Does Latin have lax vowels? Refuting the qualities [ɪ] and [ʊ] for ĭ and ŭ in Classical Latin

Описание: How are Latin vowels supposed to be pronounced? In this video I evaluate the pronunciation of Latin vowels according to W. Sydney Allen in his book Vox Latina, confronting his hypotheses with the inscriptional and linguistic evidence. Based on the data presented by J.N. Adams and Andrea Calabrese, I conclude that Allen's system is incorrect for Classical Latin. This is the most detailed video I have made to date on the topic of the pronunciation of Latin vowels, and while a long video, I promise that patient viewers will find many interesting and important ideas that will help them to make their own decisions with respect to reciting, speaking, and teaching Latin.

See below for timestamps.

Many thanks to ‪@Glossologia‬ Raphael Turrigiano for his years of collaboration and friendship, whose guidance in these topics has been quintessential. He made extraordinary contributions to this study.

Timeline of authors of Latin, including the grammarians:
https://bit.ly/ranierilatingreekauthors

SOURCES

Vox Latina, by W. Sidney Allen
https://amzn.to/3WdPxSY

Calabrese, A., 2022, On the evolution of short high vowels of Latin into Romance

Social Variation and the Latin Language, by JN Adams
https://amzn.to/3TQ4tVF

The Regional Diversification of Latin 200 BC - AD 600, by JN Adams
https://amzn.to/3TRGZ2w

An Anthology of Informal Latin, 200 BC–AD 900: Fifty Texts with Translations and Linguistic Commentary, by JN Adams
https://amzn.to/3gSPOdM

Early and Late Latin: Continuity or Change?, by JN Adams
https://amzn.to/3WcqzDn

Late Latin and Early Romance in Spain and Carolingian France, by Roger Wright
https://amzn.to/3gVkgE0

The Roman Pronunciation of Latin, by Frances E. Lord
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7528/...

Breve grammatica storica dell’italiano, by Paolo D’Achille
https://amzn.to/3fcfv8V

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00:00:00 BLUF: Latin pronunciation as taught is wrong
00:00:57 Allen's argument for ĭ = [ɪ] and ŭ = [ʊ] from Vox Latina
00:08:30 Ancient grammarians' commentary
00:20:30 J.N. Adams' Social Variation and the Latin Language
00:22:06 Repeat of Allen's argument
00:27:42 Vowel confusions in Early Republican Latin
00:29:50 Alternative explanation #1 for Early Republican Latin mispellings: scribal confusion during pre-Classical vowel shift
00:31:54 Alternative explanation #2 for Early Republican Latin mispellings: vowel space differences between Greek and Latin
00:43:59 Adams' conclusion on Early Republican Latin mispellings
00:46:02 Early Imperial evidence for changes in the front-vowel system
00:57:05 Pompeii graffiti
01:00:44 4 ways of interpreting "dicet" at Pompeii
01:01:32 Allen's argument reviewed & further statistics
01:02:58 Sardinian & Pompeiian vowels are quite similar
01:08:58 Latin and Oscan vowel systems
01:11:38 Later Latin and front vowels
01:13:20 Review of what we've learned so far
01:17:53 Back-vowel merger evidence
01:22:08 Conclusion on back-vowel merger from Early Republican through Early Imperial times
01:22:52 Later Latin and back vowels
01:24:50 Conclusions on front and back vowel mergers
01:26:43 Regional variation
01:29:23 Adams' final conclusions; social variation & vowels
01:32:06 Allen's argument reviewed again
01:36:10 Diphthongs
01:42:03 Blowing off space dust: Allen's argument reviewed once more
01:44:00 Calabrese's argument from "On the evolution of short high vowels of Latin into Romance"
01:49:00 The strongest evidence for ĭ = [i] and ŭ = [u]
01:51:03 Map of Romance languages with ĭ to [i] and ŭ to [u]
01:54:30 Calabrese's conclusion
01:56:46 Devil's advocate: could Allen still be right that vowel quantity languages centralize short vowels?
02:02:30 Final review of Allen's argument: does it stand up to scrutiny?
02:03:45 Conclusion