Language/Latin/Grammar/Latin-alphabet

Latin alphabet, also called Roman alphabet

The Latin Alphabet

The Latin alphabet, commonly referred to as the Roman alphabet, was adopted in its early form from a variant of the Greek alphabet. During the classical period, it comprised 23 letters. Out of these, three letters—K, Y, and Z—are relatively rare and predominantly appear in words of Greek origin. Initially, the alphabet consisted solely of uppercase letters, and lowercase letters, as we recognize them today, did not become widely used until the late 8th century A.D.

The Latin language makes a distinction between long vowels (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) and short vowels (ă, ĕ, ĭ, ŏ, ŭ). However, in written texts, these distinctions are not consistently marked, which is a notable aspect of its orthography. Despite this, all letters in the Latin alphabet are pronounced.

It's important to clarify some inaccuracies regarding the modern use and composition of the Latin alphabet. The statement that the Latin alphabet contains 23 letters is historically accurate for the classical period. However, the modern Latin alphabet, as used in English and many other languages, contains 26 letters. The mention of the letters J, W, and V needs correction:

- **J:** In ancient Latin, the letter I served both as a vowel and a consonant. The letter J was later distinguished from I to represent the consonantal sound [j], particularly in Medieval Latin. This development was part of the evolution of the Latin alphabet beyond its classical roots. - **W:** The letter W is indeed a later addition to the alphabet, primarily used in languages other than Latin itself, to represent sounds that were not present in classical Latin. It originated from the double U/V used to represent the [w] sound in certain Germanic languages. - **V:** The letter V in classical Latin was used to represent both the vowel sound [u] and the consonantal sound [w]. The distinction between the letter U for the vowel sound and V for the consonantal sound became more pronounced in later Latin and into the modern period. The claim that V was abolished from the Latin alphabet in 1974 is incorrect; V remains a fundamental part of the alphabet, and no such abolition occurred.

The Latin alphabet's development over time reflects changes in the languages that use it, adapting to accommodate new sounds and linguistic needs. Its evolution from a strictly uppercase script to the inclusion of lowercase letters and the differentiation of vowel lengths are significant milestones in its history. The modern version of the Latin alphabet, as used across many languages today, is a testament to its adaptability and enduring legacy.

Latin alphabet	Pronunciation	Exemples	Modern equivalences
A - ă and ā	[a] bref- short [a] long	damus : nous donnons - we give	as in father -  âtre
B - b	[b]	bonus : bon / good	as in bishop
C- c	[k] toujours dur- still hard	cepi : j'ai pris / i took Cicero, Cicéron / Cicero	képi - as in cat
D - d	[d]	dare : donner / give	as in David
E - ĕ and ē	[é] bref and [é] long	habere : avoir / to have	aimer - as in hey
F - f	[f]	fabula : fable	as in freedom
G - g	[g] toujours dur- still hard	magis : plus / more	Garde / as in God
H - h	[h]	homo : homme / man	honneur / as in holy
I - ĭ and  ī	[i] bref - short [i] long [y] consonne / consonant	littera : lettre / letter audire : entendre / hear iam : déjà / already	fini / as in antique pie yeux
K - k (rare)	[k]	Kalendae : Calendes	calendrier / as in king
L - l	[l]	lux : lumière / light	as in love
M - m	[m]	mater : mère / mother	as in Mary
N - n	[n]	nox : nuit / night	as in nun
O - ŏ and ō	[o] bref [o] long	inopia : misère / misery copia : abondance / abundance	Encore / as in over faute
P - p	[p]	pater : père / father	as in pope
Q(u) - q(u)	[kw]	qualis : quel / what	as in queen
R - r	[r]	rex : roi / king	as in Roma
S - s	[s] still hard  - toujours dur	causa : cause /	casse / as in see
T - t	[t]	natio : nation /	tiare / as in tree
V - ŭ and ū	[ou] bref [ou] long [w] consonne	dominus : maître / master ius : droit / law uotum, vœu / wish	loup / as in wind court as in  water
X - x	[ks]	extra : au-dehors / without	extérieur / as in wax
Y - y (rare)	[u]	hypocrita : mime	nul / as in yard
Z - z (rare)	[z]	zephyrus : zéphyr / zephyr	as in maze
Latin Unused	J - j	Only in loanwords
V - v	Consonantal U, now is not used in 1974
W - w	Only in loanwords.
Diphtongues
-ae-	[aï]	aequus : uni, égal / united, equal	as in aisle / aie
-au-	[aw]	audire : entendre / hear	as in house
-eu-	[eou]	neuter :  aucun des deux / neither of the two	as in seu
-oe-	[oï]	poena, châtiment / punishment	as in oyster

Other Lessons

• Parts of speech Latin
• Latin Nouns
• Present Tense
• Pronouns
• Adjectives
• Latin Articles
• Negation
• Past Tense
• How to Use Have