Learn Latin from the Romans A Complete Introductory Course Using Textbooks from the Roman Empire

There are many different pronunciations of Latin. Currently the most common in English-speaking countries is the restored ancient pronunciation described below, which is a fairly close approximation of the way educated Romans of the late Republic pronounced Latin. Even in antiquity, however, there was some variation in pronunciation, and this variation greatly increased in the middle ages, when Latin was commonly pronounced like the pronouncer’s native language. Remnants of the diverse pronunciations produced by this system can be found in what is now known as ecclesiastical or church Latin (which is effectively pronounced like Italian) and in Latin names that have become part of the English language (which are effectively pronounced like English). For example the name Cicerō is pronounced Kikero in the restored pronunciation, Cheechero in the ecclesiastical pronunciation, and Sisero in the English pronunciation.