+
J.M.J.
+
I'm sure many of you have noticed that we've started using some Latin in Mass lately. The title of this post is referring to the word
agnus in Latin, which means "lamb" in English. The
Agnus Dei or Lamb of God is one of the parts of the Liturgy we have started to say or sing in Latin. So, I thought I might help some of you out with a little Latin lesson. After some internet research, I was able to find some charts of how to pronounce the Latin used in the Mass.
Ecclesiastical Latin (or Liturgical Latin) is different from the Latin you might learn in high school; it's basically Latin with an Italian accent (and a few other differences), the way Latin has been pronounced since around the 3rd and 4th centuries. It's actually pretty easy to pronounce as the rules are few and have so much in common with English and modern Italian. Latin is, after all, where most of our English words came from! As a general rule, just set your mouth to speak Italian, with the slightly trilled "R," and pronounce every vowel and consant you see the same way an Italian would, with few exceptions. Vowels with acute accent marks are "long vowels."
Vowel Sounds (watch the accents!):
A like the A in "facility"
Á AH, like the A in "father"
E EH, like the E in "met"
É AY like the AY in "may"
I I like the I in "hit"
Í EE, like the I in "machine"
O O like the O in "loss"
Ó O, like the O in "for"
U U like the U in "put"
Ú OO, like the U in "Jude"
Y & Diphthongs
Y EE, like Y in "family"
Æ EH, like E in "met"
EI AY, like EI in "reign"
ΠEH, like E in "met"
AU AH-oo, almost like OU in "mouse"
The consonants sound the same as in English for the most part, with the following exceptions:
Before e, i, ae, oe and y:
These letters
become soft:
C CH as in "cherry"
CC TCH as in "matching"
SC SH as in "ship"
G G as in "gentle"
More tricks:
- T + vowel and preceded
by any letter other than S, T, X TS as in "Betsy"
(ex., "gratia" is pronounced "grah-tsee-ah," but "modestia" is pronounced "moh-des-tee-ah")
- TH T as in "thyme"
- GN NY as in canyon, or like the Spanish ñ
- CH K as in "Christ"
- X After an E or followed by a vowel, X sounds like GS, as in "exam"; Followed by a consonant, or at the end of a word, X sounds like KS, as in "tax"
- R very slightly roll the R, touching the tip of your tongue to the top and front of your palate, making almost a slight D sound, like a Scottish R
- V V sounds like the English "V", not like "W" as in Classical Latin
- H silent except for two words, where it sounds like a guttural, German "CH" or K sound as in "ich" or "key": nihil and mihi
- J Y, as in "young" (J is usually replaced with an I, as in "Iesus" for "Jesus")
- Z pronounce like "ds"
- Double consonants are each pronounced, but it comes off sounding like a single letter that is held just a tad longer, the same way the L's in the word "tailless" are held longer, but each pronounced so quickly they could almost be mistaken for one sound
What Syllable to Accent:
- Two syllables:
Accent the first syllable
- Three or more syllables:
If the next to the last syllable has a long vowel sound, accent that syllable
If the next to the last syllable has a short vowel sound, accent the syllable before it
- magnificat: mah-nyee-fee-caht
- agnus dei: ah-nyoos day-ee
- ecce: etch-ay
- excelsis: eks-chel-sis
- Nihil Obstat: Ni-khil ohb-staht
- Hostia: Oh-stee-uh
- homo: oh-moh
- dignum: di-nyoom
- justum: yoo-stoom
I hope that this may help some of you who were asking about Latin pronunciations. What helped me learn some Latin was watching EWTN's Masses and the Papal audiences, which both use Latin frequently. Another way I was able to pick up on some Latin was attending First Saturday Adoration, where many times Father Kirk or Father Anthony would use Latin during Exposition and Benediction. You can also buy many books on how to speak Latin; it is a truly beautiful language.
Also, I'll include the Sign of the Cross and the Agnus Dei in Latin and English so you can practice
The Sign of the Cross / Signum CrucisIn the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Lamb of God / Agnus Dei
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: grant us peace.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: dona nobis pacem.
Posts
