Level 3: the Pater Noster of Juvencus [3]; notes on Latin poetry [2] long and short syllables

[2] Identifying long and short vowels

A syllable is defined as long or short dependent upon the length of the vowel sound. How do you know if a syllable is long or short? There are two important terms to note:

[i] long by nature i.e. the vowel is always long – not only in poetry – for example:

[l.2] NŌ-mĭ-nĭs ¦ Ō-rĀ- ¦ mūs vĕ-nĕ- ¦ rĀ- tⁱŌ ¦ sĀnc- tĭ- fĭ- ¦ cĒ-tŭr

Diphthongs are always long, for example:

[l.1] cĀE-lī

[l.4] rĕ-¦ clĀU-dăt

[l.9] Ēt nōs ¦ hĀUt ă-lĭ-¦ tēr cōn- ¦ cē-dĕ-rĕ ¦ fŌE-nŏ-ră ¦ nōs-trīs

[l.10] Tē-trī ¦ sĀE-vă prŏ- ¦ cūl tēmp- ¦ tā-tⁱō ¦ dĀE-mŏ-nĭs ¦ āb-sĭt

[l.11] ĀE-quĕ mă- ¦

[ii] long by position; this is a crucial feature of Latin poetry:

Where a vowel is followed by two consonants [VCC] – even if those consonants are split between words –the vowel becomes long; there are exceptions but it is important to become familiar with this idea since it is an integral part of the rhythm.

[l.2] The verb ŌrĀmus has two vowels that are long by nature – they are always long. However, -mus is usually short, but in the verse, because it is followed by two consonants, it becomes long: ō-rā- ¦ mŪS ͜ Vĕ-nĕ- [VCC]

All the capitalised vowels in bold are normally short, but here they are long [VCC]:

[l.1] genitor (/o/ usually short) > gĕ-nĭ- ¦ tŌR ͜ Rĕ- [VCC]; in (/i/ usually short) > ĪN ¦ Vēr [VCC]

[l.3] ĪN ͜ Nō- ¦ bīs Pă- tĕr ¦ ĀL-Tĕ tŭ- ¦ ī: trĀN- ¦ QU-ĪL-Lă-quĕ ¦ mŪN-Dō

[l.5] fīat (/a/normally short) > fī- ¦ ĀT ͜ Tŭ-ă

[l.11] tol-lat (/o/ normally short) > tŌL-Lat

[iii] V + X: a vowel followed by /x/ becomes long since /x/ is composed of two consonant sounds /ks/:

[l.7] mox (normally short) > tŭ-ă ¦ mŌX [V + /ks/]