The Roman Pronunciation of Latin: Why We Use It and How to Use It

The author argues for adopting a reconstructed Roman pronunciation of Latin to restore the language's melody and metrical qualities rather than treating it solely as a written code. She reviews evidence from ancient grammarians, inscriptions, and classical usage to justify reconstructions of vowels, diphthongs, consonants, syllable quantity, and accent. Practical instruction follows, with rules and examples for realizing vowel values, diphthongs (notably ae), the consonantal u/v, elision, quantity, and accent placement. The guide synthesizes contemporary philological authorities to present a concise, teachable method for historically informed pronunciation.