter. W - Never occurs in Latin, except as a /uu/ ligature. X - [ks] in Classical Latin. Sometimes voices to [gz] between vowels in Late Latin. Y - [y] in Classical Latin, as in German [i]ü[/i] or French [i]u[/i]. In Late Latin, always treated just like /i/. Ȳ - [y:] in Classical Latin, as the German and French sounds held half again as long. In Late Latin, treated as /ī/. Z - [dz]. Only prounoucned [z] in modern Scientific Latin. CH, PH, TH - In Classical Latin, they represented Greek chi, phi, and theta and were simple aspirated consonants, pronounced [kh], [ph], and [th]. In Late Latin, /ch/ and /ph/ can be pronounced [x] and [f], but /th/ is still pronounced [th], not [θ]. AE, OE - Classical Latin dipthongs, pronounced [ɑj] and [oj], like English p[b]ie[/b] and [b]oi[/b]l. Æ, Œ - Late Latin simple vowles, treated as /e/. AU, EI, EU - Dipthongs appearing in both Classical and Late Latin, pronoucned [ɑw], [ej], and [ew]. UI - Dipthong pronounced [uj], and only appears in [i]huius/hujus, hui, cuius/cujus, cui, & huic.[/i]. SC - Always [sk] in Classical Latin. In Late Latin, [sk] before back vowels and [ʃ] (as English [i]sh[/i]) before front vowels. XC - Always [ksk] in Classical Latin. In Late Latin, [ksk] before back vowels and [kʃ] before front vowels. GN - [ŋn] in Classical Latin, as in ha[b]ngn[/b]ail ([i]magnus[/i] sounds like "mang-nus"). In Late Latin, [nj], as in modern French and Italian ([i]magnus[/i] sounds like "man-yoos"). TI - Always [ti] in Classical Latin. In Late Latin, [ti] after an /s/ or /x/, but [tsi] after all other letters.[/s][/s] [/QUOTE]

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