Vox Canina
Encyclopedia
Vōx Canīna or Littera Canīna (canine letter) was the name used by Romans
to identify their pronunciation (as an alveolar trill) of the Latin letter r (Greek rho), as well as the letter itself. The reason for this terminology was that the sound of a rolled, voiced, non-initial r was thought by the Romans to be similar in sound to a dog's growl.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
to identify their pronunciation (as an alveolar trill) of the Latin letter r (Greek rho), as well as the letter itself. The reason for this terminology was that the sound of a rolled, voiced, non-initial r was thought by the Romans to be similar in sound to a dog's growl.