MM: Lesson - Latin I Review - Lingua Latin - Syllables

Lingua Latina - Syllables

Marcellus was to be buried outside the city walls as was Roman custom. A funeral procession, including professional mourners, musicians, and the imperial family, led his sarcophagus through Rome, stopping in the Forum. From the Rostra there, emperor Augustus gave a eulogy in praise of Marcellus. The crowd was moved by the speech.

Latin Syllables and Syllabification

A Latin word has an equal number of syllables as it has vowels or diphthongs.

Latin divides syllables differently from English. Here are a few general notes to help you understand syllabification (how syllables are divided within a word). Note: syllabification literally means the making of syllables. The suffixes -fication, -fy, -fect, -fact all come from the Latin verb facio, facere - to make, do.

  1. Within a word, syllables tend to end with a vowel/diphthong (note: English tends to end with a consonant, though the rules are less rigid.) 
    • mater = ma/ter
      • in English this would be divided mat/er
    • nauta = nau/ta
  2. In general, divide between two consonants. If there are more than two, divide after the first:
    • puella = pu/el/la
    • congregatio = con/gre/ga/ti/o
  3. Certain consonant pairs do not separate. English tends to have these same pairings.
    • When you combine [b, c, g, k, p, t] with either L or R do not divide:
      • abrasus = a/bra/sus
      • egressio = e/gres/si/o
    • Additionally: qu, gu, ph, ch, th do not separate (both qu and gu are considered single consonants in Latin):
      • equi = e/qui
        • Pronounced: eh-kwee
      • amphitheatrum = am/phi/the/a/trum

Syllable Names

The final three syllables in a Latin word are named.

  • antepenult - the 3rd to last syllable of a word - pu/el/la 
  • penult - the next to last syllable of a word - pu/el/la
  • ultima - the last syllable of a word - pu/ella

Long and Short Syllables

Syllables can be either long or short. A long syllable is determined as follows:

  1. Long by nature: the vowel in the syllable is long or there is a diphthong. Examples:
    • mā/ter
      • note: we do not use long marks elsewhere in this course
    • nau/ta
      • note: au = diphthong
  2. Long by position: there are two consonants following the vowel. Examples
    • pu/el/la
      • note: the e is followed by ll
    • A/grip/pa
      • note: the a is followed by gr
      • the i is followed by two pp

Accent

The accented syllable receives additional emphasis in the word. Stressed or Accented Syllable Guidelines:

  1. In a two syllable word the accent (') is on the penult.
  2. Never place an accent on the ultima.
    • PU-er
  3. In a word with three or more syllables, if the penult is long it receives the accent; if short accent the antepenult.
    • a-MA-bat (the a in "ma" is long, so the accent goes on the penult)
    • a-MA-be-ris (the e in "be" is short, so the accent moves to the antepenult)

Nota Bene

Because of learning endings, it is possible you will sometimes hear the final syllable stressed to emphasize the change in ending (example, an instructor might say: "pu-er-OS, not pu-er-IS"). This is not an accurate pronunciation, but is used for illustrative purposes. When reading Latin out loud, please follow these guidelines. The correct accent for the two examples above are:

  • PU-er-os
  • PU-er-is

Oratory Style

A final note about Latin pronunciation: Latin was originally spoken out loud by the Romans in everyday life. Additionally, senators and emperors gave orations and speeches. Poets recited poetry aloud at banquets and special occasions. It is important to practice your pronunciation and to hear Latin being read aloud. Always read aloud the Latin passages you see.

An intermediate Latin student's focus should be two-fold:

  1. demonstrate correct Latin pronunciation and
  2. develop an oratory style by practicing continuity of a smooth recitation, by exhibiting an understanding of phrasing within the passage, and by indicating confidence with the passage through proper intonation patterns, pauses, and other indicators of understanding.

Cicero, who is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators, suggests that an orator should employ the following arts: "...the art of captivating the minds of his hearers, of moving them with passion, of exaggerating a case, of appealing to pity..."