Sunday, July 5, 2009

Ova Aurea (Via Latina)

SOURCE: Via Latina. For more information and other versions, see the links list for Perry 87.

For help in reading the story, try pasting the unmarked text into NoDictionaries.com (see more tips here).

READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons or accent marks - and read the text out loud until you feel comfortable and confident. Then, try reading the unmarked text at the bottom. It should be easy for you after practicing with the marked texts. :-)


MACRONS. Here is the text with macrons:

Mulier quaedam habēbat gallīnam, quae eī quotīdiē ōvum pariēbat aureum. Hinc suspicārī coepit illam aurī massam intus cēlāre, et gallīnam occīdit. Sed nihil in eā reperit, nisi quod in aliīs gallīnīs reperīrī solet.


ACCENT MARKS. Here is the text with ecclesiastical accents, plus some color-coding for the words of three or more syllables (blue: penultimate stress; red: antepenultimate stress):

Múlier quaedam habébat gallínam, quae ei quotídie ovum pariébat aúreum. Hinc suspicári coepit illam auri massam intus celáre, et gallínam occídit. Sed nihil in ea réperit, nisi quod in áliis gallínis reperíri solet.


UNMARKED TEXT. Here is the unmarked text - after practicing with the marked text that you prefer, you should not have any trouble with the unmarked text:

Mulier quaedam
habebat gallinam,
quae
ei quotidie ovum pariebat aureum.
Hinc suspicari coepit
illam
auri massam intus celare,
et gallinam occidit.
Sed nihil in ea reperit,
nisi quod
in aliis gallinis
reperiri solet.



Here is an illustration from the Medici Aesop, which is online at the New York Public Library website.