Iohannis Amos Comenius (Jan Amos Komensky, 1592 - 1670), European scholar and pioneer of modern education, devoted his life and works to young people education. With Orbis Sensualium Pictus (The Visible World in Pictures) (~1658), Comenius is believed to have written the first picture book for children. Conceived as a language textbook, Orbis Sensualium Pictus starts with a description of the Latin alphabet illustrated with natural sounds, such as the sounds produced by the animals. This description constitutes an excellent source for the correct pronunciation of the Latin alphabet.

A a Cornix cornicatur AA. The crow jabbers AA.	B b Agnus balat BEEE. The lamb bleats BEEE.	C c Cicada stridet CI CI. The cicada hisses CI CI.
D d Upupa dicit DU DU. The hoopoe says DU DU.	E e Infans ejulat E E E. The baby laments E E E.	F f Ventus flat FI FI. The wind blows FI FI.
G g Anser gingrit GA GA. The goose cackles GA GA.	H h Os halat HAH HAH. The mouth breathes HAH HAH.	I i (when i is a vowel) Mus mintrit I I I. The mouse squeaks I I I.
K k Anas tetrinit KHA KHA. The duck tittle-tattles KHA KHA. note	L l Lupus ululat LU ULU. The wolf howls LU ULU.	M m Ursus murmurat MUM MUM. The bear roars MUM MUM.
N n Felis clamat NAU NAU. The cat calls NAU NAU.	O o Auriga clamat O O O. The charioteer calls O O O.	P p Pullus pipiat PI PI. The chicken peeps PI PI.
Q q Cuculus cuculat KUK KU. The cuckoo cuckooes KUK KU.	R r Canis ringitur ERR. The dog snarls ERR.	S s Serpens sibilat SI. The snake hisses SI.
T t Graculus clamat TAE TAE. The jackdaw calls TAE TAE.	U u (when u is a vowel) Bubo ululat U U. The owl howls U U.	V v (when u is a consonant) Lepus vagit VA. The hare screams VA. note
X x Rana coaxat COAX. The frog croaks COAX.	Y y Asinus rudit Y Y Y. The donkey brays Y Y Y. note	Z z Tabanus dicit DS DS. The horsefly says DS DS. note

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note

The letter "k", borrowed from the Greek kappa, is quite rare in classical Latin.  It appears mostly in words borrowed from foreign languages or as a variant of "c".  "Karthago" (Carthage) was often spelled "Carthago".

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

note

In classical Latin, the letter "v" was not part of the alphabet.  It was considered as a variant of "u".  The place of the letter in the word helped the user to determine if "u" was a consonant or a vowel since the writing was identical in both cases.  The phrase "Corvus et vulpes" (The crow and the fox) was written as follows: "Coruus et uulpes".  "U" and "v" were interchangeable until the 16th century.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

note

The letter "y", borrowed from the Greek upsilon, is quite rare in classical Latin.  It appears mostly in words borrowed from foreign languages.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

note

The letter "z", borrowed from the Greek zeta, is quite rare in classical Latin.  It appears mostly in words borrowed from foreign languages.