User:Awiciamedina/sandbox

Consonants

B usually makes the [b] sound; however, when a t or s precedes b then it is pronounced as in [pt] or [ps].

Further, consonants do not blend together. So, ch, ph, and th are all sounds that would be pronounced as [ph], [ch], and [th].

In Latin, q is always followed by the vowel u which makes a [kw] sound together.

Vowels

Usually, Romans would use macrons to signify long vowels. However, they would also signify a long vowel by writing the vowel larger than other letters in a word or by repeating the vowel twice in a row.

Syllables

Syllables in Latin are signified by the presence of diphthongs and vowels. The number of syllables is the same as the number of vowel sounds.

Further, if a consonant separates two vowels, it will go into the syllable of the second vowel. When there are two consonants between vowels, the last consonant will go with the second vowel. An exception occurs when a phonetic stop and liquid sound come together. In this situation, they are thought to be a single consonant, and as such, they will go into the syllable of the second vowel.

Length

Syllables can also be seen as long. Within a word, a syllable may either be long by nature or long by position. A syllable that is long by nature has a long vowel or diphthong. On the other hand, a syllable that is long by position has a short vowel that is followed by more than one consonant.

Stress

There are two rules that define which syllable is stressed in the Latin language.

1. In a word with only two syllables, the emphasis will be on the first syllable.
2. In a word with more than two syllables, there are two cases.
   • If the second to last syllable has a long vowel, that syllable will have stress.
   • If the second to last syllable does not have a long vowel, the syllable before that one will be stressed instead.