Introduction
Latina lingua, or the Latin language, was once the language of the Roman Empire and the language of European culture and scholarship for centuries. Today, Latin may not be spoken as it once was, but it remains a crucial language for understanding the history and development of Western culture.
Basic Pronunciation Rules
Latin pronunciation is determined by four principles: vowel length, syllable stress, consonant sounds, and diphthongs. Vowel length is critical to Latin pronunciation, as it can drastically change the meaning of a word. Syllable stress also plays an important role, with stress usually falling on the second-to-last syllable of a word. As for consonants and diphthongs, there are specific rules governing each sound.
Examples of Common Words
Here are the pronunciations of a few common Latin words:
- Audi - (ow-dee) - hear
- Bellum - (bel-lum) - war
- Caelum - (kigh-lum) - sky
- Dominus - (doh-mee-noos) - master
- Educatus - (eh-doo-kah-toos) - educated
- Femina - (feh-mee-nah) - woman
- Gloria - (glo-ree-ah) - glory
- Humilitas - (hoo-mee-lee-tahs) - humility
- Iustitia - (yoo-stee-tee-ah) - justice
- Judicium - (yoo-dih-kee-oom) - judgement
- Kyrios - (keer-ee-os) - lord
- Liber - (lee-ber) - free
- Maximus - (mahk-see-moos) - greatest
- Nihil - (nee-hil) - nothing
- Omne - (om-nay) - all
- Pax - (pahks) - peace
- Quid - (kweed) - what
- Requiescat - (reh-kwee-es-kaht) - may s/he rest
- Sapientia - (sah-pee-en-tee-ah) - wisdom
- Tempus - (tem-poos) - time
- Ultimus - (uhl-tee-moos) - final
- Veritas - (veh-ri-tahs) - truth
- Xenium - (zee-nee-oom) - hospitality
- Ypsilon - (oop-si-lon) - the Greek letter Upsilon, which was pronounced like \"u\"
- Zelus - (zeh-loos) - enthusiasm
