5.13 Liturgical pronunciation  (Page 2/2)

EI, EO, EU, OU, and UI are not diphthongs and each vowel is to be pronounced as though they are two separate vowels, which they really are. Do not confuse them with diphthongs. The exception to this is the instance when UI is preceded by an O as in oui . The correct pronunciation is as in the English word we. One goes directly to the | i | vowel sound.

The vowel sounds in Latin never change. They must receive a consistent and correct pronunciation. Some of the consonants, however, receive more than one pronunciation depending upon their use. The following list of consonants gives all of their possible pronunciations and the situations in which these pronunciations are needed.

C—before e , i , y , ae , oe is pronounced as the ch in church. In all other cases it is pronounced as a k . The double c, as is ecce is also pronounced as the ch in church .

G—before e , i , y , ae , oe is pronounced as in the word gentle. In all other cases it is pronounced as in the word get .

H—this letter is mute, except in Mihi and Nihil where it is pronounced like a k .

J—is pronounced as the y in yes , and is combined into one sound with the following vowel.

R—the r should be flipped.

X—is pronounced as ks .

Z—is pronounced as dz .

EX—if ex is the beginning of a word and followed by a vowel, it is pronounced as egs . When combined with a consonant, it is pronounced as eks .

TI—when ti is followed by a vowel it is pronounced like tsi . Exception : This is not true when the ti is preceded by s , t , or x .

TH—th is always pronounced as a t because the h is mute.

CH—ch is always pronounced as a k .

GN—the combination gn receives the pronunciation similar to the ni in dominion .

SC—sc before e, i, u , and ae is pronounced as sh as in the word ship . In all other cases it is pronounced like sk .

Several Latin texts that are sung with regularity are given along with the proper pronunciation. If the suggested pronunciation is consistently followed, a choral director will find that the tone in a Latin work will improve and that the choir will also sing the English vowels with more purity and with a better tone.

The IPA symbols will not be used to indicate the Latin pronunciation because they resemble the Latin words so closely. Instead, phonetic sounds are used for the pronunciation guide.