pronunciation
pronuntiatio
We transcribe the Roman (ecclesiastical, “Italianate”) pronunciation — the one the 1962 books are sung in by Gregorian scholas. Under saint Pius X, Rome encouraged the whole Church toward the Roman pronunciation; national traditions (the Polish one among them) survive in parishes, and the Polish interface of this app shows both where they differ.
Syllable division is identical in every tradition — chant gives each syllable its own note, so “grá-ti-a” has three syllables everywhere. Spoken habits may contract; our transcriptions keep the sung division.
the rules
| littera | Roman | Polish | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| c + e, i, æ, œ, y | /tʃ/ | /ts/ | cælis /ˈtʃɛ.lis/ |
| g + e, i, æ, œ, y | /dʒ/ | /g/ | cogitatióne /kɔ.dʒi.ta.tsiˈɔ.nɛ/ |
| sc + e, i, æ, œ, y | /ʃ/ | /sts/ | ascéndit /aˈʃɛn.dit/ |
| ti + vocalis | /tsi/ | /tsi/ | grátia /ˈgra.tsi.a/ |
| h | — | /x/ | hódie /ˈɔ.di.ɛ/ |
| qu | /kw/ | /kv/ | qui /kwi/ |
| gn | /ɲ/ | /gn/ | Agnus /ˈa.ɲus/ |
| xc + e, i, æ, œ, y | /kʃ/ | /ksts/ | excélsis /ɛkˈʃɛl.sis/ |
| s (inter vocales) | /z/ | /z/ | Jesus /ˈjɛ.zus/ |
| æ, œ | /ɛ/ | /ɛ/ | sǽcula /ˈsɛ.ku.la/ |
| z | /dz/ | /z/ | Lázare /ˈla.dza.rɛ/ |
The “ti” rule does not apply after s, t, x, or at the start of a word (hóstia: /ˈɔ.sti.a/). S between vowels is voiced in both traditions (Jesus); other letters keep the Latin values of the symbols table — j is always /j/, never as in “joy”.
the symbols
| a ɛ i ɔ u | as in father, met, machine, sort, rule |
| j | as y in yes |
| k g | as in kind, go — g always hard |
| tʃ | as ch in church |
| ts | as ts in cats |
| dʒ | as j in joy |
| ʃ | as sh in ship |
| ɲ | as ny in canyon |
| x | as ch in loch |
| dz | as ds in lads |
| s z v r | as in sit, zeal, vine; r is rolled |
| kw kv gw | as qu in quick; gw as in Gwen |
| ˈ | stress — falls on the next syllable |
| . | syllable boundary |