Latin: The Beginning…

Introduction to Rome’s History and Early Geography

A Brief History of Latin!• Rome: according to legend, was founded in 753 BC• Latium---an area of central Italy where Rome is

located• “Latin”---the name of the language spoken there• 5 modern Romance languages come from Latin:

Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Romanian• English: 60% of English words come from Latin!

Geography Geography

a. Rome was built on 7 rolling hills on the Tiber Riverb. Near midpoint of Mediterranean Sea

Early Legends Origins of Rome

a. Legend says that twins Romulus and Remus were abandoned on the Tiber River and raised by a she-wolf

b. The twins were the sons of the war-god Marsc. Romulus kills Remus & city of Rome is named after Romulus

Early History The First Romans

Three groups settled on Italian Peninsula from 1000-500 B.C.I. The Latins

1. Built original settlement of wooden huts2. Considered to be the first Romans3. Helped spread Latin-derived languages to the area

Geography & Early RepublicII. The Greeks

1. Settled in Southern Italy and Sicily2. Brought all of Italy, including Rome, into contact with the Greek

civilization3. Brought architecture, democracy, and philosophy

Geography & Early Republic III. The Etruscans

1. Skilled metal workers native to northern Italy2. Gave Romans the arch and gladiator battles

Ostia x

x Brundisium

Etruria

LatiumRome x

<--- Tiber R

iver

Corsica

Sardinia

Carthage xSicily

Africa

Mediterranean Sea

Naples xPompeii x

Adriatic Sea

Tyrrhennian Sea

Gaul

ALPS MTS.

APENNINE MTS.

• Roman alphabet for LatinThe Romans used just 23 letters to write Latin: A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T V X Y Z • K, Y, Z were used for Greek loan words• W is literally “double-u” (V)• Lower case letters weren’t invented until the middle

ages. • Latin is the only ancient language you can learn

without learning a new alphabet (cf. Greek, Hebrew, Sanskrit, etc.)

ROMANSWROTEINALLCAPS LIKETHISNOSPACES TOTALLYCOOLHUHANDNO REALPUNCTUATIONLIKEWE USETODAYPEOPLEASK HOW COULDTHEYREADLIKE THATWELLSCHOLARSTHINK MOSTROMANSREADALOUD NOTSILENTLYANDBESIDES YOUAREREADINGTHIS ABSOLUTELYFINESODONTGO

KNOCKINGTHEIRSTYLEOK

Pronunciation

• Consonants– Most consonants in Latin are pronounced just like they are in

English.– There are no “soft” consonants. C is always hard like “cat”, G is

always hard like “go,” T is always hard like in “ten” (not “motion”).

– I is used as a consonant at the beginning of a word or between vowels. It sounds like “y” in “year.” (Iulius)

– The letter V is pronounced like “w”. There is no “w” in Latin. U and V were originally written the same: “V” as in AVGVSTVS .

– Modern textbooks, however, will use “u” for a vowel sound and “v” for a consonant sound.

– Think about it: W is “double-u”: VV

Pronunciation

• Vowels– Each vowel has only 2 pronunciations at most, a

long and a short.LONG SHORTā : as in father a: as in aha (first “a”)ē: as in they e: as in letī: as in police i: as in sitō: as in note o: as in forū: as in rule u: as in full

Pronunciation

• Diphthongs– Two vowels making one sound.ae: like “ai” in aisleau: like “ou” in outoe: like oi in oilei: like ei in freighteu: like eh-hoo (pronounced quickly)ui: like oo-ee (pronounced quickly)---rare usage

Pronunciation Practice

ā, a ē, e ī, i ō,o ū, u

Mārs mē hīc nōn iūspār pēs vīs prō cūrnārrat ex mīlitis mōns lūxab sed in rogō nuncdat per quid post currū

.

Micā, micā, parva stēlla,

Mīror quaenam sīs tam bella.

Splendēns ē minus in illō,

Alba velut gemma caelō.

Micā, micā, parva stēlla,

Mīror quaenam sīs tam bella!

Felix natalis tibi,

Felix natalis tibi!

Felix natalis, care amice/Felix natalis, cara amica

Felix natalis tibi!