Short a in Latin?

[Aubrey]

The book (LfC) says short a's are pronounced like short a's in English, "a" as in "act." So "casa" is cahsah? :ack2:

 

I googled, then, & the first site I found said that a short a in Latin should sound like "ah" in "Dinah." (As opposed to a long a which is "a" as in "father," according to both sources.)

 

I could imagine Dinah & father to sound the same, maybe. I pronounce Dinah more like Dinuh, though. And I can't imagine saying "cuhsuh."

 

So if the short a is different from the long a...does casa sound the same in Latin as it does in Spanish? If so, how do you pronounce the long a? If not, how on earth do you say, "casa"?

 

:bigear:

[lewelma]

:bigear:

[Caitilin]

I was taught, and teach my students, to say " casa" or "pater" with the long soft ah sound in the English word "father." I have never heard that business of the aaa as in "act" before....:glare:

[Jay3fer]

We just started SSL (same company) and they pronounce Magister, teacher, as MAG-ister. Rhymes with BAG-sister.

[melissel]

:bigear: here as well. We've been doing the ah as in father sound as well, because after learning Spanish and Italian, that's what came naturally to me. I'll be shocked if it's really not correct!

 

I just found this, for whatever it's worth:

 

http://la.raycui.com/vowel.html

 

Classical Method

 

ă

As the long correspondence, but shorter. IPA [a], as in English aha! . English speakers should take care not to pronounce it as [æ], especially "at" in the last syllable!

Edited November 29, 2011 by melissel

[Laura Corin]

Says:

 

A short 'a' is pronounced something like “u†in “hutâ€.

 

This causes all kinds of hilarity when you reach the word 'fac'.

 

Laura