Changes

== Syntax ==

== Syntax ==

Because Latin is so highly inflected, in simple sentences, word order is irrelevant.  Thus ''Canis puerum mordet'' (The dog bites the boy) has exactly the same meaning as ''Mordet canis puerum'' or ''Puerum mordet canis''.  Nevertheless, Latin did have the tendency to settle into customary word orders, generally with the verb at the end of the sentence.  It was this tendency that led to the change from an inflected language to a more analytic one in the case of the Romance languages.

Because Latin is so highly inflected, in simple sentences, [[Grammar#Syntax|word order]] is irrelevant.  Thus ''Canis puerum mordet'' (The dog bites the boy) has exactly the same meaning as ''Mordet canis puerum'' or ''Puerum mordet canis''.  Nevertheless, Latin did have the tendency to settle into customary word orders, generally with the verb at the end of the sentence.  It was this tendency that led to the change from an inflected language to a more analytic one in the case of the Romance languages.

When translating, it is always important to pay close attention to the words at the beginning and end of a sentence.  This position connotes the importance of the word to the writer's thought, if not the actual meaning as in English.

When translating, it is always important to pay close attention to the words at the beginning and end of a sentence.  This position connotes the importance of the word to the writer's thought, if not the actual meaning as in English.