Answer key: ei-us or e-ius?

Are you learning Latin with D'Ooge's Beginners Latin Book? Here's where you can meet other learners using this textbook. Use this board to ask questions and post your work for feedback and comments from others.
Post Reply
balindsey
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2006 11:49 pm

Answer key: ei-us or e-ius?

Post by balindsey »

In the very first exercise, which involves division in to syllables, the answer key shows eius divided as ei-us.

Why not e-ius? Isn't i consonantal here?

metrodorus
Textkit Fan
Posts: 339
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2007 7:19 pm
Location: London
Contact:

Re: Answer key: ei-us or e-ius?

Post by metrodorus »

It is actually ej-jus. That macron is very confusing, it signifies a doubled consonantal i. There are a few places macrons do this job: e.g. huj-jus.
I run http://latinum.org.uk which provides the Adler Audio Latin Course, other audio materials, and additional free materials on YouTube.

lsanger
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:12 am

Re: Answer key: ei-us or e-ius?

Post by lsanger »

Isn't "ei" a diphthong? If it is, the "i" in "ei" can't be treated as a consonant (can it?).

Sorry, I don't mean to pretend to know anything about this. I'm just confused, that's all.

Xystus
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 3:22 pm

Re: Answer key: ei-us or e-ius?

Post by Xystus »

Isanger, the answer given by Metrodus is correct. It is not necessarily the case that one Latin letter always corresponds to exactly a single sound. In this case, the single i actually stands in for a double i, meaning that the i makes both the preceding vowel a diphtong and serves as a consonant for the second syllable (so, e.g., ei-ius). From Allen and Greenough:
Between consonant i and a preceding a, e, o or u, an i was developed as a transient sound, thus producing a diphthong ai , ei , etc., before the consonant i. In such cases but one i was written: as, âiō (for † ai-iō ), mâius (for † mai-ius ), pêius (for † pei-ius ).
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... smythp%3D6

Also note that having two vowels together that could form a diphthong does not mean that in 100% of words that they are pronounced as a diphthong, even if that is usually a safe assumption.

Post Reply