Introduction

The Latin alphabet and pronunciation:

1. Latin a is a soft sound, as in English "talk";
2. Latin long e sounds like English long a (Latin me = English "may");
3. Latin long i sounds like English long e (Latin quin = English "queen");
4. the Latin diphthong ae sounds like English long i (Latin hae = English "Hi!");
5. the Latin diphthong oe equals the English oi;
6. the Latin diphthong ui sounds like English oo ("boot") + English long e ("feet");
7. Latin c and g are always hard sounds (e.g., Caesar = Kaisar), not English s or j;
8. Latin i can represent both a consonant and a vowel: as a consonant (between vowels) it equals English y, and as a vowel it equals English i;
9. Latin v equals English w (e.g., veni, vidi, vici = "WAY-nee, WEE-dee, WEE-key").

Macrons. Latin long vowels are indicated by a macron (a line above the vowel). When the length matters in the determination of grammatical forms, it is a "mandatory long mark" and must be indicated. Mandatory long marks will be called to students' attention as they occur.

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Introduction The Latin alphabet and pronunciation: 1. Latin a is a soft sound, as in English "talk"; 2. Latin long e sounds like English long a (Latin me = English "may"); 3. Latin long i sounds like English long e (Latin quin = English "queen"); 4. the Latin diphthong ae sounds like English long i (Latin hae = English "Hi!"); 5. the Latin diphthong oe equals the English oi; 6. the Latin diphthong ui sounds like English oo ("boot") + English long e ("feet"); 7. Latin c and g are always hard sounds (e.g., Caesar = Kaisar), not English s or j; 8. Latin i can represent both a consonant and a vowel: as a consonant (between vowels) it equals English y, and as a vowel it equals English i; 9. Latin v equals English w (e.g., veni, vidi, vici = "WAY-nee, WEE-dee, WEE-key"). Macrons. Latin long vowels are indicated by a macron (a line above the vowel). When the length matters in the determination of grammatical forms, it is a "mandatory long mark" and must be indicated. Mandatory long marks will be called to students' attention as they occur.
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