What is it about?
This article analyses word order patterns that occur in the Latin inscriptions carved on the Colossus of Memnon. This corpus of 45 Latin inscriptions conveying stereotyped messages enables us to compare texts showing a similar information structure with a few word order variations. In the inscriptions under examination, Focus constituents occupy the sentence-final position in the majority of cases, but with several exceptions.
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Why is it important?
This unique corpus of inscriptions on the Colossus of Memnon is therefore helpful for our understanding of how Latin word order works.
Perspectives
To study word order, it is always important to collect minimal pairs to discern similarities and differences.
Prof. Olga Spevak
University of Toulouse
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Audivi Memnonem (‘I Heard Memnon’), Mnemosyne, November 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/1568525x-bja10367.
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