president: Laszlo Heltay; patrons: Sir Peter Maxwell Davies CBE, Jonathan Dove;
musical director: Peter Owens

 Pronunciation: Latin (Renaissance English)

The table below gives a guide to pronunciation. In general, the table gives exceptions to the usual 'Italianate' pronunciation of church Latin, i.e. where a vowel or consonant is not listed in the table, it should be pronounced as per the usual 'Italianate' system.

Latin: Renaissance English

(e.g. Taverner, Byrd)

Letter

Pronunciation

A

Generally closer to cat (not italianate)

E/Æ/Œ

Generally closer to get (not italianate)

I/Y

Generally closer to ill (not ee)

O

Generally closer to hot

U

Generally closer to put (not oo)

C (before Æ, Œ, I, Y)

s as in sail

SC (before Æ, Œ, I, Y)

s as in sail

CC (before Æ, Œ, I, Y)

ks as in looks

CH (before Æ, Œ, I, Y)

k (hard) as in contact

C/CH/K (otherwise)

k (hard) as in contact

G (before Æ, Œ, I, Y)

g (soft) as in gel

G (otherwise)

g (hard) as in got

GN

gn (hard g) as in Agnes

H

h as in hot

consonantal I/J

dj as in jam

QU

kw as in quick

S (between vowels)

z as in ozone

-TIA, -TIO

s as in sill

X,

ks as in looks

XC

gs as in pigskin

Z

dz as in lads

Examples:

Gloria in excelsis = Gloria in egselsis

Jesus = Djèzus

Propter magnam gloriam = Propter maghnam gloriam

In paradisum = In paradizum (not 'een paradeezoom')


Latin: Renaissance Franco-Flemish | Latin: Standard German | Latin: French Baroque | resources