On the pronunciation

Latin Learning Latin
1

I was reading this article by Charles Bennett and
now I’m wondering if there is any recordings of the correct pronunciation (according to Bennett) in the web.
Also, if possible, can someone tell me where can I find the most detailed
information on the restored classical pronunciation? I am not getting few points on the pronunciation which Bennett mentions in his article…

Oh the web address for the article is…

http://www.memoriapress.com/articles/Bennett.html

2

This will be one of the best resources available:

http://books.google.com/books?id=5R0BAAAAMAAJ&dq=roman+pronunciation+of+latin&pg=PP1&ots=3szll6EAZY&sig=hVW4LterbILPHrJusdpNuUgpBBg&hl=en&prev=http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=roman+pronunciation+of+latin&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail

3

And I have specialized for two years in mastering the Classical pronunciation of Latin (learning to speak Latin fluently was the driving reason for my acquisition of the language); you may listen to some of my recordings at my website:

http://www.lehigh.edu/~lar2/scorpiomartianus/cenatrimalchionis.html

I’ll be making more of the Cena Trimalchionis soon.

4

@ScorpioMartianus

  • the clearness of pronounciation
  • the timbre of your voice
  • the quality of recording
  • additional effects as music and reverb
    all of these result in a high level production, which is pretty near to what i
    would call optimum. On seems odd for me: you pronounce “ph” as “p”, and
    not, as i would expect it, as “f”. Hardly anything remains to wish. Except that
    the background music stops in the middle of the reading. It induces too much
    ambience to be stopped. Thumbs up! GuttaMaris
5

Many thanks for the critique! Hopefully I’ll get some time to finish the project soon.

As for ‘ph’, this is the pronunciation in Classical Latin, specifically that the Romans received ph, th, and ch from the Greeks: φ, θ, χ. Now the Romans did not have these letters natively, but in Ancient Greek these respectively were the same as P, T, C in Latin, except that they had extra aspiration — a puff of air, like an ‘h’ sound. For this reason, the Romans used digraphs to represent these sounds, adding the ‘h’:

φ = p + h
θ = t + h
χ = c + h

This is why the Romans transcribed the Greek name, for example, Φίλιππος as ‘Philippus’ — if the initial consonant of that name were the sound of an ‘f,’ then the Romans would have written it so! You’ll notice that I distinguish Latin ‘p’ and ‘ph’ in this way: ‘ph’ is more aspirated sounding that regular ‘p’. The same for the rest of the aspirated consonants.

I agree on the music — I didn’t have any other appropriate songs at my disposal for that one. I’m saving them for future parts.

6

I concur! The pronunciation is amazingly clear and precise, and the production is very professional. (Btw, you have added some echo to the sound, haven’t you? I understand why, but maybe you should decrease it only a bit.)

7

I agree with decreasing the reverb some. Thanks for the comment!

8

Studiosissime lectionem proximam expecto! Num conatus multi necesse sunt ut rectionem bonam facias?

Nonne scripsisti partes septimana novas exhibitus esses? :slight_smile: Non te molesta, aeternaliter manebor ob talem ingenium gratissimum.

[Num sententias meas recte scripsi?]

9

[Num sententias meas recte scripsi?]

Ut puto non omni in parte scite scripsisti

Studiosissime lectionem proximam expecto!

Sententia prior autem sole clarius lucet. Nullum inest mendum.

Num conatus multi necesse sunt ut rectionem bonam facias?

Quid dicere voluisti me evadit. Potesne sensum aliis vocibus exponere?

Nonne scripsisti partes septimana novas exhibitus esses?

Nonne scripsisti te scripturum partes alias?

Smile Non te molesta, aeternaliter manebor ob talem ingenium gratissimum.

Claritate eget (ut opinor). Cur passiva forma verbi “manere” usus est? Iam “manere” intransitivum est verbum. Num voluisti dicere: Noli te molestare (noli amice solicitari), ob (tuum) ingenium aeternaliter manebo gratissimus?

10

Hodie feci proximam incisionem! utinam tantummodo possim adonerare in interrete …!

11

Multas gratias tibi ago, Kynete.

Latine scribo prave. Nescio quid verbum pro concepto novo uti. Nam incisio “recording” definit ? Quid verbum “to record” definit, “incisio facere”?

Volo rogare quot incisiones Lucum fecit ut se incisionem canoram facere.

In verba alia, num difficilis est incisionem bonum facere?

Num voluisti dicere: Noli te molestare (noli amice solicitari), ob (tuum) ingenium aeternaliter manebo gratissimus?

Sententiam perfecte meam cepistis. Tu doctissimus es!

Luce, si cursum totum perficias, tibi oportet discum confertum (anglice ‘CD’?) facere et vendere. Hoc productum vendam.

12

Incisionem facere est incidere (in + caedere). Exsistit etiam “inscribere” pro “to record.”

Luce, si cursum totum perficias, tibi oportet discum confertum (anglice ‘CD’?) facere et vendere. Hoc productum vendam.

Fortasse faciam ergo! Videamus. Nunc vero tantummodo cupidus sum connexionis celocioris …