The principles of Latin grammar; comprising the ... - Essan.org

—§ 155 PROSODY.—QUANTITY. 30O3. / Dot before er, is loDg in fio; as, flo, flcbam. Also in alius, thegenitive of alius.I is common in Diana [Liana or Diana), and genitives in ius ; butis short in alterius. Genitives in lus, in prose, have I lung.4. is common in Ohe.6. Greek words vary. As a general rule, when the vowel before anotherrepresents a long vowel or diphthong in the Greek word, it is long ; otherwiseit is short.781. Rule II. A vowel before two consonants, or a doubleconsonant, is long by position ;as,arma, /alio, axis, gaza, major.7S2.—EXPLANATION.—When a final syllable is long by another rule,this rule does not apply ; the double consonants under this rule are, the sameconsonant doubled; as, II, tt, rr, &c, and the letters,,;, x, and z, equivalentto dg, ks ds.}7 8 3.—EXCEPTIONS.1. A short vowel in the end of a word, before two consonants in thenext, is common; before sc, sp, sq, st, it is usually long; before a doubleconsonant, it is short.2. A vowel before j, is short in compounds of jugum ;as, bzjugus.784. Rule III. A vowel before a mute and a liquid, iscommon ;as, volucris, or volucris.785.—EXPLANATION.—Under this rule, the vowel must be naturallyshort, and the mute must come before the liquid, and be in the same syllablewith it. But if the vowel is naturally long, it remains so ;as, matrix (from[unrip), salubris, &c. If the mute and the liquid are in different syllables,the vowel preceding is long by position ;as, dbluo, obruo. In Latin words,the liquids are I and r only. In Greek words, I, r, m, n.786. Obs. 1. This rule is properly an exception to Rule II. A shortvowel in the end of a word, is seldom affected by a mute and a liquid inthe next.787. Rule IV. A contracted syllable is always long ;as,Nil, for nihil ; ml, for mild; alius, for aliius ; It, for lit; sodes, for siaitdes ; nolo, for non volo ; blgce, for bijugce ; scilicet, for scire licet, &c.788.JSuboea.Rule V. A diphthong is long ; as, Ccesar, Aurum,789. EXCEPTIONS.1. Prai, in composition, before a vowel, is commonly short ; as, pr&lrepraustus,