Expert: Maria - 9/28/2010

Question
Hi Maria,

I read your earlier response regarding fortune favours the bold being translated as Audaces Fortuna Iuvat. I am getting a painting done and would like to know if there are any accents on this phrase and where they are.

Thanks,

Jim

Answer
Hello,

actually there are no accents on “Audaces Fortuna Iuvat”  or “Audentes Fortuna Iuvat”  which is  the original quote from Virgil’s Aeneid, Book 10, line 28, where “Audentes” has the same meaning as “Audaces”, i.e. “the bold”.

In Latin in fact  there are no written accent marks, but only some rules that  indicate where the stress or emphasis falls on a word when it is pronounced, as you can read below.

Therefore you don't need to put any accent on “Audaces Fortuna Iuvat” or “Audentes Fortuna Iuvat”, if you want to use the original quotation from Virgil.

Best regards,
Maria
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General  rules for Latin accentuation.

1-Words of two syllables are accented on the first syllable: as e.g. “Roma”  where the emphasis falls on the O and then the word is pronounced as if there is an accent on the vowel O in the first syllable "Ro".

2-Words of more than two syllables are accented on the Penultimate syllable (second-to-last syllable), if that is long.
See “amicus” (a-mi-cus) where the vowel "i" in the Penultimate syllable is long and then the word is pronounced as if there is an accent on the "i".

3-Words of more than two syllables are accented on the  Antepenultimate syllable (third-to-last syllable), if the Penult is short, as in “dominus” (do-mi-nus) where the vowel "i" in the penultimate syllable  is short and then the word is pronounced as if there is an accent on the O.

To conclude, I know that this is difficult matter, but I have thought that it was useful to you.