Lotharian
Consonants:
Stops: Latin includes stops like p, t, k, with voiceless and voiced pairs (b, d, g). For instance, c is always pronounced as /k/, regardless of the following vowel (e.g., "caelum" is pronounced /ˈkaːe̯.lum/).
Fricatives: Latin includes f, s, and a unique h. The v is pronounced as a w in Classical Latin, so "vini" is pronounced like "weeny."
Liquids: Includes l and r. The r is typically rolled/trilled, and l can be pronounced as a clear, light l.
Nasals: Like m and n, with ng (as in "sing") used in some contexts.
Vowels:
Latin has 5 short vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and their long counterparts (marked with a macron: ā, ē, ī, ō, ū).
The length of the vowels (short vs. long) is crucial for distinguishing word meanings, and vowel length affects syllable stress and meter in poetry.
Diphthongs such as ae, oe, au, and eu are present and are treated as single sounds in Classical Latin.
Stress and Syllables:
In Latin, stress generally falls on the penultimate syllable if it is long. If the penultimate syllable is short, the stress moves to the antepenultimate (third-to-last) syllable.
Latin is often considered a syllable-timed language.
French has a rich vowel inventory, including nasal vowels like /ɑ̃/, /ɛ̃/, /œ̃/, and /ɔ̃/, which are produced with air passing through the nose. Unlike English, French does not have a strong stress system; syllables are generally evenly timed, with stress typically falling on the final syllable of a phrase. French also has liaison, where normally silent final consonants are pronounced when followed by a vowel, such as in les amis ("the friends"), where the normally silent "s" in les is pronounced as /z/ before the vowel in amis.
Consonants:
Stops: Romanian has both voiceless stops /p, t, k/ and voiced stops /b, d, g/, as well as aspirated stops like /pʰ, tʰ, kʰ/ (though not common).
Affricates: /tʃ/ (like "ch") and /dʒ/ (like "j").
Fricatives: /f, s, ʃ/ (as in "sh"), and voiced fricatives /v, z, ʒ/ (as in "measure").
Nasals: /m, n, ɲ, ŋ/ (nasals).
Liquids: /l, r/ (with /r/ often being a rolled or trilled "r").
Glides: /w, j/ (semi-vowels).
Vowels:
Romanian has a system of both oral and nasal vowels:
Oral vowels: /i, e, a, o, u/
Nasal vowels: /ã, õ, ẽ/ (which appear in certain contexts, especially in closed syllables).
Diphthongs: Romanian includes diphthongs such as /ea, ia, ua, ai, ei, ou/ (common in spoken Romanian).
Phonotactics: Romanian allows complex consonant clusters, particularly at the beginning of syllables, with combinations such as /str, spl, pr, tr/.
Stress: Romanian has variable stress, but the stress is typically placed on the penultimate syllable in most words, especially in regular, non-derivational contexts.
Tone: Romanian is not a tonal language, but stress is an important factor in distinguishing meaning, especially in homophones or in words with multiple syllables.
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