Latin Word Order exercise 47 on page 21.

[Marcus Regulus]

Ok. I have been taking my time but moving along and I reached Exercise 47 on page 21. In this exercise I have been having a little trouble getting the Latin word Order.

In writing your own sentences in latin is seem to be like talking like Yoda in Star Wars. "Around the surviors a perimeter create" for instance.
Is that an accurate assesment?

The questions using quis and cui and others sometimes give me fits as to what the indirect object is too. Is there a rule on that?

Now in Greek you can sometimes see emphasis in words if they are moved out of order. Like the inderect object can be enphasized if it is moved to the front in the sentence ahead of the verb. I may be jumping ahead -- but does latin do something like this?

Thanx for the help.

[benissimus]

In writing your own sentences in latin is seem to be like talking like Yoda in Star Wars. "Around the surviors a perimeter create" for instance.
Is that an accurate assesment?

I suppose, though in that example you have an imperative and imperatives usually (but not always) come at the beginning.

The questions using quis and cui and others sometimes give me fits as to what the indirect object is too. Is there a rule on that?

Not sure what you are are talking about. If you are talking about placement, the relative pronoun often comes first in its clause regardless of its case. Interrogatives just about always come first (except of course when preceded by a preposition).

Now in Greek you can sometimes see emphasis in words if they are moved out of order. Like the inderect object can be enphasized if it is moved to the front in the sentence ahead of the verb. I may be jumping ahead -- but does latin do something like this?

Yes, when words are moved out of the common order it is often the result of some emphasis. If the indirect object comes first in the sentence, it probably is being emphasized, but as I said some things like interrogatives go to the front by default.

[Marcus Regulus]

benissimus,

Thanx. You hit the problem, I just will have to watch the order a little more. Got you on the imparitives. That seems logical, but latin so far seems to make a little more sense than other languages I have tried. Very fluid, but the lack of a definite article might be a headache.

[benissimus]

I'm glad I was able to help, since I wasn't sure if I was really answering your question. As for the lack of articles, I think you will actually find it quite liberating.

[Marcus Regulus]

This is one thing I have noticed between Latin and Greek so far -- the focus in latin seems to be on the ones doing the thing but what they really did and how definite it was seems to be more open. Greek is far more specific as far as action and who did what. I wonder if this is refelctive of a difference in culture and mindset of the two peoples -- Greeks were philosophers for the most part and they would want a definite understanding of truth where Romans are more political and in such a society a little vagueness is just good discretion. Especally in the Roman Senate House.