FUNDAMENTALS OF LATIN METRICS
Syllabification
A Latin word has as many syllables as it has vowels and diphthongs.
In dividing words into syllables:
1.
Contiguous vowels and diphthongs are separated.
de-ae
2.
me-o
e-o
A single consonant between vowels
goes with the second vowel. pau-cae
3.
lau-do
a-mi-cus
Two or more consonants between vowels are split in such a way that
each syllable begins with a consonant or consonants that can normally
begin a w ord . Combinations that do not normally begin a word in
classical Latin must be divided.
mit-to
ar-ma
om-nis
sanc-to
Exceptions to these general rules:
1.
Although 's' followed by one or more consonants may begin a word in
classical Latin, the same group may not begin a syllable within a
word. Division occurs after the s.
sci-o but fus-ca
stre-nu-us but cas-tra
spe-ro but as-pe-ra
2.
When a prepositional prefix ending in a mute (b, p, d, t, g, c)
is immediately followed by a liquid (1, r), division occurs after
the prefix.
ab-ri-pi-o (not a-bri-pi-o)
3.
Any other word in which a liquid follows a mute normally is not
divided between the mute and the liquid, but poetic license allows
occasional division between them.
pa-tri or pat-ri
4.
a-gro or ag-ro
The letters x and z are double consonants representing the sounds cs
and ds/sd, respectively. Their phonetic spelling must be restored, and
division occurs between the two consonants.
saxum --> sac-sum
gaza -->gad-sa
5.
The Greek aspirated consonants (ch, ph, th) are never separated.
6.
The letter u combined with g, q, or s forms a consonantal
unit. In other words, the u is not a vowel.
quis
in-gui-nis
sua-vis
/
In spoken Latin, liaison occurs between the final syllable of one word and
the initial syllable of the next word as follows:
1. If a word ends with a consonant (other than m) and is followed by a
word beginning with a vowel (alone or preceded only by h), the final
consonant is pronounced with the initial syllable of the next word.
incipit Aeneas heros: “non ulla laborum” is pronounced as:
in-ci-pi-tAe-ne-a-s(h)e-ros:"no-nul-la-la-bo-rum
2. Elision. If a word ends in a vowel (with or without m) and comes
before a word beginning with a vowel (alone or preceded only by h), the
final vowel of the first word is elided, or "struck out."
men-sa e-rat  men-se-rat
pri-mum au-so-ni-is  pri-mau-so-ni-is
il-le hu-mi-lis  il-lu-mi-lis
The failure of elision to occur when all the conditions for elision are
present is called hiatus.
3.
Prodelision. When a word ending in a vowel (with or without m)
precedes es or est (from esse), the e of es or est is elided.
fe-mi-na es  fe-mi-nas
bo-num est  bo-numst
Quantity of Syllables
A syllable is long if its vowel is long (macron or diphthong) or
the syllable ends in a consonant. Otherwise, the syllable is
short.
Exceptions:
1. When hic (m. nom. sing.) and hoc (n. nom sing.) occur before a word
beginning with a vowel (or a vowel preceded only by h), another c must
be added to close the syllable and make it long.
(h)ic-c a-li-e-nus
(h)oc-c e-rat
2. When i appears between two vowels (in words such as aio, eius, maior, Gaius,
Maia, and Troia), it is really a double consonant (jj). In scansion, the
second consonantal i must be restored.
ai-io
ei-ius
3. A consonantal i must also be added in scansion for the compounds and
derivatives of iacere (reicere, obicere, subicere, obex, etc.).
ob-ii-ci-t il-le