Let me return to where I started this thread from. It is nearly 50 years since my last Latin lesson and I cannot say I enjoyed Virgil, or his language, very much in those distant schooldays. However, my interest has been rejuvenated and, 'having a little Latin' I am now enjoying some quality time with his poetry.
As I said, I read the Latin as I was taught it and I am conscious that this is not at all how it would have sounded. I have heard Latin spoken in France and Italy and it does not sound like the Latin I learnt here in England. Also church Latin, scientific Latin and so forth all seem to vary. Comments on the list have been very helpful and given me many new insights. Thank you. For the present I continue to read as I was taught because I am used to that. I could read with a sort of Italian accent, but I find that uncomfortable although I can speak Italian. Since my objective is to enjoy what Virgil wrote and try to reach up to his mind, is it better to carry on with what I know in terms of pronunciation, or try to change? And if I do carry on with what I know, will I be missing much? Can the essence of Virgil adequately survive not sounding as it would have done to him, or is this so unnatural that it would be better to read the material in translation? Patrick Roper > In message > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > Patrick Roper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes > >Many thanks for these interesting and helpful comments. My own > >favourite from Shakespeare is "Much as the waves march towards the > >pebbled shore" where the shooshing sound runs in a wonderful > >counterpoint with the stresses of the pentameter. > > > >What you have described also reminds me of polyrhythmic music from > >Africa (or Steve Reich) and elsewhere. Trouble is I am > sort of stuck > >with my school Latin. I don't think there is much I can do > about that, > >but it was terribly pedestrian and dead with its BBC/Oxford accent. > The Romans didn't talk in BBC/Oxford accents, but nor did > they approach > any other variety of English; the secret of that > > wonderful > >liquid fluidity > > preserved by > > Italian speakers > > is the unforced and natural treatment of final vowel > followed by initial > vowel. Anglophones (and Teutons) pronounce every word by > itself, as if > 'elision' were an artificiality of paper scansion and not > the natural > everyday treatment of such sequences (see Cicero, _Orator_ 150). > > Leofranc Holford-Strevens > *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_ > *_*_*_*_*_*_* > > Leofranc Holford-Strevens > 67 St Bernard's Road > usque adeone > Oxford scire MEVM nihil est, nisi ME scire > hoc sciat alter? > OX2 6EJ > > tel. +44 (0)1865 552808(home)/267865(work) fax +44 > (0)1865 512237 > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (home) > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (work) > > *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_ > *_*_*_*_*_*_* > ------------------------------------------------------------ > ----------- > To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. > Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message > "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation > marks). You > can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub
