Lesson 1.

RULES OF READING

The Latin alphabet

The Latin alphabet, from which comes the English one, was borrowed from Greek colonies in southern Italy as early as 700 B.C. It had twenty-three letters (it had no j, but from the tenth century the vowel sound was expressed by i, and the consonant sound by j).

X, y, and z were not in Cicero's time included in the alphabet; they were used in the Latin spelling of Greek words.

Aa	a	[a]	Mm	em	[m]
Bb	be	[b] [b	Nn	en	[n]
Cc	tse	[ts/k]	Oo	0	[o]
Dd	de	[d]	Pp	pe	[p]
Ее	e	[e]	Qq	ku	[k]
Ff	ef	[f]	Rr	er	[r]
Gg	ge	[g]	Ss	es	[s/z]
Hh	ha	[h]	Tt	te	[t]
Ii	i	[i]	Uu	u	[u/v]
Jj	jota	[j]	Vv	ve	[v]
Kk	ka	[k]	Xx	iks	[ks/gz]
LI	el	[l]	Yy	ypsilonn	[i]
			Zz	zeta	[z]

1.1 Vowels

The Latin vowels are either long or short: а а; e e, o o; i i; u u;

1.2 Diphthongs

A diphthong is a union of two short vowel sounds to form one syllable; the two vowels are pronounced in quick succession by one effort. The Latin diphthong is always long.

au as [ au ] ae as [ ӕ ]

eu as [ eu ] oe as [ о ]

ei as [ ei ]

ui as [ ui ] BUT: aer (a-er), poeta (po-e-ta)

2. Division into Syllables

A Latin word has as many syllables as it has vowels or diphthongs, as pecunia (pe-cu-ni-a), causa (cau-sa), navigat (na-vi-gat). Words are divided into syllables as follows:

a) A single consonant between two vowels goes with the second: Italia (I-ta-li-a), auxiliun (au-xi-li-um).

2. If two or more consonants occur together between vowels, the division is usually before the last consonant: silva (sil-va), sanctus (sanc-tus), Victoria (vic-to-ri-a).

3. A consonant, if followed by I or r, goes with the I or r: publicus (pu-bli-cus), agricola

(a-gri-co-Ia), demonstro (de-mons-tro).

3. Pronounce carefully, dividing each word into its syllables, and placing the accent on the proper syllable.

Note: In Latin the accent never falls on the final syllable. So, in words of two syllables the accent is regularly upon the first.

a) arm a	b) aut	c) laudo	d) aedes	e) aes	f) aro
ann us	Paulus	avis	aera	aestas	aetas
arx	auris	puer	saepe	haedus	praedoo
amor	aurum	nauta	aedon	lupus	laetus
anser	vulpes	agnus	aer	aeger	homo
error	ego	feles	ira	ignis	imber
mensis	berbex	leo	simplex	deus	ovum
lectus	dexter	semper	poena	ursus	foedus
pedes	hiems	memor	u n u s	malum	unda
neuter	septem	ventus	urbs	umbra	uva

Note: Cc - /ts/ —before e, i, y, ae, oe centum, civis

/k/ - before the other vowels and diphthongs cura, causa

g) centum	certe h)	h)civis	octo
cocus	caecus	cerva	auctor
Caesar	caelum	canis	decem
cura	color	Graecus	cycnus
caput	causa	caepa	Baca

et (conj.) -

and et...

et...et- both

-and…and

aut (conj.) - or

i) feles et canis, septem et decem, lupus et agnus, leo et ursus, malum aut uva, unus aut centum.