Quick question on Latin

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codefro

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In Latin, if a word has the letter G- what sound is made? Are there variations?
 
A few examples would be helpful, but in Church Latin I think it depends on the following vowel.
 
Before an “e” or “i” the sound is soft as in jeep.

Before any other letter the sound is hard as in garbage.
 
If it’s before AE, E, I, OE or Y, it’s pronounced like an English J.
If it’s before A, O, U or a consonant, it’s pronounced like an English G.
If it’s in the cluster GN, the cluster is pronounced like a Spanish Ñ (English NY)

Examples:
Regína Coeli (ray-GEE-nah CHAY-lee, where “gee” is like the interjection)
Ave María, grátia plena (AH-vay mah-REE-ah, GRAH-tsee-ah PLAY-nah)
Angus Dei (AN-yoos DAY-ee)
 
Razanir said:
If it’s before AE, E, I, OE or Y, it’s pronounced like an English J.
If it’s before A, O, U or a consonant, it’s pronounced like an English G.
If it’s in the cluster GN, the cluster is pronounced like a Spanish Ñ (English NY)

Examples:
Regína Coeli (ray-GEE-nah CHAY-lee, where “gee” is like the interjection)
Ave María, grátia plena (AH-vay mah-REE-ah, GRAH-tsee-ah PLAY-nah)
Angus Dei (AN-yoos DAY-ee)
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Thank you!
 
The pronunciation of agnus dei is a new one on me. I’ll stick with the ‘hard’ g.

At least the OP didn’t ask how to say mihi. They’ve been arguing that one for centuries.:rolleyes:
 
As an addendum, in Classical pronunciation all the Gs are hard, and hs are never ks.
 
If you use the standard Roman pronunciation of Ecclessiastical Latin, GN is pronounced like the ION in ONION, same as GN is pronounced in Italian, eg SIGNORE

and the H is neither silent nor pronounced like a K.

MIHI mee-hee
NIHIL nee-heel

Further, the C before E or I (or AE, & OE) is pronounced like CH not S, giving us EXCELSIS - ex-chel-sees not ex-sell-sees, which is common in the English speaking world.
 
Hmmm… I’ve done a little more digging around on the mee-hee vs. mee-kee pronunciation and it seems to be dependent on regional differences. Both appear to be legitimate options. I wonder if the Liber Usualis has anything to say on the subject… Anyone have a copy handy? 🙂
 
PietroPaolo said:
and the H is neither silent nor pronounced like a K.

MIHI mee-hee
NIHIL nee-heel
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I actually pronounce it none of those three ways 😃

In those two words, and those two words only, I pronounce it like the CH in loch.
 
I always use the standard Roman pronunciation of Ecclessiastical Latin…

GN = like Lasagna

Mihi = meehee

It confuses me when I hear hard G’s in chants.

For example

Agnus dei to me is with the gn sound like lasagna.
I sometimes it sounding like ahg-noos
 
I have also heard a word like agimus as a ghi moos where as I pronounce it ah gee moos.
 
GangGreen said:
I have also heard a word like agimus as a ghi moos where as I pronounce it ah gee moos.
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What you are hearing is the Classical pronunciation, I.e. the one we believed was used around Cicero’s time.
 
Baelor said:
What you are hearing is the Classical pronunciation, I.e. the one we believed was used around Cicero’s time.
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Which is incorrect for Church Latin, and may even be for Classical Latin (Latinists debate that point).
 
PietroPaolo said:
Which is incorrect for Church Latin, and may even be for Classical Latin (Latinists debate that point).
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Obviously it is incorrect for Ecclesiastical Latin. I have never heard of any reputable debate. I would love to read more about it – could you give me some links?
 
Baelor said:
Obviously it is incorrect for Ecclesiastical Latin. I have never heard of any reputable debate. I would love to read more about it – could you give me some links?
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I was reading about this online, let me see if I can find any links…
 
PietroPaolo said:
I was reading about this online, let me see if I can find any links…
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I found this video, but I’m sure more searching around the internet would find you more info.

Basically, “Classical” Latin is Latin pronounced as scholars imagine it would have been pronounced based off ancient poetry. Most Latin speakers in the ancient world didn’t speak perfect Ciceronian Latin, but rather spoke a “vulgar” Latin, which may have sounded more like Italian and which eventually evolved into Italian. Also, differences in pronunciation would almost certainly been observable over time (just like we don’t speak Shakespearean English) and through space (people in Boston and people in Alabama don’t pronounce English the same way).
 
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