What is elision in Latin poetry?
ELISON: If a word ends in a vowel (e.g. vento), or a vowel + m (e.g. vitam), AND the next word begins with a vowel or h, the vowel, and the m/h are not scanned and generally not pronounced. 1 This is called elision and is marked thus: vento et.
Does Latin have diphthongs?
Syllables: Every Latin word has as many syllables as it does vowels or diphthongs. (Diphthongs are double vowels which form one sound. The most common Latin diphthongs are ae, oe, and au.) Unlike English, which has silent letters, in Latin each consonant, vowel and diphthong is pronounced separately.