PROSODY.
[360]. Prosody treats of metres and versification.
[361]. Latin Verse. Latin Poetry was essentially different in character from English. In our own language, poetry is based upon accent, and poetical form consists essentially in a certain succession of accented and unaccented syllables. Latin poetry, on the other hand, was based not upon accent, but upon quantity, so that with the Romans poetical form consisted in a certain succession of long and short syllables, i.e. of long and short intervals of time.
This fundamental difference in the character of English and Latin poetry is a natural result of the difference in character of the two languages. English is a strongly accented language, in which quantity is relatively subordinate. Latin, on the other hand, was a quantitative language, in which accent was relatively subordinate.
QUANTITY OF VOWELS AND SYLLABLES
GENERAL PRINCIPLES.
[362]. The general principles for the quantity of vowels and syllables have been given above in [§ 5]. The following peculiarities are to be noted here:—
1. A vowel is usually short when followed by another vowel ([§ 5], A, 2), but the following exceptions occur:—
a) In the Genitive termination -īus (except alterĭus); as, illīus, tōtīus. Yet the i may be short in poetry; as, illĭus, tōtĭus.
b) In the Genitive and Dative Singular of the Fifth Declension; as, diēī, aciēī. But fidĕī, rĕī, spĕī ([§ 52], 1).
c) In fīō, excepting fit and forms where i is followed by er. Thus: fīēbam, fīat, fīunt; but fĭerī, fĭerem.
d) In a few other words, especially words derived from the Greek; as, dīus, Aenēās, Dārīus, hērōes, etc.
2. A diphthong is usually long ([§ 5], B, 2), but the preposition prae in composition is often shortened before a vowel; as, prăĕacūtus.