The Roman Pronunciation of Latin: Why We Use It and How to Use It

by Frances E. Lord

Of au Munro says:

“Here, too, au has a curious analogy with ae: The Latin au becomes in Italian open o: òro òde: I would pronounce thus in Latin: plòstrum, Clòdius, còrus. Perhaps, too, the fact that gloria, vittoria and the common termination -orio, have in Italian the open o, might show that the corresponding ō in Latin was open by coming between two liquids, or before one: compare plenus above.” “I should prefer,” he says, (to represent the Latin au,) “the Italian au, which gives more of the u than our owl, cow.”

[ Consonants.]

B has, in general, the same sound as in English.

[Mar. Vict. Keil. v. VI. p. 32.] E quibus b et p litterae . . . dispari inter se oris officio exprimuntur. Nam prima exploso e mediis labiis sono, sequens compresso ore velut introrsum attracto vocis ictu explicatur.

B before s or t is sharpened to p: thus urbs is pronounced urps; obtinuit, optinuit. Some words, indeed, are written either way; as obses, or opses; obsonium, or opsonium; obtingo, or optingo; and Quintilian says it is a question whether the change should be indicated in writing or not:

[Quint. I. vii. 7.] Quaeri solet, in scribendo praepositiones, sonum quern junctae efficiunt an quem separatae, observare conveniat: ut cum dico obtinuit, secundam enim b litteram ratio poscit, aures magis audiunt p.

This change, however, is both so slight and so natural that attention need scarcely be called to it. Indeed if quantity is properly observed, one can hardly go wrong. If, for instance, you attempt, in saying obtinuit, to give its normal sound to b, you can scarcely avoid making a false quantity (the first syllable too long), while if you observe the quantity (first syllable short) your b will change itself to p.

C appears to have but one sound, the hard, as in sceptic:

[Mar. Vict. Keil. v. VI. p. 32.] C etiam et . . . G sono proximae, oris molimine nisuque dissentiunt. Nam c reducta introrsum lingua hinc atque hinc molares urgens haerentem intra os sonum vocis excludit: g vim prioris pari linguae habitu palato suggerens lenius reddit.