Latin audio online?

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Matermultorum
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Latin audio online?

Post by Matermultorum »

I would like to find Latin audio with the classical pronunciation. We are switching the pronunciation in our homeschool from the church Latin (which I never did well to begin with) I am trying to do a better job speaking Latin with my younger children than I have done with my older children.

It would really help to be able to see hear it. Since we are working on some Caesar, I found the following sitehttp://www.booksshouldbefree.com/book/D ... bri-Septem

It seems to be classical, but I don't know whether it has been done well. I do notice a z sound for the s sometimes and it seems to be a repetitive expression. Do you have opinions about this one? Do you have recommendation of other Latin audio? (Free first would be great, but I'll take purchase suggestions as well).

I do own an audio CD to go along with Cambridge Latin Book 1

Thank you

Bedell
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Re: Latin audio online?

Post by Bedell »

If you are dead set on conversation using the restored classical pronunciation, this free course might be up your alley. It begins next month but there is still time to sign up. You do, however, have to buy your own copy of Assimil's Latin course by Desessard and the accompanying CDs.

http://avitus.alcuinus.net/schola_latina/ratio_en.php

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Paco
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Re: Latin audio online?

Post by Paco »

I am not sure if Assimil has redone the recordings, but the original accompanying Desessard's course has quite heavy (French) accent. The book is a fine course per se.

Shenoute
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Re: Latin audio online?

Post by Shenoute »

I think the Italian version of Desessard's course is now sold with new recordings.

Bedell
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Re: Latin audio online?

Post by Bedell »

The Italian version of the course is indeed sold with new recordings in both ecclesiastical and restored classical pronunciation. The links to the right purchase site are on Schola's webpage. Avitus continues to provide his own ultra-accurate recordings of the bits of the book not covered by Assimil's recordings.

I use the term 'ultra-accurate' as correct pronunciation seems to be somewhere between a badge of honour and a healthy obsession for Avitus. Of course, accuracy among the competent only has meaning in the light of the system chosen. But I think you get my drift.

I read that a new German translation of Desessard is almost ready for release. Would to God they'd produce an English one as well!
nothing should arouse more suspicion than a cross-party consensus - Antidemocritus fl. 2010

Matermultorum
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Re: Latin audio online?

Post by Matermultorum »

Thank you for the responses. I did not receive email notification as I had with my other post so I assumed there had been no responses. Thus I am just discovering them.

I didn't explain myself well. I don't plan to converse in Latin, but I do want to do a better job of reading Latin aloud with my children and also "saying" it correctly in my own head.

I think it would help greatly to hear someone else do it correctly (or somewhere in the ballpark of correctly).

I think there is somethings weird about the rhythm/inflection in the audio reading that I linked to in my original post. If any of you get a chance to listen for a minute or so that would be great. I'm curious about the pronunciation as well as the inflection.

Thank you

Qimmik
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Re: Latin audio online?

Post by Qimmik »

The recording you linked to sounds somewhat Germanic--in fact, to me it sounded as if he is using an uvular r instead of a trill or flap.

But I wouldn't worry to much about getting the pronunciation exactly right. After all, there are no native speakers of classical Latin alive today. Contemporary attempts to reproduce ancient Roman pronunciation are nothing more than educated guesswork based largely on very crude descriptions of Latin phonemes in ancient sources, which of course didn't have the International Phonetic Alphabet at their disposal to render Latin pronunciation with the precision that would satisfy a modern linguist. I suspect that if we were able to hear an ancient Roman speak, it would sound much weirder than, and very different from, the recording you linked to.

You might want to get a copy of this book if you don't already have a copy, which discusses the evidence and makes some recommendations:

http://www.amazon.com/Vox-Latina-Guide- ... vox+latina

In general, though, your time would be better spent learning grammar and vocabulary, and above all reading, than attempting to improve your pronunciation.

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bedwere
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Re: Latin audio online?

Post by bedwere »

I believe that the temporal, regional, and social status variations in the pronunciation of Latin when it was the common language of the western Roman Empire must have been very wide. I'm an amateur, not a professional, but I notice first the variations in the pronunciation of English in the world: the ways it is pronounced in the US (and in the single states, California, New York, the South, etc.), in Canada, in England, in Australia, in South Africa are all different. Second, my first language is Italian and I can tell apart people born and living 30 miles away from those of the village where my parents live. And this in 2013, when television has already leveled out much diversity. Can you imagine 2000 years ago?

adrianus
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Re: Latin audio online?

Post by adrianus »

bedwere wrote:I believe that the temporal, regional, and social status variations in the pronunciation of Latin when it was the common language of the western Roman Empire must have been very wide.
Verum dicis.
Very true.
(Adams, J.N., Social Variation and the Latin Language, July 2013, The Regional Diversification of Latin, 200 BC–AD 600, 2007, and Bilingualism and the Latin Language, 2003).)
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

vacamata21
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Re: Latin audio online?

Post by vacamata21 »

I was wondering the pronuncation in the italian version, especially the reconstructed. When the letters "ch" appear in a word, they are not pronounced as a "k" but as a "sh" sound. While millers recordings for the Adlers course are pronounced as a k. Can someone clarify me the differences?

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