THE PRONUNCIATION OF LATIN.
It has been decided, of course, that the discusaions of the (Ecumenical Council should be held in Latin. The Roman
authorities, however, find themselves confronted with this diffi- culty of pronunciation. It is not, indeed, aggravated by the addition of our own peculiar usage, for the English method of speaking is, in fact, an English-Protestant method. Yet the peculiarities of the various Continental nations are considerable, having been, we may feel certain, largely increased since the time of the Council of Trent. It is said that a method is being devised by which the nine hundred prelates who are expected to assemble at Rome will be enabled to acquire a common pronunciation. It will be interesting to observe with what success the venerable scholars will learn their lessons. But the effort does credit to the sagacity of the Roman Court. Whatever liberty of debate it may be intended practically to concede, it is only decent that it should, in theory at least, be free from all difficulty. Some of the Bishops are probably, if we may judge from what was said of some of those who assembled at the Canonization of the Japanese martyrs, so ignorant of the language that no system of pronunciation would help them, but to many the matter will be of some importance. The usages of the Continental nations resemble each other so much that the speech of their scholars is mutually intelligible; but even to them, and still more to those who are not thoroughly familiar with the language, even the minor differ- ences, that of the hard or soft "g," for instance, would seriously interfere with the facility of comprehension. We do not know whether the Pope feels strongly on this subject ; if he does, he may use his infallibility to sanction the method which will have been one of the instruments in procuriug its final assertion. All good Catholics will then have to follow one uniform rule, and for once we should not object if the English heretics were to follow their example.
We are more concerned, however, with what is taking place nearer home. A movement which seems to have at least a good chance of success has been commenced. Mr. Abbott, the able Head Master of the City of London School, has actually in- troduced into his higher classes a pronunciation resembling, with some modifications, the German usage, and, we understand, has found the difficulties not more than trivial. We believe that his example is likely to be followed without delay in another of the largest and most famous schools of England, which it would be, perhaps, premature to name. The first vigorous step taken, the movement must spread rapidly. The indolence and irrational conservatism of the older generation of schoolmasters will, of course, oppose it. But the influence of even a few distinguished scholars will soon make itself felt. A barbarous custom which really involves perpetual blunders (why should it be more pardon- able to say ita than to say vectigal?) could hardly resist a serious attack. If any one can succeed iu making it unfashionable, in making it seem the solecism which it really is, it is doomed, and the schoolmasters, however reluctant, must abandon it. Why should not the new Public Orator at Cambridge lend his help to the work ? It would be half done if he would deliver his first " oration " with the Continental accent. The undertaking has something of the boldness that is characteristic of youth, and Mr. Jebb could not better justify—if in the case of so distinguished a scholar there is need of justification—his early appointment.
The change, however, would not be very great or very difficult of accomplishment. Much, we might even say all, that is abso- lutely essential would have been done, did it extend only to the vowel sounds. The usage with regard to the consonants is various and uncertain, the Italian mode, which might at first sight be sup- posed to have the greatest prestige of authority, being certainly not the most attractive or plausible. It is true, indeed, that in any case a certain addition would be made to the difficulty of learning the elements of the language. An English child at present pronounces amo exactly as he would were he to find it in a sentence of his own tongue, and it would be an appreciable aggravation of his labour were the strange word to be uttered in an unfamiliar accent. But the difficulty would be nothing to what he must encounter when he comes to acquire the pronunciation of French ; he would, in fact, have only learnt beforehand a part, and the easiest part, of what he will then have to master. And he will find an ample compensation for his trouble when he comes to be initiated into the mysteries of quantity. At present, half the time which he spends over his " gradus" is employed in correcting the mistakes which a false system of pronunciation has taught him to make. A thorough acquaintance with the quantities of all Latin words can hardly, we fancy, be acquired without the use of versification, but towards a practically satisfactory knowledge the habit of a correct accentuation would give material help.
Among the reasons for the change, its practical utility for the purposes of life need not be insisted upon, though it is of some importance. For ordinary travellers and on ordinary routes an available medium is found in French or German, but there are parts of Europe, in Scandinavia especially, and among the Slavonic peoples, where these languages have not penetrated, or are even purposely neglected, and where Latin is very extensively employed. English scholars are strangely neglectful of the colloquial use of the language, and find themselves much at a loss when they come to use the elaborate but cumbrous instrument of "Latin prose" to discuss, not to say the charges of an innkeeper or a driver, but such ordinary topics of travellers' talk as the merits of a vintage or the beauties of a landscape. But they would certainly be freed from some of their usual perplexity if they had not to translate the words which are so difficult to find with an unfamiliar accent. The matter, however, is best regarded from quite another point of view. This movement harmonizes with the views of classical education that are daily gaining strength amongst us. The old doctrine was, that this education was to be valued for the discipline to which it sub- jected the mind, and it was preached in the most extravagant form. Its more enthusiastic advocates have even gone to the length of declaring that the more distasteful and difficult the methods employed, the greater the value of the process. With this theory our barbarous usage of pronunciation perfectly agrees. What does it matter how harsh, how dissonant, how utterly unlike the reality it may be, if the thing to be sought for and valued is not that which is learnt, but the labour expended in learning it ? We hope that the disciplinary value of Latin will never be for- gotten or underrated ; but we are glad to believe that the old notions are being supplemented and corrected by new, that we are beginning to value the language for itself, for the great litera- ture to which it gives an expression, for the culture of which it affords the opportunity. To those who are penetrated with this feel- ing it will be intolerable to rest content with the conscious perpetra- tion of perpetual blunders. They know that the real pronounciation in its entirety is unattainable, that a dead language must lose the delicate subtleties of accent which adorn the living. But they know also that approximation to the truth is possible, and, know- ing it, their taste must revolt against a barbarism which mars the rhythm of prose and breaks the melody of verse—introducing, for instance, into the music of the pentameter the strange discord of a spondaic ending—and thus deforms the great masterpieces which we profess to admire. We would fain believe that such a matter when the artistic and literary conscience of scholars is once awakened about it, is practically decided.
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