The Roman Pronunciation of Latin
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[Mar. Vict. I. iii. 50.] D tamen litteram conservat si sequens verbum
incipiat a vocali; ut _haud aliter muros_; et _haud equidem_. At cum
verbum a consonante incipit, D perdit, ut _haut dudum_, et _haut
multum_, et _haut placitura refert_, et inducit T.
F is pronounced as in English except that it should be brought out more
forcibly, with more breath.
[Keil. v. VI. p. 32.] F litteram imum labium superis imprimentibus
dentibus, reflexa ad palati fastigium lingua, leni spiramine proferemus.
Marius Victorinus says that F was used in Latin words as PH in foreign.
Diomedes (of the fourth century) says the same:
[Diom. Keil. v. I. p. 427.] Id hoc scire debemus quod F littera tum
scribitur cum Latina dictio scribitur, ut _felix_. Nam si peregrina
fuerit, P et H scribimus, ut _Phoebus_, _Phaethon_.
And Priscian makes a similar statement:
[Prise. Keil. v. I. p. 35.] F multis modis muta magis ostenditur, cum
pro P et aspiratione, quae similiter muta est, accipitur.
From the following words of Quintilian we may judge the breathing to
have been quite pronounced:
[Quint. XII. x. 29.] Nam et illa quae est sexta nostrarum, paene non
humana voce, vel omnino non voce, potius inter discrimina dentium
efflanda est, quae etiam cum vocalem proxima accipit quassa quodammodo,
utique quotiens aliquam consonantem frangit, ut in hoc ipso _frangit_,
multo fit horridior.
G, no less than C, appears to have had but one sound, the hard; as in
the English word _get_.
[Mar. Vict. Keil. v. VI. p. 32.] C etiam et G, ut supra scriptae, sono
proximae, oris molimine nisuque dissentiunt. Nam C reducta introrsum
lingua, hinc atque hinc molares urgens, haerentem intra os sonum vocis
excludit: G vim prioris, pari linguae habitu palato suggerens, lenius
reddit.
Diomedes speaks of G as a new consonant, whose place had earlier been
filled by C:
[Keil. v. I. p. 423.] G nova est consonans, in cujus locum C solebat
adponi, sicut hodieque cum Gaium notamus Caesarem, scribimus C. C.,
ideoque etiam post B litteram, id est tertio loco, digesta est, ut apud
Graecos [Greek:transliterated] _g_ posita reperitur in eo loco.
Victorinus thus refers to the old custom still in use of writing C and
CN, as initials, in certain names, even where the names were pronounced
as with G.
[Mar. Vict. I. iii. 98.] C autem et nomen habuisse G et usum
praestitisse, quod nunc _Caius_ per C, et _Cneius_ per CN, quamvis
utrimque syllabae sonus G exprimat, scribuntur.
H has the same sound as in English. The grammarians never regarded it as
a consonant,--at least in more than name,--but merely as representing
the rough breathing of the Greeks.
Victorinus thus speaks of its nature:
[Keil. v. VI. p. 32.] H quoque inter litteras obviam grammatici
tradiderunt, eamque adspirationis notam cunctis vocalibus praefici; ipsi
autem consonantes tantum quattuor praeponi, quotiens graecis nominibus
latina forma est, persuaserunt, id est C, P, R, T; ut _chori_,
_Phyllis_, _rhombos_, _thymos_; quae profundo spiritu, anhelis faucibus,
exploso ore, fundetur.
By the best authorities H was looked upon as a mere mark of aspiration.
Victorinus says that Nigidius Figulus so regarded it:
[Mar. Vict. I. iv. 5.] Idem (N. F.) H non esse litteram, sed notam
adspirationis tradidit.
There appears to have been the same difference of opinion and usage
among the Romans as with us in the matter of sounding the H.
Quintilian says that the fashion changed with the age:
[Quint. I. v. l9,20,21.] Cujus quidem ratio mutata cum temporibus est
saepius. Parcissime ea veteres usi etiam in vocalibus, cum _oedus
vicos_que dicebant, diu deinde servatum ne consonantibus aspirarent, ut
in _Graecis_ et in _triumpis_; erupit brevi tempore nimius usus, ut
_choronae_, _chenturiones_, _praechones_, adhuc quibusdam
inscriptionibus maneant, qua de re Catulli nobile epigramma est. Inde
durat ad nos usque _vehementer_, et _comprehendere_, et _mihi_, nam
_mehe_ quoque pro me apud antiques tragoediarum praecipue scriptores in
veteribus libris invenimus.
In the epigram above referred to Catullus thus satirizes the excessive
use of the aspirate:
[Catullus lxxxiv.]
Chommoda dicebat, si quando commoda vellet Dicere, et hinsidias Arrius
insidias: Et tum mirifice sperabat se esse locutum, Cum quantum poterat
dixerat hinsidias. Credo sic mater, sic Liber avunculus ejus, Sic
maternus avus dixerat, atque avia. Hoc misso in Syriam requierunt
omnibus aures; Audibant eadem haec leniter et leviter. Nec sibi post
ilia metuebant talia verba, Cum subito adfertur nuntius horribilis,
Ionios fluctus postquam illuc Arrius isset Jam non Ionios esse, sed
Hionios.
On the other hand Quintilian seems disposed to smile at the excess of
'culture' which drops its H's, to class this with other affected
'niceties' of speech, and to regard the whole matter as of slight
importance:
[Quint. I. vi. 21, 22.] Multum enim litteratus, qui sine aspiratione et
producta secunda syllaba salutarit (_avere_ est enim), et _calefacere_
dixerit potius quam quod dicimus, et _conservavisse_; his adjiciat
_face_ et _dice_ et similia. Recta est haec via, quis negat? sed adjacet
mollior et magis trita.
Cicero confesses that he himself changed his practice in regard to the
aspirate. He had been accustomed to sound it only with vowels, and to
follow the fathers, who never used it with a consonant; but at length,
yielding to the importunity of his ear, he conceded the right of usage
to the people, and 'kept his learning to himself.'
[Cic. Or. XLVIII. 160.] Quin ego ipse, cum scirem ita majores locutos
esse ut nusquam nisi in vocali aspiratione uterentur, loquebar sic, ut
_pulcros_, _cetegus_, _triumpos_, _Kartaginem_, dicerem; aliquando,
idque sero, convicio aurium cum extorta mihi veritas, usum loquendi
populo concessi, scientiam mihi reservavi.
Gellius speaks of the ancients as having employed the H merely to add a
certain force and life to the word, in imitation of the Attic tongue,
and enumerates some of these words. Thus, he says, they said
_lachrymas_; thus, _sepulchrum_, _aheneum_, _vehement_, _inchoare_,
_helvari_, _hallucinari_, _honera_, _honustum_.
[Gellius II. iii.] In his enim verbis omnibus litterae, seu spiritus
istius nulla ratio visa est, nisi ut firmitas et vigor vocis, quasi
quibusdam nervis additis, intenderetur.
And he tells an interesting anecdote about a manuscript of Vergil:
Sed quoniam _aheni_ quoque exemplo usi sumus, venit nobis in memoriam,
fidum optatumque, multi nominis Romae, grammaticum ostendisse mihi
librum Aeneidos secundum mirandae vetustatis, emptum in Sigillariis XX.
aureis, quem ipsius Vergilii fuisse credebat; in quo duo isti versus cum
ita scripti forent:
"Vestibulum ante ipsum, primoque in limine, Pyrrhus: Exultat telis, et
luce coruscus aëna."
Additam supra vidimus H litteram, et _ahera_ factum. Sic in illo quoque
Vergilii versu in optimis libris scriptum invenimus:
"Aut foliis undam tepidi dispumat aheni."
I consonant has the sound of I in the English word _onion_. The
grammarians all express themselves in nearly the same terms as to its
character:
[Serg. Explan. in Art. Donat. Keil. v. IV. p. 520.] I et U varias habent
potestates: nam sunt aliquando vocales, aliquando consonantes, aliquando
mediae, aliquando nihil, aliquando digammae, aliquando duplices. Vocales
sunt quando aut singulae positae syllabam faciunt aut aliis
consonantibus sociantur, ut _Iris_ et _unus_ et _Isis_ et _urna_.
Consonantes autem sunt, cum aliis vocalibus in una syllaba praeponuntur,
aut cum ipsae inter se in una syllaba conjunguntur. Nisi enim et prior
sit et in una syllaba secum habeat conjunctam vocalem, non erit
consonans I vel U. Nam _Iulhis_ et _Iarbas_ cum dicis, I consonans non
est, licet praecedat, quia in una syllaba secum non habet conjunctam
vocalem, sed in altera consequentem.
The grammarians speak of I consonant as different in sound and effect
from the vowel I; and, as they do not say how it differs, we naturally
infer the variation to be that which follows in the nature of things
from its position and office, as in the kindred Romance languages.
Priscian says:
[Keil. v. II. p. 13.] Sic I et U, quamvis unum nomen et unam habeant
figuram tam vocales quam consonantes, tamen, quia diversum sonum et
diversam vim habent in metris et in pronuntiatione syllabarum, non sunt
in eisdem meo judicio elementis accipiendae, quamvis et Censorino,
doctissimo artis grammaticae, idem placuit.
It would seem to be by reason of this twofold nature (vowel and
consonant) that I has its 'lengthening' power. Probus explains the
matter thus:
[Keil. v. IV. p. 220.] Praeterea vim naturamque I litterae vocalis
plenissime debemus cognoscere, quod duarum interdum loco consonantium
ponatur. Hanc enim ex suo numero vocales duplicem litteram mittunt, ut
cetera elementa litterarum singulas duplices mittunt, de quibus suo
disputavimus loco. Illa ergo ratione I littera duplicem sonum designat,
una quamvis figura sit, si undique fuerit cincta vocalibus, ut
_acerrimus Aiax_, et
"Aio te, Eacida, Romanes vincere posse."
Again in the commentaries on Donatus we find:
[Keil. v. IV. p. 421.] Plane sciendum est quod I inter duas posita
vocales in una parte orationis pro duabus est consonantibus, ut
_Troia_.
Priscian tells us that earlier it was, as we know, the custom to write
two I's:
[Keil. v. III. p. 467.] Antiqui solebant duas II scribere, et alteram
priori subjungere, alteram praeponere sequenti, ut _Troiia_, _Maiia_,
_Aiiax_.
And Quintilian says:
[Quint. I. iv. 11.] Sciat etiam Ciceroni placuisse _aiio Maiiam_ que
geminata I scribere.
This doubling of the sound of I, natural, even unavoidable, between
vowels, gives us the consonant effect (as vowel, uniting with the
preceding, as consonant, introducing the following, vowel).
K has the same sound as in English.
The grammarians generally agree that K is a superfluous, or at least
unnecessary, letter, its place being filled by C. Diomedes says:
[Keil. v. I. pp. 423, 424.] Ex his quibusdam supervacuae videntur K et
Q, quod C littera harum locum possit implere.
And again:
K consonans muta supervacua, qua utimur quando A correpta sequitur, ut
_Kalendae_, _caput_, _calumniae_.
Its only use is as an initial and sign of certain words, and it is
followed by short A only.
Victorinus says:
[I. iii. 23.] K autem dicitur monophonos, quia nulli vocali jungitur
nisi soli A brevi: et hoc ita ut ab ea pars orationis incipit, aliter
autem non recte scribitur.
Priscian says:
[Keil. v. II. p. 36.] K supervacua est, ut supra diximus: quae quamvis
scribetur nullam aliam vim habet quam C.
And Quintilian speaks of it. as a mere sign, but says some think it
should be used when A follows, as initial:
[Quint. I. iv. 9.] Et K, quae et ipsa quorundam nominum nota est.
And:
[Quint. I. vii. 10.] Nam K quidem in nullis verbis utendum puto nisi
quae significat etiam ut sola ponatur. Hoc eo non omisi quod quidam eam
quotiens A sequatur necessariam credunt, cum sit C littera, quae ad
omnes vocales vim suam perferat.
This use of K, as an initial, and in certain words, was regarded
somewhat in the light of a literary 'fancy.' Priscian says of it:
[Keil. v. II. p. 12.] Et K quidem penitus supervacua est; nulla enim
videtur ratio cur A sequente haec scribi debeat: _Carthago_ enim et
_caput_ sive per C sive per K scribantur nullam faciunt nec in sono nec
in potestate ejusdem consonantis differentiam.
L is pronounced as in English, only more distinctly and with the tongue
more nearly approaching the teeth. The sound is thus given by
Victorinus:
[Keil. v. VI. p. 32.] Sequetur L, quae validum nescio quid partem palati
qua primordium dentibus superis est lingua trudente, diducto ore
personabit.
But it varies according to its position in the force and distinctness
with which it is uttered. Pliny and others recognize three degrees of
force:
Priscian says:
[Keil. v. II. p. 29.] L triplicem, ut Plinius videtur, sonum habet:
exilem, quando geminatur secundo loco posita, ut _ille_, _Metellus_;
plenum, quando finit nomina vel syllabas, et quando aliquam habet ante
se in eadem syllaba consonantem, ut _sol_, _silva_, _flavus_, _clarus_;
medium in aliis, ut _lectum_, _lectus_.
Pompeius, in his commentaries on Donatus, makes nearly the same
statement, when treating of '_labdacism_':
[Keil. v. V. p. 394.] _Labdacismum_ vitium in eo esse dicunt quod eadem
littera vel subtilius, a quibusdam, vel pinguius, ecfertur. Et re vera
alterutrum vitium quibusdam gentibus est. Nam ecce Graeci subtiliter
hunc sonum ecferunt. Ubi enim dicunt _ille mihi dixit_ sic sonat duae
_ll_ primae syllabae quasi per unum _l_ sermo ipse consistet. Contra
alii sic pronuntiant _ille meum comitatus iter_, et _illum ego per
flammas eripui_ ut aliquid illic soni etiam consonantis ammiscere
videantur, quod pinguissimae prolationis est. Romana lingua
emendationem habet in hoc quoque distinctione. Nam alicubi pinguius,
alicubi debet exilius, proferri: pinguius cum vel _b_ sequitur, ut in
_albo_; vel _c_, ut in _pulchro_; vel _f_, ut in _adelfis_; vel _g_, ut
in _alga_; vel _m_, ut in _pulmone_; vel _p_, ut in _scalpro_: exilius
autem proferenda est ubicumque ab ea verbum incipit; ut in _lepore_,
_lana_, _lupo_; vel ubi in eodem verbo et prior syllaba in hac finitur,
et sequens ab ea incipit, ut _ille_ et _Allia_.
In another place he speaks of the Africans as 'abounding' in this vice,
and of their pronouncing _Metellus_ and _Catullus_; _Metelus_,
_Catulus_:
[Keil. v. v. p. 287.] In his etiam agnoscimus gentium vitia;
_labdacismis_ scatent Afri, raro est ut aliquis dicat _l_: per geminum
_l_ sic loquuntur Romani, omnes Latini sic loquuntur, _Catullus_,
_Metellus_.
_M_ is pronounced as in English, except before _q_, where it has a nasal
sound, and when final.
[Mar. Vict. Keil. v. VI. p. 32.] _M_ impressis invicem labiis mugitum
quendam intra oris specum attractis naribus dabit.
But this 'mooing' sound, in which so many of their words ended, was not
altogether pleasing to the Roman ear. Quintilian exclaims against it:
[Quint, XII. x. 31.] Quid quod pleraque nos illa quasi mugiente littera
cludimus _m_, qua nullum Graece verbum cadit.
The offensive sound was therefore gotten rid of, as far as possible, by
obscuring the M at the end of a word. Priscian. speaks of three sounds
of M,--at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of a word:
[Prisc. Keil. v. II. p. 29.] M obscurum in extremitate dictionum sonat,
ut _templum_, apertum in principio, ut _magnus_; mediocre in mediis, ut
_umbra_.
This 'obscuring' led in verse to the cutting off of the final syllable
in M when the following word began with a vowel,--as Priscian remarks in
the same connection:
Finales dictionis subtrahitur M in metro plerumque, si a vocali incipit
sequens dictio, ut:
"Illum expirantem transfixo pectore flammas."
Yet, he adds, the ancients did not always withdraw the sound:
Vetustissimi tamen non semper eam subtrahebant, Ennius in X Annalium:
"Insigneita fere tum milia militum octo Duxit delectos bellum tolerare
potentes."
The M was not, however, entirely ignored. Thus Quintilian says:
[Quint, IX. iv. 40.] Atqui eadem illa littera, quotiens ultima est et
vocalem verbi sequentis ita contingit ut in eam transire possit,
etiamsi scribitur tamen parum exprimitur, ut _multum ille_ et _quantum
erat_; adeo ut paene cujusdam novae litterae sonum reddat. Neque enim
eximitur, sed obscuratur, et tantum aliqua inter duas vocales velut
nota est, ne ipsae coeant.
It is a significant fact in this connection that M is the only one of
the liquids (semivowels) that does not allow a long vowel before it.
Priscian, mentioning several peculiarities of this semivowel, thus
speaks of this one:
[Priscian. Keil. v. II. p. 23.] Nunquam tamen eadem M ante se natura
longam (vocalem) patitur in eadem syllaba esse, ut _illam_, _artem_,
_puppim_, _illum_, _rem_, _spem_, _diem_, cum aliae omnes semivocales
hoc habent, ut _Maecenas_, _Paean_, _sol_, _pax_, _par_.
That the M was really sounded we may infer from Pompeius (on Donatus)
where, treating of _myotacism_, he calls it the careless pronunciation
of M between two vowels (at the end of one word and the beginning of
another), the running of the words together in such a way that M seems
to begin the second, rather than to end the first:
[Keil. v. V. p. 287.] Ut si dices _hominem amicum_, _oratorem optimum_.
Non enim videris dicere _hominem amicum_, sed _homine mamicum_, quod est
incongruum et inconsonans. Similiter _oratorem optimum_ videris _oratore
moptimum_.
He also warns against the vice of dropping the M altogether. One must
neither say _homine mamicum_, nor _homine amicum_:
Plerumque enim aut suspensione pronuntiatur aut exclusione.... Nos quid
sequi debemus? Quid? per suspensionem tantum modo. Qua ratione? Quia si
dixeris per suspensionem _homimem amicum_, et haec vitium vitabis,
_myotacismum_, et non cades in aliud vitium, id est in hiatum.
From such passages it would seem that the final syllable ending in M is
to be lightly and rapidly pronounced, the M not to be run over upon the
following word.
Some hint of the sound may perhaps be got from the Englishman's
pronunciation of such words as Birmingham (Birminghm), Sydenham
(Sydenhm), Blenheim (Blenhm).
N, except when followed by F or S, is pronounced as in English, only
that it is more dental.
[Mar. Vict. Keil. v. VI. p. 32.] N vero, sub convexo palati lingua
inhaerente, gemino naris et oris spiritu explicabitur.
Naturally, as with us, it is more emphatic at the beginning and end of
words than in the middle (as, _Do not give the tendrils the wrong turn.
Is not the sin condemned?_)
Priscian says:
[Keil. v. II. p. 29.] N quoque plenior in primis sonat, et in ultimis,
partibus syllabarum, ut _nomen_, _stamen_; exilior in mediis, ut
_amnis_, _damnum_.
As in English, before a guttural (C, G, Q, X), N is so affected as to
leave its proper sound incomplete (the tongue not touching the roof of
the mouth) while it draws the guttural, so to speak, into itself, as in
the English words _concord_, _anger_, _sinker_, _relinquish_, _anxious_.
[Nigidius apud Gell. XIX. xiv. 7.] Inter litteram N et G est alia vis,
ut in nomine _anguis_ et _angaria_ et _anchorae_ et _increpat_ et
_incurrit_ et _ingenuus_. In omnibus enim his non verum N sed
adulterinum ponitur. Nam N non esse lingua indicio est. Nam si ea
littera esset lingua palatum tangeret.
Not only the Greeks, but some of the early Romans, wrote G, instead of
N, in this position, and gave to the letter so used a new name, _agma_.
Priscian says:
[Keil. v. II. p. 29.] Sequente G vel C, pro ea (N) G scribunt Graeci et
quidam tamen vetustissimi auctores Romani euphoniae causa bene hoc
facientes, ut _Agchises_, _agceps_, _aggulus_, _aggens_, quod ostendit
Varro in _Primo de Origine Linguae Latinae_ his verbis: Ut Ion scribit,
quinquavicesima est littera, quam vocant "_agma_," cujus forma nulla
est et vox communis est Graecis et Latinis, ut his verbis: _aggulus_,
_aggens_, _agguilla_, _iggerunt_. In ejusmodi Graeci et Accius noster
bina G scribunt, alii N et G, quod in hoc veritatem videre facile non
est.
This custom did not, however, prevail among the Romans, and Marius
Victorinus gives it as his opinion that it is better to use N than G, as
more correct to the ear, and avoiding ambiguity (the GG being then left
for the natural expression of double G).
[Mar. Vict. I. iii. 70.] Familiarior est auribus nostris N potius quam
G, ut _anceps_ et _ancilla_ et _anguia_ et _angustum_ et _anquirit_ et
_ancora_, et similia, per N potius quam per G scribite: sicut per duo G
quotiens duorum G sonum aures exigent, ut _aggerem_, _suggillat_,
_suggerendum_, _suggestion_, et similia.
N before F or S seems to have become a mere nasal, lengthening the
preceding vowel.
Cicero speaks of this as justified by the ear and by custom, rather than
by reason:
[Cic. Or. XLVIII.] Quid vero hoc elegantius, quod non fit natura, sed
quodam instituto? _indoctus_ dicimus brevi prima littera, _insanis_
producta: _inhumanus_ brevi, _infelix_ longa: et, ne multis, quibus in
verbis eae primae litterae sunt quae in _sapiente_ atque _felice_,
producte dicitur; in ceteris omnibus breviter: itemque _composuit_,
_consuevit_, _concrepit_, _confecit_. Consule veritatem, reprehendet;
refer ad aures, probabunt. Quaere, cur? Ita se dicent juvari. Voluptati
autem aurium morigerari debet oratio.
In Donatus we have the same fact stated, with the same reason:
[Keil. v. IV. p. 442.] Quod magis aurium indicio quam artis ratione
colligimus.
Thus we find numeral abverbs and others ending either in _iens_ or
_ies_, as _centiens_ or _centies_, _decies_ or _deciens_, _millies_ or
_milliens_, _quotiens_ or _quoties_, _totiens_ or _toties_. Other words,
in like manner, participles and nouns, are written either with or
without the N before S, as _contunsum_ or _contusum_, _obtunsus_ or
_obtusus_, _thesaurus_ or _thensaurus_ (the _ens_ is regularly
represented in Greek by [Greek transliteration: aes]); _infans_ or
_infas_, _frons_ or _fros_. In late Latin the N was frequently dropped
in participle endings. Donatus says that this nasal sound of N should be
strenuously observed:
[Keil. v. IV. p. 442.] Illud vehementissime observare debemus, ut _con_
et _in_ quotiensque post se habent S vel F litteram, videamus
quemadmodum pronuntientur. Plerumque enim non observantes in
barbarismos incurrimus.
GN in the terminations _gnus_, _gna_, _gnum_, has, according to
Priscian, the power to lengthen the penultimate vowel.
[Prisc. I.] _Gnus_ quoque, vel _gna_, vel _gnum_, terminantia, longam
habent vocalem penultimam; ut a _regno_, _regnum_; a _sto_, _stagnum_;
a _bene_, _benignus_; a _male_, _malignus_; ab _abiete_, _abiegnus_;
_privignus_; _Pelignus_.
(Perhaps the liquid sound, as in cañon.)
P is pronounced as in English.
[Mar. Vict. Keil. v. VI. p. 32.] E quibus B et P litterae ... dispari
inter se oris officio exprimuntur. Nam prima exploso e mediis labiis
sono; sequens, compresso ore, velut introrsum attracto vocis ictu,
explicatur.
Q has the sound of English Q in the words _quire_, _quick_. Priscian
says:
[Keil. v. II. p. 12.] K enim et Q, quamvis figura et nomine videantur
aliquam habere differentiam, cum C tamen eandem, tam in sono vocum, quam
in metro, potestatem continent.
And again:
[id. ib. p. 36.] De Q quoque sufficienter supra tractatum est, quae
nisi eandem vim haberet quam C.
Marius Victorinus says:
[Keil. v. VI. p. 5.] Item superfluas quasdam videntur retinere, X et K
et Q... Pro K et Q, C littera facillime haberetur; X autem per C et S.
And again:
[Id. ib. p. 32.] K et Q supervacue numero litterarum inseri doctorum
plerique contendunt, scilicet quod C littera harum officium possit
implere.
The grammarians tell us that K and Q are always found at the beginning
of a syllable:
[Prisc. Keil. v. III. p. 111.] Q et K semper initio syllabarum
ponuntur.
They say also that the use of Q was more free among the earlier Romans,
who placed it as initial wherever U followed, --as they placed K
wherever A* followed,--but that in the later, established, usage, its
presence was conditioned upon a vowel after the U in the same syllable:
[Donat. Keil. v. IV. p. 442.] Namque illi Q praeponebant quotiens U
sequebatur, ut _quum_; nos vero non possumus Q praeponere nisi ut U
sequatur et post ipsam alia vocalis, ut _quoniam_.
Diomedes says:
[Keil. v. I. p. 425.] Q consonans muta, ex C et U litteris composita,
supervacua, qua utimur quando U et altera vocalis in una syllaba
junguntur, ut _Quirinus_.
R is trilled, as in Italian or French:
[Mar. Vict. Keil. v. VI. p. 32.] Sequetur R, quae, vibratione vocis in
palato linguae fastigio, fragorem tremulis ictibus reddit.
(This proper trilling of the R is most important.)
S seems to have had, almost, if not quite, invariably the sharp sound of
the English S in _sing_, _hiss_.
In Greek words written also with Z, as _Smyrna_ (also written _Zmyrna_),
it probably had the Z sound, and possibly in a few Latin words, as
_rosa_, _miser_, but this is not certain. Marius Victorinus thus sets
forth the difference between S and X (CS):
[Keil. v. VI. p. 32.] Dehinc duae supremae, S et X, jure junguntur. Nam
vicino inter se sonore attracto sibilant rictu, ita tamen si prioris
ictus pone dentes excitatus ad medium lenis agitetur, sequentis autem
crasso spiritu hispidum sonet, quia per conjunctionem C et S, quarum et
locum implet et vim exprimit, ut sensu aurium ducemur, efficitur.
Donatus, according to Pompeius, complains of the Greeks as sounding the
S too feebly:
[Keil. v. V. p. 394.] Item S litteram Graeci exiliter ecferunt adeo ut
cum dicunt _jussit_ per unum S dicere existimas.
This would indicate that the Romans pronounced the sibilant distinctly,-
-yet not too emphatically, for Quintilian says, 'the master of his art
(of speaking) will not fondly prolong or dally with his S':
[Quint. I. xi. 6.] Ne illas quidem circa S litteram delicias hic
magister feret.