Ch 11 · Lesson 2Latin · Chapter 11 · Lesson 2 · Grammar primer
How church Latin sounds: the consonants
Cicero is CHEE-cheh-roh at mass and KEE-keh-roh in a classroom: c, g, sc, gn, ti, h and v, the consonants that move. The vowels and when to use which come next.
The short version
At mass, c and g go soft before e and i
regina - reh-JEE-nah mass, reh-GEE-nah classical Latin
Why?Hide
In Church Latin, c before e, i, ae or oe is the ch of church, and g there is the g of gem, as in Italian. Everywhere else they stay hard, and in classical Latin they are always hard. So Cicero is CHEE-cheh-roh at mass and KEE-keh-roh in a classroom.
Latin has two living pronunciations, and neither is wrong. Ecclesiastical (Church) Latin, heard at mass and in chant, reads Latin spelling with Italian sound values. Classical Latin, heard in classrooms, reconstructs how Romans spoke. The spelling and grammar are the same; about a dozen sounds move.
| Spelling | Classical | Church |
|---|---|---|
| k: KAI-loom | ch: CHEH-loom |
regina | g: reh-GEE-nah | j: reh-JEE-nah |
| w: WEH-nee | v: VEH-nee |
| eye: KAI-lee | e: CHEH-lee |
| ng-n: ANG-noos | ny: AH-nyoos |
| tee: GRAH-tee-ah | tsee: GRAH-tsee-ah |
| sk: ah-SKEN-deet | sh: ah-SHEN-deet |
| breathed h | silent: OH-rah |
c and g: hard or soft
In church Latin, c and g go soft before e, i, ae, oe and y, exactly as in Italian. Everywhere else, and always in classical Latin, they are hard.
| Spelling | Church Latin | Example |
|---|---|---|
| c before e, i | ch (church) | Cicero, |
| c elsewhere | k | |
| g before e, i | j (gem) | regina, |
| g elsewhere | hard g | |
| cc before e, i | t-ch | |
| sc before e, i | sh (shall) | |
| xc before e, i | k-sh | excelsis: ek-SHEL-sees |
excelsis is the best single test: the xc before e gives k-sh, so it is een ek-SHEL-sees DEH-oh at mass and een eks-KEL-sees in classical Latin.
gn, ti, h and v
| Spelling | Classical | Church Latin |
|---|---|---|
| ng, then n | ny, as in canyon |
| tee | tsee, before a vowel |
| lightly breathed | silent: OH-moh |
| breathed: MIH-hee | k: -kee |
| w: WOKS | v: VOKS |
Two notes the table cannot hold:
tistays tee afters,torx:hostiais-tee-ah in both.and(and their compounds) are the only words where church Latin turnshinto k.
Going further: The vowels: ae, oe and y and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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