How to pronounce Roman names

[Viggen]

Here an interesting audio, an english (male) and a brasilian (female) speaking Virgils Eclogues

 

You can see that depending on your background (portuguese or english) Latin and its pronounciation sounds different...

 

http://ia600102.us.archive.org/22/items/ecloga_0810_librivox/eclogae_01_1_vergil_64kb.mp3

 

 

via http://librivox.org/...vergilius-maro/

[Aurelia]

Here an interesting audio, an english (male) and a brasilian (female) speaking Virgils Eclogues

 

You can see that depending on your background (portuguese or english) Latin and its pronounciation sounds different...

 

http://ia600102.us.archive.org/22/items/ecloga_0810_librivox/eclogae_01_1_vergil_64kb.mp3

 

 

via http://librivox.org/...vergilius-maro/

 

Haha, I can definitely tell the lady is Brazilian! But it sounds more like Greek than Latin to me.

[Crispina]

Not what I imagine Didius Falco and Helena sounding like. Thanks for posting!

[Geek Amicus]

Here an interesting audio, an english (male) and a brasilian (female) speaking Virgils Eclogues

 

You can see that depending on your background (portuguese or english) Latin and its pronounciation sounds different...

 

http://ia600102.us.archive.org/22/items/ecloga_0810_librivox/eclogae_01_1_vergil_64kb.mp3

 

 

via http://librivox.org/...vergilius-maro/

 

Funny, the gentleman makes me think I'm listening to the Pope.

[Auris Arrectibus]

I'm with you on this one, Crispina, and not just with names. 99% of Latin words I've come across were written down, rather than spoken. But quite often you hear other people say them, and they don't match the word in my head. Then someone else says it, and, hey presto, a third pronounciation.

 

Can I request Gaius Julius Ceasar as an example? Is the way we all read it, and hear it on the telly, how it should be pronounced?

 

 

Lapsus Linguae: And this one is easy to explain.

Caesar is commonly wrong pronounced as "Seesar". At school and later at the university I learned that it should be like "Kaisar".

For the "C" is by etymology of indo-european to modern european words linked to guttural "K".

And the "ae" combination to "ai".

See e.g. latin "aer" as the same as "air" in Englisch.

 

So literally the name and later on title "Kaisar" in German, "Keizer" in Dutch, "Kejser" in Denish en "Kejsare" are the phonetic equivalent of "Caesar".

 

Jeroen de L'Ange,

The Netherlands

[GhostOfClayton]

I only just noticed this, Ummidia. Thanks for that. Makes sense!

 

The R (after an A) was to make the A sound longer, rather than the flat vowels used by the likes of myself.

 

To illustrate, a Yorkshireman would say 'BATH' whereas someone from the Home Counties would say 'BARTH'.

 

So, in Petriana, when you say "A - na", I hear 'Anna'. I suuspect you were thinking 'Arna', like 'Arnie'.

[Divus Iulius]

Are the -s Suffix of Roman Names pronounced, for example "IULIUS" , as IULI , for example "Divus Iulius", on Roman Coins is written "Divi-Iuli"

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mettius_(praenomen)

 

This interesting Roman name is very interesting to me.. Mettius, which

could be Mettiu (Mett-ew), is that correct.

[Klingan]

Yes, the -us would always be there (and properly pronounced) when the name was used in the nominative (subject) form. Vocatives (e.g.) normally ends with an -o (from which names like Marco etc. have evolved). Same goes for genitive, ablative, accusative and dative. All these forms exist in plural as well, each with a new suffix. The abbreviation form is simply to make inscriptions shorter.

 

 

Regarding Mettius, I'm not even sure that it is a Roman name. Where did you find it?

[Divus Iulius]

Yes, the -us would always be there (and properly pronounced) when the name was used in the nominative (subject) form. Vocatives (e.g.) normally ends with an -o (from which names like Marco etc. have evolved). Same goes for genitive, ablative, accusative and dative. All these forms exist in plural as well, each with a new suffix. The abbreviation form is simply to make inscriptions shorter.

 

 

Regarding Mettius, I'm not even sure that it is a Roman name. Where did you find it?

 

 

Mettius is a Sabine Name

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mettius_(praenomen)

 

The name appears also in Livy, where a "Mettius Curtius" appears as a Sabine Warrior , whom fought under Titus Tatius, whom bizarrely appears as "Matthias Curtus" in Titus Josephus, as his Great-Grandfather.

 

Iulius Caesar , who after his death, became DIVVS IVLIVS , and this name also written as "DIVO IVLI", and IVLI > IULI (July), could IVLI have become YULE, as in Yule-Tide ?.

 

It is also interesting that he was known as Theos

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2782/5720930968_7f9de483c3_z.jpg

 

Theos, which is DEVS/DIVVS in Latin ?

 

and how are "DIVO, DIVVS, DEVS" Pronounced

[Klingan]

Well, you need to realize that Mettius was developed, spelled and pronounced in Sabine, not Latin which is a completely different language - it has even been argued that the Sabelinne languages were parted from Latin already after the PIE (proto indoeuropean) stage. Very early that is. It is therefore impossible to connect to Latin in the way you do.

 

Further on, there is no relationship, as far as I know between, between the names Mettius and Matthias- - the latter comes from Mattitjahu (hebreic) and was transferred to latin by the Greek transcription ???????. It's thus simply a coincidence that they look similar to us today.

 

On the matter of DIVI: DIVO IVLI is simply a an abbreviation form (to fit easily in inscriptions and coins)of divo julio which is Divus Julius, Caesars post mortem title, in the dative or ablative case. Nothing strange at all.

 

I guess that Theos could be used for divus, but ???????? (Sebastos) was, in my experience, much more common as the emperors title in the Greek world.

[docoflove1974]

and how are "DIVO, DIVVS, DEVS" Pronounced

 

If you look at post #3 of this thread, I have offered up links that are excellent in describing the Latin language--both the grammar and the pronunciation. I use them to this day with my students.

 

In addition, any good Latin grammar text (such as Wheelock's Latin or Oxford Latin Course) have sections on how to pronounce Latin.

[GhostOfClayton]

and how are "DIVO, DIVVS, DEVS" Pronounced

 

My money is on:

 

DIVO = Dee-Vo (Vo rhymes with 'No')

 

DIVUS = Dee-Vuss (Vuss rhymes with 'Bus')

 

DEUS = Day-uss (again, rhymes with 'Bus')

Edited October 1, 2012 by GhostOfClayton