Michigan Latin represents a way of teaching the language which takes into consideration many modern advancements in the field of linguistics. Traditional grammars reflect a stage in thinking about language that was consolidated during the middle ages. Such traditional grammars focus on morphology (the form of the individual word) in describing and teaching language. In Michigan Latin, we focus on the sentence and the relationships between the words in it (syntax) as the primary focus in describing and teaching the language. We also teach how sentences relate to each other in a connected text. We believe that this approach produces better and more efficient readers. If you learned your Latin elsewhere, many of your skills acquired there will be directly transferable. These skills will be expanded and refined. You will learn how to organize your existing knowledge into practical categories. In the process, you will be acquiring critical thinking skills and skills in organizing information. These, in addition to your improved grasp of Latin, will help you cope with the information overload that modern man has to navigate. Our former students in the Elementary Latin program adjusted both to the terminology and to some new ways of thinking about language (Latin and English) fairly easily. The following is a description of the areas where you may encounter adjustment challenges:

I. Terminology

• You will find that your class-mates and the instructor use terms that are not familiar to you. Solution: Consult the Glossary of Terms , the Kernel Tutorial and the the illustrated PowerPoint Kernel and Modifier tutorials available on-line. Read carefully the first pages of the Course-pack and the first lesson in LfR.
• In the area of Morphology, you will discover
  • that some of the verb-tenses have slightly different names. In Michigan Latin the tenses are classified according to aspect: Imperfective (the action is on-going, incomplete, "imperfect") and Perfective (the action is completed, finished, "perfect"). You will never be penalized for using the terms that you are accustomed to, but you will need to understand the Michigal Latin terms for the Tenses of the verb.
    

    Traditional Term	Michigan Latin Term
    Present Tense	Present Imperfective Tense
    Future Tense	Future Imperfective Tense
    Imperfect Tense	Past Imperfective Tense
    Perfect Tense	Present Perfective Tense
    Future Pefect Tense	Future Perfective Tense
    Pluperfect Tense	Past Perfective Tense

  • that the cases in the noun-declensions are listed in a different order. There is a statistical and scientific reason behind this different ordering. Nominative and Accusative are the statistically most frequently occurring cases. These cases also function most frequently as kernel item (core element, part of the basic structure of the sentence). The least frequently used case is the Genitive and therefore, it appears at the end of the list.
    

    Order to which you are used to	Order in Michigan Latin
    Nominative	Nominative
    Genitive	Accusative
    Dative	Ablative
    Accusative	Dative
    Ablative	Genitive

II. New ways of thinking about the language:

• You will be asked to fill out a kernel chart. The kernel-chart is a frame-work for diagramming a sentence, something that probably you have done before. The kernel-chart is a form of a sytnax drill through which you get yourself accustomed to sorting out which are the structurally obligatory parts of the sentence (kernels) and which are just helpers (modifiers). It is also a great tool for sorting out a particularly complex sentence and fully understanding how the Latin in it works. So, the kernel chart is a tool for practicing syntax skills and a tool for problem-solving and enhancing comprehension. It is not an end, but just a means to acquire useful skills. The chart will contain abbreviations that you do not understand. Print out a hand-out that explains those abbreviations. Also, visit your instructor in office hours or stop by the study center to get help in acquainting yourself with this tool. You need to be able to fill out a kernel chart on your own by Exam 2.
• .You will be asked to metaphrase a group of words that do not form a complete sentence. Read the section on Metaphrasing in Lesson 1 of LfR. Do exx. 13 and 14 in LfR and consult your instructor if you do not understand this technique for learining to read Latin.
• You will be asked to give a form I.D. for a word. If that word is a noun, you need to give CASE NUMBER GENDER
  If the word is a verb, you need to give PERSON, NUMBER TENSE/ASPECT MOOD VOICE (for finite verbs), TENSE/ASPECT and VOICE (for infinitives) and TENSE/ASPECT VOICE CASE NUMBER GENDER ( for participles).
• When you are asked about the syntactic function of a word, the expected answer is to describe what the relationship of that word is to other words in the sentence. For instance, the syntactic function of rosam in Puer rosam carpit is a direct object to the main verb carpit.