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N.S. Gill

Why Is It So Hard to Learn to Pronounce Latin?

By , About.com GuideApril 23, 2012

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Maybe it isn't hard for you. If so, you're lucky. It's hard for many of us, though. First of all there are the competing pronunciations, like the Church Latin with its "v" instead of Classical Latin's "w". That's not the only competing pair of pronunciations. There are also the reconstructed ancient Roman, the northern Continental European, and the "English Method" [see How to Pronounce Latin]. In addition to competing theories about how Latin was pronounced, the English language underwent a change that only affected some of its sounds. If everything were completely different from English to Latin, it might be easier -- like a cryptogram, perhaps, but the Great Vowel Shift led to changes in only some of the letters. Knowing about such changes can help us understand Latin pronunciation better. Read about The Great Vowel Shift.

What problems do you have with Latin pronunciation?

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