Re: USAGE: syllables

MR = Mark Reed (me)
JC = John Cowan

MR> For instance, if "forustruvat" were an English word, it would
MR> probably syllabify as "for-ust-ru-vat".  But in Latin, it would
MR> syllabify as "fo-rust-ru-vat".

JC> Actually "fo-rus-tru-vat".  A Latin syllable can begin with a stop followed
JC> by l, r, m, or n, the so called "mutus cum liquida" rule.  For example,
JC> integrum is "in-te-grum", and therefore has stress on the antepenultimate
JC> (first, in this case) syllable, since the penultimate syllable is light
JC> by this rule.

So I see.  Thank you.  I wasn't reading far enough in my Wheelock's;
I read "When two or more consonants stand between two vowels,
generally only the last consonant goes with the second vowel." and
stopped.  The very next sentence shows the error of my ways:
"However, a stop + a liquid count as a single consonant and go with
the following vowel."   There's also a note that this rule may be
broken for purposes of poetical meter, reverting to the general
"last consonant goes with the second vowel" case; thus "integrum"
could appear in a line of a poem where a light/heavy/light pattern
were called for.  Seems like cheating to me, though. :)

-Mark

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