Q&A for How to Pronounce Latin

This is one of the big differences between Church Latin and Classical Latin. Catholic worshippers use a "ch" sound when the c is before certain vowels, including "e." Classical Latin students always pronounce c as a hard "k" sound, no matter what.

The Mozart Coronation Mass is presented on YouTube according to the pronunciation used in the Roman Catholic Church. The ecclesiastical pronunciation is tempered by the softer Italian idiom. Church websites are eager to share their pronunciation -- check those out.

In Church Latin, the "g" in "resurgent" is pronounced like the "j" in the word "jet." If the "g" comes before the vowels "a," "o," "u" or "au," then it's pronounced like the "g" in the word "go." If the "g" is before the vowels "ae," "e," "oe" or "i" (like in this case), then it is pronounced like the "j" in "jet."

dies (dee-es) - irae (ee-rye) - dies (dee-es) - illa (eel-la) - solvet (soul-wet)

"DAH-ki-ah"

Z is a rare letter pronounced as "dz," so Lazaro is "Lahdzahro."

in (as in "sin") -spir (as in "spirit") -RAT (pronounced like "rot") -tio (pronounced like tee-oh).

Zoological terms live a world of linguistic mashups, so pronunciation usually doesn't follow strict rules. If Emperor Augustus saw it written down, he would probably say "pah-gu-ROI-deh-a," with a hard G and a rolled R. He might even understand it, since this comes from the Latin word pagurus, for a kind of crab.

With difficulty! Although it has the beauty of consistency, the conventions differ not only from those of native English but also from those of other versions of Latin itself. There are also some differences of opinion among classicists about what is 'correct' pronunciation. And, of course, one can't ask a native Latin speaker!

In classical Latin, you would pronounce the "c" hard, as in “carrot.” In church Latin, you would pronounce the "c" softly, as in “chalk."

A Latin dictionary will get you part of the way there, but tombstones often have abbreviations or phrases specific to the era when the person was buried. For example, ancient Roman tombstones use "D.M." for "dis manibus" (for the spirits), while some medieval tombstones use the abbreviation "aet." for "anno aetatis suae" (in the year of their age). You can find collections of these phrases online or in reference books.

In Church Latin, this is pronounced "veer-jee-neh."

"Aten-ai-um" in good Latin, although most English speakers would say "Athen-ee-um" after the hotel and club in London.

Kor (K as in cat) -poH (oh as in lock) -re (e as in set).

In Latin, valedicere would be pronounced as wahl-ay-dik-air-ay, with emphasis on the second to last syllable.