Note that the following presentation considers Latin as a whole, not just a reconstruction of 1st century BC pronunciation as it's usually done.
/p t k/
/b d g/
/f s h/
/m n l r w j/
- All consonants except /h w/ can be geminated intervocalically. /apːɛndɪks/ 'supplement'.
- /m/ word-finally or before /f/ (always after a vowel in such cases), depending on the speaker and period, is [m], is silent, or is a marker of nasalization and elongation of the previous vowel. /luːktuːm/ 'mourning, grief', example pronunciations: [ˈluːktũː ˈluːktʊm ˈluktum ˈluːktuː].
- A similar observation goes for /n/ before /f s h/: [n], silent, or a mark of nasalization.
- An exophoneme exists: /dz/, taken from Greek. /baptiːdzaːrɛ/ 'to baptize'.
/eː ɛ - oː ɔ/
/aː a/
/aɪ oɪ aʊ/
- Many speakers merged and merge the above pairs: /i: ɪ/ as /i/ , /uː ʊ/ as /u/ , /aː a/ as /a/ [a], etc. Most of such speakers also merged and merge /aɪ oɪ/ with /eː ɛ/ into a single /e/ [e]. (Other kinds of mergers have existed, but are to a notable extent irrelevant.)
- An exophoneme exists: /y/, taken from Greek. /aɪgyptʊs/ 'Egypt'.
The syllable structure is (C(G))V(C).
- The possible (C(G)) have historically been mostly limited to /kw- gw- sw-/. /kwaɪs.tɪ.oː/ 'a search', /ar.gwoː/ 'I accuse', /swaː.dɛ.oː/ 'I persuade'. These could be analyzed as /kʷ gʷ sʷ/ instead.
- As you can see in the /kwaɪs.tɪ.oː/ example, even sequences of /ɪ/ in glide-like position followed another vowel have been historically most often pronounced in hiatus: /tɪ.aː.ra/ (three syllables, contrast the improperly-formed */tjaː.ra/) 'turban, tiara'. (This, of course, doesn't apply when /j w/ could only be the C of the syllable and not the G: /jeː.kiː/ 'I threw', /waː.doː/ 'I go', /ɛj.jʊs/ 'of his/her'.)
- /w/ and /u/ certainly contrast, but /j/ and /ɪ/ could be analyzed as the same phoneme.
- Many speakers have pronounced /w/ as [v], either only those in word-initial and intervocalic position (/kw gw sw/ remaining [kw gw sw]), or these + /kw/ (giving [kv], but /gw sw/ remain as such).
Stress is not phonemic for those who distinguish all ten monophthongs, being based on syllable weight towards the end of the sentence. For those with vowel mergers, it is indeed phonemic. Hence I've marked the stressed syllable in the sample text below, even though it was unnecessary.
Now, an example text. Feel free to do as many <||>s as you feel doing. I.e. if you won't do the whole sample text, at least try to finish in a <||>.
- /kwiː weːroː ˈdɛoːs ˈɛsːɛ diːˈkseːrʊnt ˈtanta sʊnt ɪn warɪɛˈtaːtɛ ɛt dɪsːeːnsɪˈoːnɛ | ʊt ɛˈoːruːm iːnfiːˈniːtuːm sɪt eːnʊmɛˈraːrɛ sɛnˈtɛntɪaːs || naːm ɛt deː fɪˈguːriːs dɛˈoːruːm | ɛt deː ˈlɔkiːs atkwɛ ˈseːdɪbʊs | ɛt deː aːktɪˈoːnɛ ˈwiːtaɪ ˈmʊlta diːˈkʊntʊr || ˈdeːkwɛ iːs ˈsʊmːa phɪlɔsɔˈphoːruːm dɪsːeːnsɪˈoːnɛ kɛrˈtaːtʊr || kwɔd ˈweːroː ˈmaksɪmeː ˈreːm kaʊˈsaːmkwɛ ˈkɔntɪnɛt ˈʊtruːm ˈnɪhɪl ˈagant | ˈnɪhɪl moːlɪˈantʊr | ˈɔmniː kuːraːtɪˈoːnɛ ɛt admɪnɪstraːtɪˈoːnɛ ˈreːruːm ˈwakɛnt || an ˈkɔntraː ab ˈɪiːs ɛt aː priːnˈkɪpɪoː ˈɔmnɪa ˈfakta ɛt koːnstɪˈtuːta sɪnt | ɛt ad iːnfiːˈniːtuːm ˈtɛmpʊs reːˈgantʊr atkwɛ mɔwɛˈantʊr || ɪn ˈpriːmiːs kwaɪ ˈmagna dɪsˈseːnsɪoː ɛst || ˈɛakwɛ nɪsiː diːjuːdɪˈkaːtʊr | ɪn ˈsʊmːoː ɛrˈroːrɛ nɛˈkɛsːɛ ɛst ˈhɔmɪneːs atkwɛ ɪn maksɪˈmaːruːm ˈreːruːm ɪgnoːraːtɪˈoːnɛ wɛrˈsaːriː/
My translation:
- 'Those who have said that the gods exist vary and disagree on so many things that listing their opinions would be endless. Many things have been said about how the gods look, where their places and seats are, and what they do in their lives. These things are what the philosophers largely disagree in. But the most important part is whether they do nothing, plan nothing, and exist free of concerns and any management of the world. Or whether, on the other hand, everything has been made and formed by them from the beginning, and is going to be ruled and moved by them forever. Here is where there's the most disagreement. Unless there's a solution to this, humanity will necessarily remain in the greatest of errors and ignorant of the most important things.' (Cicero, On the Nature of the Gods, book I.)
