Long and Short SyllablesģA syllable in Latin poetry is long if it contains a long vowel or a diphthong, or if it contains a short vowel followed by two consonants (one of which may be at the beginning of the following word). Syllables are combined into certain metrical groupings called feet (see section 3), and feet are combined into verses. Unlike English poetry, which produces its effect by a sequence of accented and unaccented syllables, Latin poetry uses a predetermined sequence of long and short syllables, a sequence determined by the meter of the poem. There are two kinds of syllabic quantity - long and short (defined in the next section). Quantity is the amount of time taken to pronounce a syllable. The Quantitative Basis of Latin poetryĢLatin poetry depends for its rhythm on quantity rather than accent. ![]() What follows is a quick overview in the basic principles of hexametric verse. His lines flow like those of no other poet - and he is therefore an ideal author for learning how to read and to appreciate Latin hexameters. ![]() ![]() It works.1One of the great pleasures of reading Ovid’s Metamorphoses is his verse-craft. Try flipping to a random passage in the Aeneid, and try out Vergil’s dactylic hexameter. 305 (Flipped to a random page) Dissimul ā re etiam sp ē r ā st ī, perfide, tantum ˉ˘ ˉˉ ˉ˘˘ (ˉ ˉ) ˉ˘˘ ˉ ˉ ˉ˘˘ ˉ ˉ ˉ˘˘ ˉ ˉ ˉ˘˘ ˉ ˉ 6 5 4 3 2 1 ˉ 6 5 4 3 2 1 t um ta n de f i pe r stī rā s pē a m ti e r(e) la mu s i Di s ˘ ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˉ ˉ ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ ˘ ˘ ˉ Length of Syllables Latin verse is based on long ( ¯ ) and short ( ˘ ) syllables Syllables that are long by nature are marked with a macron ( ā ) Diphthongs are always long ( a̅e ) Ī syllable is long by nature if… It contains a short (no macron) vowel + 2 consonants (c a̅e-rŭ-lĕ- ū s p ō nt ŭs ) x ( ī nf ē l ī x) X = k + s z Z = t + s It has a vowel + consonant + l or r (n ē c l ă- cr ĭ- m ī s) Įlision Slurring or combination of the final syllable of one word with the first syllable of the next word English example: What time is it? sounds like Wa t ī m ĭ z ĭ t? The 2 T ’s sound like one T The M sound is carried over to is The S sound is carried over to it Elisions are written in parentheses () Įlision in Latin An elision occurs when the final syllable… Ends in a vowel or diphthong before a word beginning with a vowel or h (which is mute in Romance languages) D ī x-it e-um-qu (e) ī -mis Ends in a vowel + m before a word begging with a vowel or h Ax- (em) u -mer- ō tor-quet ĭactylic Hexameter The only rhythmic pattern in the Aeneid Dactylic foot= ˉ˘˘ Spondaic foot = ˉˉ Trochaic foot = ˉ˘ ˉ˘ ˉˉ ˉ˘˘ (ˉ ˉ) ˉ˘˘ ˉ ˉ ˉ˘˘ ˉ ˉ ˉ˘˘ ˉ ˉ ˉ˘˘ ˉ ˉ 6 5 4 3 2 1Īeneid 1. The letter u May be combined with the previous s or g, depending on pronunciation Not or gu is san us su o gu ar = Tro j an = e j ect (from eicio, eicere, eieci, eiectum) a i Tro tum ec i e The letter i Both a vowel and a consonant Some Latin texts change the consonant i to a j. How to Find Syllables # of vowels = # of syllables Diphthongs - two vowels pronounced as one In English, the word “h ou se” has a diphthong In Latin, diphthongs are au, ae, and oe Examples 3 vowels 3 syllables 1 diphthong + 3 vowels 4 syllables Treat qu as a k, the u is disregarded The compound in a word ( con -su-mit) is pronounced as a separate syllable vit ga ro mus a di au play love, of food the be sic mu If / x / x / x / x / x What is Scansion? Measurement of long and short syllables in poetry.
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