I’m working through Pharr, and I’m very much enjoying getting this hands-on with actual Homer so quickly. I’m currently trying to get better at reading aloud, first making sure I can read the meter properly and then adding in the accents (interpreting the long acute as low first mora / high second mora and vice versa for the circumflex). Having listened to a couple recordings, I’m starting to get the hang of the general pattern of the hexameter, at least when syllable weight is purely a function of vowel length. I still can’t figure out how to naturally pronounce syllables that are long by position without lengthening short vowels, though; I figured maybe the extra consonant takes up the second mora, but any time I try to pronounce it myself I end up adding an unnatural pause between the two consonants. Does anybody have any tips for how to handle these aloud, or better yet recordings where the speaker does this well?
Watch this video on double consonants in Italian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaDvhdxoJ90
Also there is a rule about consonants attaching to syllables that is important: any consonant pattern that can begin a word should begin a syllable rather than being split between syllables. There are exceptions.
I like some of my recent recordings in regards to double consonants and long vowels. Others will have to comment on whether they are worthwhile for a new learner:
Mark Chapter 1: https://soundcloud.com/joel-eidsath/mark-chapter-1-6-15-16
Apology Part 1: https://soundcloud.com/joel-eidsath/apology-pt-1-6-15-16