The Chase

[JuniperEccles]

On The Chase just now Bradley asked what vowel the Romans didn't use and the answer was "u".  So what about "plumbum" for lead, then?

[JimF]

plvmbvm

I CLAVDIUS

[JimF]

CLAVDIVS

[JuniperEccles]

Oh dear!  Thanks JimF.

[JimF]

Libenter.

[jno]

that sounds a bit odd. As JimF says, the letter V was used and could be spoken as either a vowel or a consonant. But we know this mostly from carved script, where they seem to have found it more convenient to carve straight lines. In handwritten script, the same letter was typically written more like a U

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_cursive

[JimF]

"could be spoken as either a vowel or a consonant"

Only in Church Latin, which did not really standardise until the eight century, by which time no-one spoke what might be called Classical Latin any more.

E.g., Caesar's famous quote "veni vidi vici" in Classical Latin would have been pronounced "WAY-nee WEE-dee WEE-kee"

[jno]

yes; I recall Mr Chips protesting "Instead of 'vy-sissum', you'd make them say 'we-kiss-'em'." But W in modern English is called a consonant, so that's how I'd categorise it for Latin purposes too.

As far as The Chase goes, I don't think it's right that the Romans "didn't use U": they did in handwriting.

[gingejbee]

Ah, the joys of O-level Latin (which I actually passed with a decent grade!)

[jno]

gratulationes

or, shouting a bit, GRATVLATIONES

[gingejbee]

gratias tibi (ago)...I think!

[JimF]

There was no U or W in the Latin alphabet:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_alphabet

[jno]

that's the upper-case lettering used on stone, though.

If you actually asked Kikero "What alphabet does the fifth letter in 'gratulationes' come from?", what would he have said?

[JimF]

He'd have said "oo". That's how it was pronounced.

E.g. IVLIVS = YOO-lee-ooss

[Tilly2]

This is all Greek to me. 

[jno]

that wasn't the question, though, JimF. I'm saying there was more to the "Latin alphabet" than the stonemason's list Wikipedia gives.

[CrapatCryptics2]

Et Tu Brute if I spelt it right ....

[douglas9401]

Jvlivs Caesar wants u as a new recrvit.

In the navy...