Latin spelling and pronunciation

The Latin pronunciation is reconstructed by linguists phonetics of classical Latin, as it was pronounced to Cicero and Caesar's times of educated speakers. It differs from both the mediated today's lesson school pronunciation of Latin as well as the traditional German pronunciation of Latin.

The usual in the Middle Ages and early modern Latin pronunciation had been removed in many ways from that time only insufficiently known classical standard. In the 19th century attempts to essential features of the classical pronunciation scientifically developed into its own again. Thus, the classical Latin pronunciation of the "c" as [k ] was already by the beginning of the 20th century in many parts of Germany usual, as is attested by Quintilian (1st century AD) as standard pronunciation. Due to a decree of the National Socialists was in the thirties temporarily re " Germanized " the school and university pronunciation of Latin, so Latin words were read by German orthography and pronunciation tradition. Meanwhile, the classical pronunciation of some phonemes has ( so "c" as / ae / as as / k / and the separate pronunciation of Diphthonges "ae " ) won internationally and also in Germany to spread. A continuous ( eg the pronunciation of "v" as an English / w / ) gave true to the original classic pronunciation ( pronuntiatus restitutus ), however, is still in the minority.

Standard to which Latin texts are pronounced depends on the context and on the personal decision of the speaker. The described here reconstructed classical pronunciation has so far no general liability. Rather uses for example the traditional German or Italian pronunciation while singing vocal music of the early modern period; well at lateinischsprachiger liturgy. For the classroom turn the school debate allows a balance between the classical ideal and the pronunciation habits of the learner. This pronunciation variants are not " wrong ", but arise from a different tradition, which follows the development of the Latin over two millennia into an almost exclusively in writing idiom used in the approximation of the debate to the vernacular languages ​​.

However, the reconstructed classical pronunciation can lay claim to offer a more authentic access to classical Latin texts. It also facilitates international communication. While it is sometimes cited against them that accent-free pronunciation of Latin, given the many uncertainties in any case not be achieved and is not necessary in a language with no native speakers. One approach is, however, readily achievable and useful for the study of several university courses ( Indo-European Studies, Classical Philology, Romance Philology, Linguistics, Ancient History, Archaeology, Papyrology, and others ).

The following overview applies:

• The vowel lengths are presented in common use today as a line over the letter.
• The approximate phonetic pronunciation according to the system of the International Phonetic Alphabet (character list) written between square brackets.

• 4.1 Which syllable is stressed
• 4.2 Nature of the accent

Vowels

It is to carefully distinguish between long ( productus ) and short ( correptus ) vowels. For the length ( quantity) of a vowel in a given word there are no simple rules. While it can be specified rules for the length of final vowels, but even here there are numerous exceptions. When the quantity of vowels, which are not in final position, must be relied on the information of a dictionary.

The vowel quantity plays especially in the Latin poetry a role, because the meter is not oriented as in German in the emphasis on the syllables, but to the syllable quantity, which depends again on the vowel quantity: if the vowel is long, the syllable is also "naturally " long ( Syllaba natura longa ), but the converse is not true. But even with the simple word meaning the quantity plays a role, as well as in German [ ban ] means something other than [ba ː n]: malus " bad" and Malus " apple tree " differ only in the vowel quantity, but in the traditional texts is usually not marked. In the above example, users will open up by the context of what is mentioned, however, there are cases where this is not be possible. Thus, for example, differ fodit " he digs " and fōdit " he has dug " only by the length of the o- vowel.

To determine the vowel length lyrical texts can be used, whereby one can infer the length of a short syllable otherwise known verse from her. Doing so, however, the problem arises that this is only in otherwise short syllables is just possible. If the syllable position long ( Syllaba positione longa ), that is, when followed by the vowel two consonants, it shall metric always as a long syllable, regardless of whether the vowel is spoken long (thus the syllable additional " natural long " would be ) or not. In such cases, it can be concluded on the quantity of a vowel, for example, due to language- historical considerations, but such conclusions are always subject to uncertainties, which are then subject to the information in dictionaries.

Deviations from the pronunciation of the German

The distribution of vowel lengths and cut differs from the rules, which is used to follow a German speaker. Note in particular:

• Long vowels can appear in any syllable of the word, not only in stressed syllables: Romani " the Romans " = [ro ː ma ː ni ː ], Vidi " I have seen " = [ wi ː di ː ].
• On a long vowel, a Doppelkonsonanz ( which is like elongated in the Italian speaking ) follow without the foregoing vowel is shortened here: Stella "Star" = [ ste ː l ː a].
• In contrast to the Germans stressed vowels are not always lengthened in open syllables, compare the Latin words and pronunciation of German loanwords in: Latin globus " sphere" = [ ɡlɔbʊs ] towards the German globe [ ɡlo ː bʊs ]
• Latin pink "Rose" = [ rɔsa ] towards the German Rose [ ʁo ː zə ]
• Latin Venus [ wɛnʊs ] towards the German Venus [ ve ː nʊs ]

Pronunciation of individual vowels

• Long ē is closed to articulate: Emi " I bought " = [e ː mi ː ] as in German take = [ ne ː mən ]
• Short e is rather open, compare emere " buy " = [ ɛmɛrɛ ] such as ä in German guests = [ ɡɛstə ], but never weakened in unstressed syllables to [ ə ]
• Long ō is closed, compare Roma 'Rome' = [ro ː ma ] o as in the German bean [ bo ː nə ]
• Short o is more open, so Latin bonus 'good' = [ bɔnʊs ] o as in Bonn German = [ bɔn ]
• Short i is easy to pronounce opened, compare it " he / she goes " = [ ɪt ] as i in German please = [ bɪtə ]
• The same applies to short u, compare Latin humus "earth" = [ hʊmʊs ] like u in German river = [ flʊs ] or u the final syllable in German humus = [hu ː mʊs ]

Diphthongs

Except for the very rare ui and ei exist in Latin only four diphthongs:

• Au as in Latin aurum "gold" = [ aʊ̯rʊm ] as au in the German House = [ haʊ̯s ]
• Ae is in pre-Christian times yet clear diphthongisch, ie a sequence of monosyllabic recently [ a] and [ ɛ ], so latin Maestus "sad" = [ maɛstʊs ] almost [ maɪ̯st ] as an in German usually =
• The rare, occurring almost exclusively in Greek loanwords eu is a monosyllabic sequence of short, open [ ɛ ] and [ ʊ ], ie Europe "Europe" = [ ɛʊ̯ro ː pa], but in no case a German eu as in Europe = [ ɔʏ̯ʁo ː pa ]
• Oe corresponds more or less eu the German diphthong, that is a monosyllabic sequence of short, open [ ɔ ] and [ ɛ ], compare Latin poena, " punishment" = [ pɔɛna ] almost like eu in German Europe = [ ɔʏ̯ʁo ː pa], but it is by no means pronounce than [ ø ].

Consonants

• All written double consonants are pronounced elongated, compare Latin crassus 'thick' = [ kras ʊs ː ], repperit " he / she has found " = [ rɛp ɛrɪt ː ].
• C corresponded in classical times always an unaspirated k German, so latin cinis " ash " = [ kɪnɪs ].
• F: It is believed that it was pronounced like German [ f], but this has not been proven; would also be possible pronunciation [ ɸ ].
• Gn is articulated as a result of German velar ng plus n, ie Latin ignis 'fire' = [i ː ŋnɪs ]; a standing before gn vowel is phonetically always long.
• H was in classical times articulated at least from the upper layers and in word-initial or as a German [h ] ( or possibly slightly weaker ); in the lower class it had stopped already at the time of Catullus ( 84-54 BC).
• I is pronounced in the neighborhood of vowels as [j ], compare beginning of a word: Latin justus 'just' = [ ju ː stʊs ] as j in German just [ jʊst ]
• The inside word between vowels most likely as long [j ː ], compare eius " his / her " = [ ɛj ʊs ː ],
• The word inside between consonant and vowel: as a result of [ ij], compare filius " son " = [fi ː lijʊs ] ( three syllables )

• Before [i ], as well as a long ll: like German [ l], compare filius " son " = [fi ː lijʊs ]
• Bellus = "beautiful" [ bɛl ː ʊs ] similar to German Elle = [ ɛlə ], but with gelängtem l

• It was probably always articulated as unvoiced consonant, so definitely the word of the beginning and end or before a consonant, compare sol " sun " = [ so ː ɫ ], ie as s in English cents = [ sɛnt ]. It is possible, but not proven, that a simple s could be voiced in the word inside between vowels, so maybe pink "Rose" = [ rɔsa ] or [ rɔza ];
• Finally, it is likely that the s, whether voiceless or voiced, not as [s ] or [ z] was pronounced, but as [ ʂ ], the Swedish rs, matches. Accordingly, would Insulation latin "island" probably like [ ĩ ː nʂʊɫa ] sounded.

From all this it follows that, for example, the name of the famous dictator, Caesar, in the Latin Caesar's times probably something like [ Kaesar ] or [ kaezar ] was pronounced. This debate does not agree with the school pronunciation [k ʰ aɪ̯zar ] or [k ʰ ɛ ː zar ] or [ tsɛ ː zar ].

Stress rules

The emphasis of Latin words first two problems can be distinguished:

Which syllable is stressed

In polysyllabic words the so-called word stress usually falls on the penultimate or the antepenultimate syllable; in rare cases, it is also on the last syllable.

An emphasis on the last syllable is at polysyllabic words also a possibility; This especially refers to words whose last syllable is fallen away, for example: adhuc or vidistin ( = vidistine ), but also Endbetonungen for avoidances of Homonymenkonflikten as ERGO (conjunction ) vs. Ergo (post position) or Circum ( accusative singular) vs.. suffixed Circum ( preposition ). Even proper names as Maecenas were ancient evidence, according to (see Schonberger 2010) endbetont: Maecenas. A Endbetonung of case forms by contrast, is unhistorical and false. The accentuation of Latin words can change in phonetic words, since in certain cases pro or enclisis occurs. No accent change occurs in verse, since the Latin poetry has nothing to do with the emphasis on the words, but is based on a fixed sequence of short and long syllables, which lets the natural word accents unchanged.

The decision as to which syllable should be stressed in polysyllabic words, depends solely on the penultimate syllable from (so-called Pänultimaregel ):

• The penultimate syllable is stressed when the word is actually only two syllables, for example in Rō - ma " Rome " = [ro ː ma ];
• The penultimate syllable has a long vowel, mā - compare Rō - nus "Roman " = [ro ː ma ː nʊs ]; can- de-la " light" = [ kande ɫa ː ]; are specified in a text no vowel lengths, is called the quantity of the vowel, so its length or brevity, not to see the word body;
• The penultimate syllable has a diphthong, such as in - cau - tus " careless " = [ ɪŋkaʊ̯tʊs ];
• The penultimate syllable is "closed", that is, it ends in a consonant, that is, to follow after the vowel at least two consonants, compare ter - res -tris "earthly " = [ tɛrrɛstrɪs ]; a-man - tur " you are loved " = [ amantʊr ]. The combination of a mutation and a liquid, as in the Latin cerebrum 'brain' = [ kɛrɛbrʊ (m)] causes no syllable final.

Nature of accent

About the question of how the stressed syllable was stressed, there is no consensus among the experts. Some assume that the Latin in contrast to German and similar to the Ancient Greek was a language with melodic accent, in which the stressed syllable is not marked by an increase in volume, but by changing the tuning pitch. When word Rō - ma = [ro ː ma ] Thus the first More of the stressed syllable would have been ro - spoken with other pitch as the next topic. The argument for doing so is, among other things, that the Latin metric was quantitierend and not accentuating and typical effects of a dynamic accent as regular -like syncopation and weakening of unstressed vowels missing. W. S. Allen (see references ), however, thinks that the facts tend to favor a dynamic accent. Axel Schonberger ( see literature) is to (from Quintilian to Priscian ) together, which all have a melodic accent of Latin testify, the treble only could take a More, so that the word Rō -ma as follows the statements of ten antique specialist writers accentuate is: gypsies ( More notation: ROOMA ), while about ATHENAE wearing a acute accent: ATHENAE ( in More notation: Atheénae ). Schönberger is further assumed that there was never an initial emphasis in archaic Latin, but from the Indo-European parent language prevailed a melodic accent to the Classical Latin, which was able to withdraw in the older Latin until the fourth last syllable; the assertion of a temporary initial emphasis in Latin is a highly improbable hypothesis without sufficient evidence.

Sources of reconstruction

The attempts of the reconstruction of the Latin pronunciation are mainly based on a combination of the following sources, information and evidence:

• Explicit statements of the ancient Latin grammarians to the debate
• Development of the pronunciation of Latin words in living successor languages
• Verses, rhymes, songs and theater ( ductus )
• Information, comparisons and error critique example, in Quintilian, Aulus Gellius and
• Comparisons of similar looking words
• Comparison with stem
• Play Latin words in Ancient Greek and vice versa
• Due to ignorance written in phonetic transcription scribbles on walls of ancient houses
• Typo in traditional original fonts
• Preservation of old sound booth in borrowed words