John Briggs wrote:
> Evertjan. wrote:
>> DeeBee wrote on 06 mei 2008 in alt.language.latin:
>>
>>> How does one pronounce the word "imitatio"?
>>
>> That depends.
>>
>> Most people just pronounce it as if it was neary a part of their own
>> language, making them the laughing stock of all people from all other
>> modern languages.
>>
>> If you want to pronounce it as the old Romans did, you will perhaps
>> have to declare what year, what part of Rome and what class of people.
>>
>> I, from my background, think I know how to pronounce it, so that the
>> upper class from the time of Cicero at least could understand the
>> word. But I am far from sure.
>>
>> I would not even be able to write phonetically what I have in mind,
>> because English phonetics are a puzzle in the sense that even they are
>> locally pronounced differently.
>>
>> As you post from here:
>> Host name: cpc1-cmbg5-0-0-cust726.cmbg.cable.ntl.com
>> IP address:
>> you probably are from the U.K.,
>> and so I will try:
>>
>> eeh-meeh-táht-see-oh
>>
>> or probably closer to:
>>
>> im-meeh-táht-see-oh
>>
>> The t+s from the tip of your tongue
>
> I don't believe that for a minute - the 'ts' sound must be much later,
and
> even then probably only in Italy.
I agree about much later, but it must have been more or less general,
since
it survives as is in the German pronunciation of Latin, and must be an
ancestor of the French (and English via Norman French),
Spanish/Protuguese,
and Romanian pronunciations.
--
Will
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