The Romans had many words with the -W- Sound in them. Veni, Vidi, and Vici to name a few. The -V- which we inherited was used as BOTH a consonant and a Vowel. (To whomever said the Romans had no Consonant -V-: sorry fella.) The Consonant -V- sounds like an english W, and can be heard in Veni (When-ee) or Vici (Whee-Kee). The Vowel -V- became the vowel -U- in english. We see the Latin vowel V in words such as Tva (Too-Ah). The Romans also had two -I-'s, a consonant pronounced like a -Y-, the first I in Iacio (Yak-Ee-O), or the second I in Iacio. (Which is a verb meaning to throw).
Also: No one knows how Latin was truly pronounced? This is not entirely true. We have a pretty good idea how it was pronounced, sorted out by very clever linguists. However, there's always some jerk who will say "But yes... You don't know for sure do you!" and any good Professor having studied Socrates will admit "Er, Rather, I suppose not." But we are more sure than not on Ciceronian Latin pronounciation.
Hard C's (not Chhhh's of Italian or Ssss's of English) (Caesar becomes Kaiser in German. Not See-ser, and not Cheese-er. Soft V's Mushy J's (like Ys.) and the Vowel sounds are different than english. So, any arguments about "You wouldn't pronounce Benny this way would you!" Have no bearing on this conversation.
A final thought to those who think Latin is useless: illa carmina pulcherrima (this most pretty poem) would be unavailable to me if I didn't speak Latin, save for a soul-less, probably incorrect translation:
Odi et Amo. Quare id faciam, fortasse requiris? Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.
The Romans also had two -I-'s, a consonant pronounced like a -Y-, the first I in Iacio (Yak-Ee-O), or the second I in Iacio. (Which is a verb meaning to throw).
Also: No one knows how Latin was truly pronounced? This is not entirely true. We have a pretty good idea how it was pronounced, sorted out by very clever linguists. However, there's always some jerk who will say "But yes... You don't know for sure do you!" and any good Professor having studied Socrates will admit "Er, Rather, I suppose not." But we are more sure than not on Ciceronian Latin pronounciation.
Hard C's (not Chhhh's of Italian or Ssss's of English) (Caesar becomes Kaiser in German. Not See-ser, and not Cheese-er.
Soft V's
Mushy J's (like Ys.)
and the Vowel sounds are different than english. So, any arguments about "You wouldn't pronounce Benny this way would you!" Have no bearing on this conversation.
A final thought to those who think Latin is useless: illa carmina pulcherrima (this most pretty poem) would be unavailable to me if I didn't speak Latin, save for a soul-less, probably incorrect translation:
Odi et Amo. Quare id faciam, fortasse requiris?
Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.