Idle question

[Bardo de Saldo]

Someone told me today that when you learn Latin in the U.S.A., you're taught to write your Latin sentences in this order: subject-verb-direct object-indirect object. Ave Maria purissima! (Sine labe concepta.)

I didn't want to believe such a blasphemy and defended my quasi-compatriots' syntactical honor with cape and sword. Please tell me it's not true!

[reltuk]

All I know is that the prevailing college textbook is Wheelock's Latin, and, unless my memory betrays me, it supports a "normal" word order of:

subject, indirect object, direct object, verb.

--reltuk

[edonnelly]

subject, indirect object, direct object, verb.

This is certainly what I was taught (with the exceptions for emphasis, etc.) in high school 20 years ago. I don't recall the textbook, of course, but it was not Wheelock's.

[Democritus]

Someone told me today that when you learn Latin in the U.S.A., you're taught to write your Latin sentences in this order: subject-verb-direct object-indirect object.

We were never taught this.

[CharlesH]

edited for brevity

[benissimus]

Someone told me today that when you learn Latin in the U.S.A., you're taught to write your Latin sentences in this order: subject-verb-direct object-indirect object. Ave Maria purissima! (Sine labe concepta.)

I am afraid that most of the students I have met in real life do not write Latin sentences at all, much less in the wrong order!

[Episcopus]

tu semper rideam facis

(p.p.)

[Lucus Eques]

Quisnam rideas facit?

Rationem habebas uideter, mi Episcope, Americanos perraro Latine scribere discere cum dixisses. O factum male ...

LV·EQ