SUNG ECCLESIASTICAL LATIN (ROMAN) PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Vowels Pronunciation Examples
a = ah
as in father ad, mater
e = eh
as in met te, video
i = ee
as in machine, feet in, qui
o = aw
as in bought gloria, omnis
u = oo as in tutor, coo cum, summus
Two Vowels Together Pronunciation Examples
ae = eh
as in met prae, illae
oe = eh
as in met coelum, coepi
au = ah and oo
two distinct syllables aut, lauda
eu = eh and oo
two distinct syllables euge
Consonants Pronunciation Examples
c (before e,i, ae, oe)
as ch in church certus, cibus
ch=k
as in ache Christus
g (before e ,i, ae, oe)
soft, as in gentle gens, agit
g (before other letters)
hard, as in go gratis, glo
gn
ny as in canyon angnus, ignis
h
silent except h sounds as k in mihi, nihil
j (or consonant i)
as y in yes Jesus, Justus
r
slightly rolled on the tongue carnis
s
as s in sing
(never z as in raise)
miser, fides
sc (before a, o, u or a consonant )
as sc in scope scutum, Pascha
sc (before e, i, oe, ae, and i)
as sh in shall descendit, scio
th
as t in ten Thomas
ti (when followed by a vowel
and proceeded by any letter
except s, t, or x)
as tsee bratia, etiam
x (in words beginning ex-
and followed by a vowel, h, or s )
as ks exaudi, pax
xc (before e, ae, oe, i)
as ksh excelsis =ekshelsees
z
as dz zizania


in = een; excelsis = ekshelsees; Deo = Deh-aw; hominibus = awmeeneeboos; te = teh; Jesu = Yeh-soo


For further exploration, go to Ecclesiastical Latin Diction -AGO