Latino Sine Flexione - Alphabet and Pronunciation

Alphabet and Pronunciation

According to Peano's guide to the language in 1931, "most Interlinguists are in favour of the old Latin pronunciation." This gives the pronunciation of vowels as follows:

• a—as in father --
• e—as in they --
• i—as in feet --
• o—as in tone --
• u—as in rule --
• y—as French u --
• j—as in yes --
• ae—as in eye --
• oe—as in boy --

Consonants are pronounced as in English with the following exceptions:

• b—like English b, but like p if followed by s or t --
• g—like g in go, get --
• h—silent in th, ph, ch, rh, otherwise like English h --
• qu—as qu in quarrel --
• r—as in correct (trilled) --
• v—like English w. --
• x—as ks. --
• ch, ph, th—as c, p, t in can, pan, tan --
• c—like k always, as in scan, scat -- (not aspirated)
• p—as in span
• t—as in stand

The following simplifications to pronunciation are also allowed:

• y and j—as i in tin --
• ae and oe—as above
• b—always like English b --
• h—silent
• ph—as p or f --
• v—like English v --
• th—as t
• ch—as c

The stress is based on the classical Latin rule:

• Words with two syllables have the stress on the penultimate (the second from the last).
• Words with three or more syllables have the stress on the penultimate only if it has a long vowel, otherwise on the previous one (p. xii).

A secondary accent may be placed when necessary as the speaker deems appropriate.