Latin 107 – Mr. Ocaña                                                             NAME:

Alphabet – Part III: Syllables & Accent                               DATE:

III. 1. Syllables:

• In dividing Latin words into syllables, note the following rules:

A) A single consonant between two vowels usually goes with the second vowel. Ex.: n?-mi-ne, R?-m?-na, v?-c?-na.

B) Two consonants between vowels are usually divided between the syllables. Ex.: pu-el-la, pic-t?-ra, r?s-ti-ca.

C) Diphthongs always are part of one syllable. Ex.: cau-sa, Cae-sar.

D) By the same token, two vowels together not creating a diphthong, will be part of two different syllables: Ex.: pu-el-la, His-pa-ni-a.

Practice: Split the different words into syllables.
MODEL: poena: poe-na; nationes: na-ti-o-nes; iudicium: i-u-di-ci-um.

1. puella:
2. nautas:
3. puellae:
4. filia:
5. rosae:
6. aequales:
7. caelo:
8. foedus:
9. rationales:
10. speciales:
11. iuvenes:
12. pulchra:
13. planities:
14. speculatores:
15. folium:
16. principes:
17. Teucros:
18. Suesco:
19. Persuadeo:
20. Magister:

III. 2. Accents:

• To know where the accent falls in a Latin word, you have to pay attention only to two factors:

1. How many syllables the word has;
2. If the next to last syllable is short or long.

• RULES OF ACCENTS:
• If the word has only two syllables, the accent (stress) falls on the next to the last syllable (the penult) –that is, the first syllable of the word: Legit, Rosa, etc. There are very few exceptions of this rule: ex., adhuc.

• If the word has three or more syllables, then the RULE OF THE PENULT  applies:

1. If the next to the last syllable (the penult) is long -long by nature, or because has a diphthong, or long by position (a vowel followed by two consonants)- then it will receive the accent. Ex.: disc?d?, ext?nd?.
2. If the next to the last syllable (the penult) is short -short by nature, or by position- then the accent falls on the third syllable by the end (the antepenult). Ex.: Britan?ccus, peric?lum.

Practice: Choose the right column for every Latin word: where does the accent fall? To do so, remember that you have to follow the rule of the penult, and check if the next to last syllable is short or long: