Learning Latin prayers ... need help with pronunciation

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gez722

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I’ve been teaching myself various Latin prayers and have encountered many words that I don’t know how to pronounce. I’m hoping that some Latin experts can give me a hand. I also invite any other Latin novices to post any words that you’re having difficulty with. Perhaps we can help each other to pray to God in the “language of the Chruch”.

Here is my current list of words followed by my “best guess” pronunciation:

crucifixus (crew-chee-FEEX-oos?)
tertia (TARE-tsee-aah?)
vivificet (vee-vee-FEE-chate?)
angele (AHN-jay-lay?)
rege (RAY-jay?)
ventris (VAIN-trees?)
virgine (VEER-gee-nay?)
ascendit/descendit (aah-SHANE-deet/day-SHANE-deet?)
iudicare (yoo-dee-CAH-ray?)

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

God Bless,
Gary
 
You’re doing okay. You’ve got the Ecclasiatical Latin pronunciation down pretty well.

Now the Classical pronunciation is a bit different. For example VENI VIDI VINCI, in the classical way would be way-nee, wee-dee, win-kee. Frankly, I prefer the Ecclasiatic.
 
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Aurelia:
You’re doing okay. You’ve got the Ecclasiatical Latin pronunciation down pretty well.
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Aurelia,
Thanks for taking a look at my pronunciation… I appreciate it!

God Bless,
Gary
 
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dulcissima:
Your pronunciation looks good. Here is a nice site that offers a guide to proper ecclesiastical Latin pronunciation:

www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Introductio/Pronunciatio.html

For prayers in Latin, be sure to see this site:

preces-latinae.org/index.htm
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Dulcissima,
Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut and for the links. I’m pleasantly surprised that I’m pronouncing all of those words correctly. I must say that I’m really enjoying saying my prayers in Latin. There really is something “special” about it.

God Bless,
Gary
 
As a rule of thumb, you have to consider in which country Latin is more commonly used… Italy. Therefore, Latin is pronounced with Italian phonemes, which you got pretty well.

Noone knows how the Romans really spoke Latin, but looking at the similraties at its surviving dialects (Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Romanian), it’s to infer that the modern pronounciation is not too far off.

:blessyou:
 
Also look into getting some CDs of Masses, Glorias, and so forth – Beethoven, Schubert, Vivaldi, et al.
 
Here are a few more words that I’m having trouble with:

conceptus (cone-CHAYP-toos or cone-SAYP-toos?)

dulcedo (dool-SAY-doe or dool-CHAY-doe?)

agam (AH-jhahm or AH-gahm?)

fugiam (FOO-jhee-ahm or FOO-gee-ahm?)

Also in the Pater Noster (“et ne noc inducas in tentationem”), I heard a priest on EWTN prounce “ne” as “neh” when I thought it was “nay”. Which is correct?

God Bless,
Gary
 
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gez722:
Here are a few more words that I’m having trouble with:

conceptus (cone-CHAYP-toos or cone-SAYP-toos?)

dulcedo (dool-SAY-doe or dool-CHAY-doe?)

agam (AH-jhahm or AH-gahm?)

fugiam (FOO-jhee-ahm or FOO-gee-ahm?)

Also in the Pater Noster (“et ne noc inducas in tentationem”), I heard a priest on EWTN prounce “ne” as “neh” when I thought it was “nay”. Which is correct?

God Bless,
Gary
Click to expand...
cone-CHAYP-toos
dool-CHAY-doe
AH-gahm
FOO-jhee-ahm

As for “neh” or “nay”, look at Augustine’s post. We don’t know with certainty how the Roman’s pronounced Latin. “Nay” would be the Italian pronunciation; however, the professors I had in college, which were classics professors, would have pronounced it “neh”.
 
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dulcissima:
cone-CHAYP-toos
dool-CHAY-doe
AH-gahm
FOO-jhee-ahm

As for “neh” or “nay”, look at Augustine’s post. We don’t know with certainty how the Roman’s pronounced Latin. “Nay” would be the Italian pronunciation; however, the professors I had in college, which were classics professors, would have pronounced it “neh”.
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Thanks!!!
 
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dulcissima:
cone-CHAYP-toos
dool-CHAY-doe
AH-gahm
FOO-jhee-ahm

As for “neh” or “nay”, look at Augustine’s post. We don’t know with certainty how the Roman’s pronounced Latin. “Nay” would be the Italian pronunciation; however, the professors I had in college, which were classics professors, would have pronounced it “neh”.
Click to expand...
Not only that, dulcissima, but in the classical pronunciation, the c’s and g’s are always the “hard” sounds. The words above would be pronounced as follows:

cone-KEHP-toos
dool-KEH-doe
AH-gahm
FOOG-ee-ahm

Even your own name would be pronounced “dool-KEES-ee-mah.”

I like the Italian pronunciation much better 🙂 .
 
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gez722:
I’ve been teaching myself various Latin prayers and have encountered many words that I don’t know how to pronounce. I’m hoping that some Latin experts can give me a hand. I also invite any other Latin novices to post any words that you’re having difficulty with. Perhaps we can help each other to pray to God in the “language of the Chruch”.

Here is my current list of words followed by my “best guess” pronunciation:

crucifixus (crew-chee-FEEX-oos?)
tertia (TARE-tsee-aah?)
vivificet (vee-vee-FEE-chate?)
angele (AHN-jay-lay?)
rege (RAY-jay?)
ventris (VAIN-trees?)
virgine (VEER-gee-nay?)
ascendit/descendit (aah-SHANE-deet/day-SHANE-deet?)
iudicare (yoo-dee-CAH-ray?)

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

God Bless,
Gary
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crew-kee-feex-oos, you almost, c=k sound.
tare-tee-ah
wee-wee-fee-ket
an-gay-lay
ray-gay
wen-trees
weer-gee-ne
as-ken-deet/des-ken-deet
ew-dee-kare-ay

This is the latin I learned from my three different teachers, pronounciation is very similar, except there is no v-sound, it is w-sound, c-k, g-gah, vowls always sound the same, unless they are in certain order like iu, ae, they make the sound of the two but when said sounds like them being said really fast, I guess kind hard to explain.
My pronounciations might differ from the Church’s though I was taught vulgar Latin, which is somewhat different from the Church’s I beleive.

pax vobiscum
(pox wo-bee-scoom)
peace be with you.
 
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gez722:
Here are a few more words that I’m having trouble with:

conceptus (cone-CHAYP-toos or cone-SAYP-toos?)

dulcedo (dool-SAY-doe or dool-CHAY-doe?)

agam (AH-jhahm or AH-gahm?)

fugiam (FOO-jhee-ahm or FOO-gee-ahm?)

Also in the Pater Noster (“et ne noc inducas in tentationem”), I heard a priest on EWTN prounce “ne” as “neh” when I thought it was “nay”. Which is correct?

God Bless,
Gary
Click to expand...
kon-kayp-toos
dool-kay-doh
ah-gahm
foo-gee-ahm

I learned that “e” is always ,ay, sounds never could change in my teachings, and that is how I learnded the sound.
 
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antonius:
Not only that, dulcissima, but in the classical pronunciation, the c’s and g’s are always the “hard” sounds. The words above would be pronounced as follows:

cone-KEHP-toos
dool-KEH-doe
AH-gahm
FOOG-ee-ahm

Even your own name would be pronounced “dool-KEES-ee-mah.”

I like the Italian pronunciation much better 🙂 .
Click to expand...
I like the Italian pronunciation much better too. 😉
 
Can someone give me a literal translation of this part of the Magnificat?

**Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde; **ut qui, angelo nuntiante, Christii Filii, tui incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem eius et crucem, ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur.

I know roughly what this translates to in English, but I’m having a hard time matching up the Latin words and phrases with the corresponding English text. If someone could give me a literal translation of the above phrases that would help me to better understand the Latin as I’m praying.

God Bless,
Gary
 
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gez722:
Can someone give me a literal translation of this part of the Magnificat?

**Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde; **ut qui, angelo nuntiante, Christii Filii, tui incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem eius et crucem, ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur.

I know roughly what this translates to in English, but I’m having a hard time matching up the Latin words and phrases with the corresponding English text. If someone could give me a literal translation of the above phrases that would help me to better understand the Latin as I’m praying.

God Bless,
Gary
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Hi Gary,

That is from the Angelus. Here is my literal translation:

Your grace, we pray, O Lord, into our hearts (or souls) infuse, so that we, by the message of the angel, know the incarnation of Christ, your son, by the passion and the cross, to the glory of resurrection be brought.
 
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dulcissima:
Hi Gary,

That is from the Angelus.
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Oops… that’s what I meant to type:o
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dulcissima:
Here is my literal translation:

Your grace, we pray, O Lord, into our hearts (or souls) infuse, so that we, by the message of the angel, know the incarnation of Christ, your son, by the passion and the cross, to the glory of resurrection be brought.
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Thanks!!! It really helps me to see a literal translation like that. I really appreciate all the Latin help that you have given to me. As I say my prayers in Latin each day, I’m sure that Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother are grateful for your assistance as well!

God Bless,
Gary
 
Really, thank you for studying these prayers and for asking questions. It’s not very often that I have an occasion to use my Latin and I am getting very rusty. So, I appreciate the opportunity.
 
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=101823

I posted a Latin pronunciation guide on this thread a few days ago for someone asking how to say the Our Father in Latin.

BryPGuy89, your pronunciation is in the German style. It is used in German speaking countries- and by people who learned from them, but The italian way is more commonly used in the U.S.
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BryPGuy89:
I learned that “e” is always ,ay, sounds never could change in my teachings, and that is how I learnded the sound
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e is always eh (depending on your preference), or a long a sound (NOT a + y, as is so often done). In the German pronunciation, it is often ee.
 
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BryPGuy89:
This is the latin I learned from my three different teachers, pronounciation is very similar, except there is no v-sound, it is w-sound.
Click to expand...
I was taught the same, that in Latin there is no distinction between “u” and “v.” The word “crucifixus,” for example, was really spelled “crvcifixvs.” And when v was used as a consonant, it was always pronounced as the English “w.”

I’m sure it is true. But I’ve always found it a little funny to think of a Roman soldier returning from the brutal battlefields of war, bursting through the door of his home and announcing triumphantly to his wife, “Vivi!” (I have lived!)

But what she hears him say is “wee-wee.”
 
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