,transcribed from the #ahie ,thomas ,brown pamphlet by ,david ,price1 ccx#jgdpglaf4org ,,entered ,,at ,,stationer',s ,,hall4 ,,the ,,aural ,,system2 ,,being ,,the ,,most ,,direct1 ,,the ,,straight-,,line ,,method ,,for ,,the ,,simultaneous ,,fourfold ,,mastery ,,of ,a ,,foreign ,,language ,,teaching ,,simultaneously ,,to ,,speak1 ,,understand1 ,,read1 ,,and ,,write1 ,,by ,a ,linguist of nearly #dj years standing1 and nearly #bj years resident abroad4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,bradford3 ,,thos4 ,,brown1 ,,printer1 #caa1 ,,manchester ,,road4 #ahie4 ,respecting the time required to learn a language1 the writer ventures to recommend the way he himself took when a boy to solve this question4 ,having made choice of a known grammar1 the exercises of which promise a satisfactory degree of proficiency1 let the student affix to each and all of the lessons at the outset1 the dates when they are to be done and observe them4 ,some weeks a little perseverance and determination may be necessary1 but let him be inflexible with himself1 curtail his indulgences if required and his task will be done with ease4 ,subsequent studies are pleasant and easy4 99 99 99 99 99 ,some time ago1 a ,mr4 ,wm4 ,rodger came down from ,glasgow for the purpose of showing how foreign languages should be taught4 ,he brought on a gentleman1 a clergyman from ,leeds1 who had gone through ,otto's ,german ,grammar without being able either to speak or understand ,german2 this gentleman was able to bear testimony to the merit of ,mr4 ,rodger's system because by it he had learnt to do both4 ,of course his testimony rested on one assumption4 ,it assumed that having gone through ,otto's ,grammar all learnt from it had been forgotten1 and that the whole merit of his success was due to ,mr4 ,rodger's method4 ,mr4 ,rodger was of opinion1 that foreign languages should be learnt as a child learns its mother tongue4 ,it seemed to me a strange use to make of the reason and intelligence of the adult1 to cast it aside as useless and to ask the youth and man to become a child again4 ,it appeared to me the most wasteful of methods4 ,is language a science1 and if so1 what would be thought of a similar proposal for acquiring any other science8 ,but are the cases parallel8 ,is there any similarity of circumstance8 ,can the youth and man again place themselves in the circumstances of the child8 ,the child is constantly hearing the language spoken1 everyone around it is teaching it to speak1 everything around it stimulates it to do so4 ,nearly everything it learns1 comes to it through its mother tongue2 at play it hears1 it speaks4 ,at five years of age it begins to go to school1 and from that time until its fourteenth or sixteenth year1 whatever else it studies1 it must study its mother tongue4 ,all other knowledge reaches it through this medium4 ,every other study compels the study and practice of its mother tongue and allowing ten hours per day for sleep1 by the time it is fourteen years of age seventy-one thousand six hundred hours have been spent in such study and practice4 ,let us take the case of the youth or man who commences the study of a foreign language4 ,he has found that a foreign language will be of use to him or has become necessary to him in his work4 ,he begins to study it and takes the usual one lesson per week of one hour's duration4 ,in a year he has spent fifty hours with the teacher2 if he devoted two or three hours weekly to the preparation of each lesson1 he will have spent #aej to #bjj hours per annum upon it1 or1 less absences and omissions1 perhaps #adj or #ahj hours upon its study4 ,this makes fourteen days of ten hours or perhaps three weeks as against fourteen years spent by the child upon its mother tongue4 ,multiply this amount of fourteen days by two or three1 and grammar is still seen by comparison to have accomplished a stupendous miracle4 ,but even this disparity is not complete1 for whilst the child1 whether at work or play1 never ceases to study and practice its native language1 and this is by far its principal occupation1 the youth and man1 on the other hand1 devote to the study of a foreign language1 the remnants1 the odds and ends of their time1 after having exhausted their energies in their work4 ,these were the considerations that occurred to me on thinking over ,mr4 ,rodger's prospectus4 ,nevertheless1 it was impossible to regard as satisfactory a method of tuition or study1 which left the pupil unable to understand or speak a language after having gone through a grammar like that of ,otto4 ,the ,grammatical ,method being one which does not seek to render easy and simple at the cost of efficiency1 by eluding and evading the difficulties and peculiarities of a language1 but being the one which fairly meets and masters them3 there can be no question of dispensing with its valuable assistance4 ,the wise course is to adopt that method of using it1 which will enable us to derive most benefit from its teachings1 and ensure success4 ,it is for this purpose the following has been written4 ,it follows from this1 that if the pupil's time admit1 the most complete ,grammar is the best4 ,we have been amongst the most backward in this branch of study1 but our grammars since then have been largely borrowed from our more successful competitors2 from those who excelled as much in modern languages as we ourselves in industry4 ,they are in many instances the work of foreign specialists and experts1 they are the very instruments of success used by our most successful rivals1 how then can they be inadequate8 ,translation has put us into possession of the best works used by our foreign rivals1 and if we are less successful than they1 it is due1 as a ,swiss correspondent of the ,manchester ,guardian recently stated1 not to the superior aptitude1 but to the superior application of the foreigner4 ,the writer first commenced studying foreign languages nearly forty years ago1 and has resided for nearly twenty years in various foreign countries4 ,his experience with regard to those who learn foreign languages has been that those who commence the practice of a foreign language with a previous knowledge of its ,grammar1 learn to speak it with an ease1 confidence and correctness never attained by those who try to dispense with such preparation and study4 ,on the other hand those who have learnt to speak without such study1 contract vicious and faulty locutions1 and rarely if ever make good the deficiency4 ,they are compelled of course to form a rough ,grammar of their own1 upon incomplete information1 and have to do so hastily and imperfectly4 ,for writing1 where precision and accuracy are required a knowledge not based upon ,grammar is next to worthless4 ,most pupils have a fourfold object in studying a language2 they wish to be able to read and write1 to speak and to understand it4 ,by what method could this be most easily achieved8 ,if this work could be performed simultaneously1 it would effect a saving of time and labour1 as well as impress what was being studied more deeply upon the memory4 ,the memory for sound1 form1 music1 figures1 spelling1 etc41 appears to be distinct and to vary in each one4 ,if the memory for sound could be brought more into play1 it must help to retain more tenaciously what was learnt4 ,of course1 the pupil can only expect to be master of the language so far as he has studied and learnt4 ,he cannot expect to reap where he has not sown4 ,within this limit he learns to read1 in preparing the lesson1 and to write1 in writing out the exercises4 ,but ,mr4 ,charles ,sauer says in the preface to his ,italian ,grammar #eth ,ed41 page iv41 ,everyone who has occupied himself with study of modern languages knows1 that by far the more difficult task is to understand the foreign language1 7i4e41 when spoken47 ,that cannot be called a success which leaves the most difficult part of the task unaccomplished1 nor can it be wise to allow difficulties to amass and accumulate1 if they can be mastered in detail as they present themselves4 ,the task is the education of the ear and tongue and this can only be done by practice4 ,to learn to understand the language when spoken1 one must hear it spoken2 to learn to speak it1 one must speak it4 ,it may even have its advantages if such conversation keep within the range of the pupil's knowledge4 ,he thus feels that he ought1 must1 and can understand1 if he try4 ,if the pupil speak to himself both these results are attained4 ,this he can do by studying aloud4 ,his tongue will educate his ear and familiarise it with the new sounds1 whilst the ear will correct the tongue4 ,i assume1 of course1 that he is under the guidance of a teacher2 in this case with attention to the teacher's pronunciation and care1 and a little effort on his own part1 he should soon pronounce correctly1 easily1 and well4 ,by translating the exercises aloud1 from five to twenty times1 they should become as familiar to him as ,english4 ,but whether translating into or from ,english1 the foreign sentences should always be uttered aloud clearly and distinctly4 ,it is1 of course1 a drawback1 that in this translation aloud and alone of the exercises1 the eye should anticipate the ear in conveying the words to the brain1 but1 when full allowance has been made for this1 the gain for the pupil is still immense as compared with the silent method of study4 ,the learner should not be satisfied with being able to translate the exercises1 he should aim at being able to use his new tongue with the same ease1 readiness and fluency1 as his native language4 ,at each successive translation1 he gains in this respect whilst engraving his newly acquired knowledge more deeply on his memory4 ,the exercise which the first time required fifteen minutes to translate1 the fifth time will probably take but three4 ,a chief difficulty being the education of the ear1 and the time spent with the teacher being the pupil's best opportunity for this1 the lesson for the pupil so far as possible should be aural1 the exercises being spoken by the teacher to the pupil for translation and the pupil's translations likewise being spoken4 ,the pupil's book should be kept closed during the translation4 ,supposing the pupil to be studying ,french4 ,the teacher should first speak the ,french exercise in ,french1 the pupil translating each sentence as spoken1 into ,english4 #b4 ,then taking the ,english exercise1 the teacher should translate it aloud into ,french1 the pupil retranslating each sentence1 when spoken1 into ,english4 #c4 ,the teacher should then speak each sentence of the ,english exercise in ,english2 the pupil translating each sentence in a distinct voice into ,french4 #d4 ,the teacher should then translate aloud sentence by sentence1 the ,french exercise into ,english2 the pupil retranslating each sentence into ,french4 ,this will double the exercises1 which are usually rather scanty4 ,as we see1 this part of the lesson is for the pupil exclusively aural and oral2 he works through the ear and tongue only1 his book being kept closed4 ,in working alone at the preparation of his lesson1 there is the disadvantage for the ear1 that1 before the sound reaches it1 the eye has conveyed the meaning to the brain1 but when working with the teacher as above1 this drawback is obviated4 ,the test is indeed a more severe one than actual conversation would be4 ,when conversing1 the subject is known1 and the question suggests the reply2 but with disconnected sentences1 no such help is forthcoming4 ,the pupil can much hasten his own progress by varying the exercises1 forming of them question and answer1 changing tenses and moods of verbs1 varying them so far as he can trying how far he can make conversation out of them4 ,this method has further the advantage of showing the pupil plainly1 week by week1 the progress he is making and the remedy being in his own hands1 he becomes responsible for his own failure4 ,if he cannot translate freely and easily1 when with the teacher1 he cannot expect later to speak freely and naturally1 when he comes to engage in actual conversation with foreigners4 ,his remedy is to translate his exercises alone1 until he can do so1 as readily1 as if they were ,english4 ,the shyness and diffidence that so frequently accompany first attempts to converse are not experienced under this method4 ,one reason why pupils in conversation fail to understand readily is because they do not know the verbs well2 do not know their grammar2 a sentence does not convey to them at once a definite meaning1 and whilst engaged in puzzling out the meaning of what has already been said they cannot give their undivided attention to what their interlocutor is just saying4 ,i have described the manner in which on ,mr4 ,wm4 ,rodger's visit in ,march #ahia1 ,i was led to this method4 ,theoretically it seemed to me sound1 and after having since tested it practically1 ,i do not think its merit exaggerated4 ,in ,april last #ahid1 a ,french ,grammar by ,mr4 ,paul ,baume was brought under my notice4 ,mr4 ,baume recommends a similar method between teacher and pupil1 but omits to state how the pupil can best prepare himself for it4 ,mr4 ,baume1 will1 ,i think find the difficulties he mentions to disappear1 if the pupil prepare himself as ,i have prescribed4 ,i have never encountered such difficulties1 and attribute this to the fact1 that ,i always recommend pupils to prepare themselves by studying aloud4 ,mr4 ,baume says he has practised his method with considerable success during twenty years4 ,i was not very much surprised at having been partially anticipated by ,mr4 ,baume1 for1 while error is infinite1 the truth is one2 there can be only one straight line between two points1 and this seems to me the most direct1 the straightest way to the simultaneous fourfold acquirement of a language4 ,with a ,grammar like that of ,otto an expeditious mode of learning words is desirable4 ,perhaps the quickest1 is to transcribe the words to be learnt1 into parallel columns and covering up each column in turn1 to run down them ten or more times4 ,whilst doing this the foreign words should always be pronounced aloud4 ,the transcription impresses the spelling on the memory1 and where the written alphabet differs from the ,english affords valuable practice4 ,arminius ,vambery thought it a matter for congratulation when having begun by learning ten words daily1 he was able to reach sixty4 ,the column of twenty foreign words can be mastered in about one quarter of an hour1 and ,i have myself done over #bjj at this rate on some days1 though ,i do not say they can be retained without repetition4 ,lord ,dufferin says that in a work of about #fjj pages1 there will probably be three thousand words of which the meaning will be unknown to the student4 ,a list should be made of them1 and they can be conveniently mastered at the rate of forty daily and thus all learnt in three months4 ,with each successive work1 the process should be repeated1 until it becomes unnecessary4 ,he adds that this has the advantage that1 if necessary1 after a long interval1 by preserving such lists1 the words can be relearnt with little trouble4 ,an able ,swiss authority recommends the pupil to learn from #aj1jjj to #ab1jjj words of each language1 dividing them into three or four classes according to their usefulness or frequency of occurrence4 ,he recommends their periodical repetition4 ,asher's ,german ,correspondent and ,booch-,arkossy in the ,eco de ,madrid recommend the translation of a good idiomatic work into ,english and its translation into the language of the original1 carefully comparing such retranslation with the original and noting mistakes4 ,with the teacher1 such translation may be made by word of mouth1 the teacher translating into ,english and the pupil retranslating each sentence when uttered into the language of the original4 ,another method is to read and translate some idiomatic foreign work4 ,at the end of the paragraph1 the teacher forms questions from each sentence1 to which the pupil replies4 ,so soon as able1 the pupil1 in turn1 questions4 ,this is ,i believe substantially the old ,robertsonian method4 ,the pupil can prepare his lesson by framing both question and answer himself4 ,it is excellent drill4 ,good practice in speaking is also to be obtained by the pupil's narrating to the teacher in the language of the original1 the contents of each paragraph4 ,he need not of course attempt to recite by heart the words of the text1 but merely repeat the sense4 ,mr4 ,chardenal recommends the pupil to translate mentally an increasing number of sentences daily and to repeat them as frequently as possible during the day4 ,the sentences should illustrate important rules4 ,his object is to induce mental work1 personal labour on the part of the pupil4 ,arminius ,vambery's method was to enter into imaginary conversations with himself4 ,all these methods do not mean discordance but agreement4 ,all methods which concurrently with ,grammar1 mean practice or induce it1 are good4 ,this is the pith and secret of all successful systems3 practice with method often1 much1 and aloud but by all means master the ,grammar as quickly and thoroughly as possible1 and thus practice strengthens grammar1 while grammar guides and illumines practice4 ,dr4 ,abercrombie in his work1 ,intellectual ,powers chapter ,memory1 says the depth1 the permanence of an impression on the mind depends upon the distinctness of the perception1 the intensity with which it is contemplated1 the length of time during which it is kept before the mind1 the impression being very much strengthened by being repeatedly brought before the mind4 ,this labour must be a voluntary act on the part of the individual4 ,he adds3 ,the habit of listless activity should be carefully guarded against by the young1 and the utmost care should be taken to cultivate the opposite1 namely1 of directing the mind intensely to whatever comes before it in reading or observation4 ,this may be considered as forming the foundation of a sound intellectual character4 ,lord ,macaulay attributed his marvellous memory to a very simple method1 adopted when a boy4 ,when reading1 at the bottom of each page1 he required himself to give an account of its contents4 ,at the outset1 said he1 he needed to reperuse the page three or four times1 but he ended by being able almost to recite a book from beginning to end after having once read it through4 ,this is also the essential feature recommended by ,dr4 ,abercrombie in his ,intellectual ,powers chapter on memory4 ,such a method of summarising each letter1 order1 invoice1 or conversation at its close would also give good results to the ,merchant1 ,clerk1 or ,traveller1 both in leaving a clear impression and in strengthening the memory4 ,it certainly seems to me an excellent way for mastering the rules1 and would admit of their recapitulation each time the exercises are gone through4 ,reading aloud is also an excellent practice4 ,it improves the pronunciation and trains or keeps the ear in practice4 ,its benefit is not to be measured by what is retained by the memory4 ,it confers also a benefit similar to that which is derived from a course of arithmetic4 ,grammatical peculiarities may be noted at the end of the book1 and the page added4 ,as the limbs are invigorated and strengthened by suitable exercise1 so the powers of the mind are strengthened and developed by following a great mind at its best1 following its train of thought1 of reason4 ,mr4 ,john ,cryer in his school board electioneering address1 #ahid1 ranges promising pupils in the order of workers1 plodders and bright ones4 ,the last are frequently overrated1 the memory more quick than retentive4 ,wie gewonnen1 so zerronnen1 ,lightly come1 lightly go1 mere quickness may prove a will o' the wisp1 and may be peculiar to one subject1 but the capacity for patient1 honest1 painstaking work is a vastly more valuable quality1 which can be applied with fair success to any pursuit4 ,it gives earnest of the sense of duty1 of responsibility1 and that capacity for self-sacrifice1 which peculiarly fit and qualify their possessor for positions of trust and responsibility2 it is a pledge that the amount of labour will be forthcoming to render equal to the position4 ,practice makes perfect says the proverb4 ,habit becomes second nature and the facility and aptitude which nature sometimes bestows as a free gift can be acquired at the cost of application and diligence4 ,whilst mastering the first language the pupil is also learning how to learn languages1 each successive one becomes more easy4 ,let the pupil make it a rule always to do his best4 ,he will naturally take a pride and a pleasure in work well done1 and by continually striving and studying to do better1 he cannot fail to improve in it4 ,this is the road to honest success1 to happiness and to self-improvement3 this will continually enlarge his capabilities and strengthen his natural powers1 and1 even if he fail in accomplishing all he aimed at1 there can be no better consolation than that of knowing that he has nothing to reproach himself with that he has manfully done his best1 and that he is the better for the effort4 ,in their desire to disparage and discredit the already existing system of learning ,foreign ,languages by means of a ,grammar1 the exponents of the ,natural ,method and ,method of ,nature choose to ignore the existence of the large number of ,linguists who have acquired their knowledge through a ,grammar4 ,mr4 ,,gouin is of opinion that one can learn a language perfectly in #ijj hours1 or #cjj lessons of three hours each1 one can know enough ,french to feel at home in ,france1 to understand what is said in street1 cafe1 or railway1 to read a ,french newspaper with ease and to talk ,french with a ,french accent in six months lessons of #b hours each1 five days per week--see ,review of ,reviews #ahib1 page #eab1 and ,january1 #ahic4 ,most teachers under the ,grammatical ,method have to achieve success or make the best of one lesson of one hour weekly4 ,this is one-fifteenth1 or one-tenth of the time per week mentioned by ,mr4 ,,gouin4 ,the saving of time shown by the ,grammatical ,method is due to generalisation4 ,it distributes words into classes1 defines the laws or rules that govern their use1 and regulates the construction of sentences4 ,sentences are thus taught in groups and not singly4 ,the pupil learns to construct sentences1 and does not simply learn by heart to repeat them4 ,he can thus supply himself at will with an infinite number4 ,if he fail thus to apply his knowledge1 only his own lack of diligence is in fault4 ,the writer first commenced the study of languages nearly forty years ago1 and during this time he has spent nearly twenty years abroad1 in various foreign countries1 but he never met with a case where a pupil had continuously1 daily1 earnestly1 and honestly devoted one-fourth of the time mentioned by ,mr4 ,gouin to the study of a good grammar of a foreign language who could reasonably complain of failure1 nor indeed a shorter space of time applied under the same conditions which did not meet with a proportionate measure of success4 ,the titles of the new methods have been adroitly chosen1 they claim to be those of nature and by implication stigmatise the ,grammatical method as unnatural4 ,they profess that they teach a foreign language as a child learns to speak its mother tongue4 ,a very high classical authority coupled ratio et oratio reason and speech as complements and indubitably speech can only improve and develop as the mind unfolds and matures4 ,those who adopt the new method appear to think the limitations imposed by the immature child's mind worthy of imitation when dealing with the riper adult4 ,rule of ,thumb has the advantage that being born of and acquired by practice it can be applied and put into practice1 but it is certainly rather late in the day to revert to it in the acquirement of languages4 ,we have had some experience of ,rule of ,thumb in this town4 ,the ,grammatical ,methods of teaching languages are those of teaching any science in a thorough manner4 ,they classify the various parts of speech for the purpose of reducing them to rule1 these are studied in detail and the rule defines the conditions and limitations under which they can be used in construction4 ,this rule teaches us how we can correctly form thousands of sentences on the model of one1 instead of regarding each as so many distinct phenomena4 ,one ,grammarian1 ,lennie1 #dgth ,ed41 defines ,grammar as the art of speaking and writing the ,english ,language with propriety4 ,i venture to say that in dealing with a foreign language one cannot express one's self with accuracy1 nay one cannot be confident of expressing one's own meaning at all without a grammatical knowledge of it4 ,but1 of course1 speech means practice1 and no amount of theory can become a substitute for this4 ,mr4 ,gouin was a youthful unmarried student of ,caen ,university distinguished by a capacious but not very retentive memory4 ,he was sent by the ,professors to attend lectures at ,berlin ,university and ,hamburg and proceeded to master ,german4 ,he learnt the ,german ,grammar in ten days4 ,but being unable to understand the lectures he learns the #ajjj ,german roots in four days1 and again tries the lecture room with the same ill-success4 ,he then decided to learn the ,german ,dictionary by heart and did so in one month1 but on again attending the lecture room1 he was still unable to understand4 ,he passed ten months in similar efforts and states that on one occasion he attended the lectures for a whole week1 without understanding a single sentence4 ,he subsequently states1 that his previous ten months work1 so far from being useful to him in a new effort was detrimental4 ,he had a wrong pronunciation1 and there was not a single verb in the whole language to which he did not attribute a meaning other than the true one4 ,he had to unlearn1 then relearn4 ,after ten months labours he returned to ,france unsuccessful4 ,under a teacher's guidance1 with much less labour1 he would have achieved an unqualified success4 ,by observing a young nephew of four years he is led to his present method4 ,he returns to ,germany1 puts it into practice1 and is speedily and eminently successful4 ,he banishes ,dictionary1 ,grammar1 ,roots1 ,ollendorf and ,robertson4 ,mr4 ,gouin appears to have thought that since a language is made up of grammatical rules and words1 it was only necessary to commit them to memory to have mastered the language4 ,his mistake was that of the person who should suppose that since strength is derived from food1 the more food he swallows the stronger he becomes4 ,he exceeded his capacity of mental digestion and assimilation4 ,another cause of ,mr4 ,gouin's failure was that of supposing that a knowledge of the theory carries with it the ability to practice4 ,mr4 ,gouin states that his memory was in his eye not in his ear1 and that a month's interruption of his labours proceeding from disease of sight brought on by overwork was sufficient to efface from his memory ,grammar1 ,dictionary all previously learnt4 ,dicken's ,yorkshire schoolmaster1 ,mr4 ,squeers recognised that knowledge acquired1 ought speedily to be put into practice4 ,mr4 ,gouin would have found in ,paris1 many young ,frenchmen engaged in commercial pursuits who speak ,italian or ,spanish or ,portuguese1 and even ,english or ,german1 well1 who have never been in any country where these languages are spoken4 ,this was the case so far back as #ahff4 ,review of ,reviews1 #ahib1 page #hh4--,professor ,blackie says that after five months in ,germany1 he knew ,german as well as his mother tongue4 ,he attended ,professor's lectures1 took regular lessons in ,german4 ,he added to this the text-book used by ,professor1 daily intercourse with students1 and the constant reading of easy ,german books4 ,by this combination of social intercourse1 primary training of the ear1 and secondary use of relative books both in reading and writing1 he spoke ,german like ,english in five months4 ,memory depends upon force of original impression and frequency of repetition4 ,he says that at the ,university pupils did not learn to speak ,latin4 ,a new professor came who spoke it1 made a speech in it1 and called upon the pupils to reply1 ,blackie was the only one who ventured to do so1 and had learnt by spouting ,latin speeches of ,cicero etc4 in his room4 ,he used ,italian vowels4 ,dr4 ,hanes says it is impossible to learn a language by the translation of disconnected sentences1 referring to the usual exercises of the ,grammatical ,methods1 and by learning lists of words4 ,the sentences are only disconnected in that they do not always form question and answer1 but this the student can easily and profitably remedy4 ,besides all speech is not dialogue4 ,see page #g4 ,they are no more disconnected than are so many soldiers of a regiment1 moving at the impulse of one mind1 and marching to the attainment of one object4 ,the connection is that all the soldiers act in unison in execution of the command of their officers4 ,the connection between the so-called disconnected sentences is that they have been selected to illustrate and inculcate the rule under study4 ,this is the true connection that unites and harmonises them all1 that each leads the pupil directly to the attainment of his object--the mastery of the rule4 ,the illusory connection of some insipid narrative is only delusive4 ,what can a method be which1 from the beginning excludes the mother tongue of the pupil when he knows no other8 it is necessarily confined to dumb show and practice4 ,it is no more to be compared for thoroughness to the ,grammatical ,method than would be instruction in weaving by a weaver1 with the instruction of ,master of the ,technical ,school in constructing a piece4 ,doubtless a person can learn to weave a piece in a ,factory but no one will compare such an acquirement with the course of instruction in manufacturing1 in the construction of a piece1 imparted at the ,technical ,school1 under the guidance1 of ,mr4 ,ashenhurst's text books4 ,grammar1 in the study of language is such a text book1 it imparts order and method to the study4 ,we have suffered from the divorce and the dissociation of theory and practice4 ,until recently our universities1 or seats of learning1 catered only for the aristocracy1 the land-owning class1 and the clergy3 science was neglected4 ,originating in the natural advantages of an abundant supply of easily-worked coal and iron1 an extensive coast line1 and a favourable geographical situation1 we had achieved an undeniable pre-eminence in industry and manufactures1 which was supported by abundant cheap capital and a spirit of enterprise2 it was backed by workmen possessed of natural ability1 and such skill as practice and highly sub-divided labour can impart4 ,all this was found insufficient to enable us to hold our own1 our supremacy was passing away1 and when the cause of our inability to maintain it was investigated1 our deficiency was declared to be the lack of a systematised higher education4 ,public ,spirit founded our ,technical ,schools to supply the remedy and they have been found effective4 ,owing to the neglect of modern languages by our ,universities and a system of higher education which took no cognizance of industrial needs we were amongst the most backward in this branch of study1 but when interest was aroused our grammars were largely borrowed from our more successful competitors from those who excelled as much in modern languages as we ourselves in industry4 ,they were often the work of foreign specialists and experts they are the very instruments of success used by our most successful rivals1 how then can they be inadequate8 ,translation has put us into possession of the best works used by our foreign rivals1 and if we are less successful than they it is due as a ,swiss correspondent of the ,manchester ,guardian recently stated not to the superior aptitude but the superior application of the foreigner4 ,he is less sensible to the attractions of football and out-door sports or at least they are not of such an all-absorbing irresistible temptation4 ,with a mother tongue compounded of the ,teutonic and ,romance languages1 no other people than the ,british enjoys such a natural facility for acquiring both the ,german and ,french and their sister tongues4 ,in #ahic the ,scotch ,education ,department issued a report to the ,lords of the ,committee of ,council on ,education for ,scotland1 by ,professor ,herbert ,a4 ,strong1 ,l4,l4,d4 on ,,methods ,,of ,,teaching ,,modern ,,languages ,,in ,,belgium4 ,belgium was selected as a field for investigation1 says ,professor ,strong1 because1 from force of circumstances it has paid particular attention to this branch of instruction1 the necessity of learning modern languages being there felt1 much more strongly than in ,britain4 ,it is a small country1 thickly populated1 with an extensive commerce1 for which as well as for its literature1 it is compelled to look to countries larger than itself4 ,it embraces three languages within its borders--,flemish1 spoken by more than three millions2 ,walloon by over two millions1 and ,french the language of literature and commerce4 ,in the ,primary ,schools1 ,french1 the language of their ,literature and ,commerce is studied six years4 ,every child must study one language besides its mother tongue4 ,this is compulsory4 #ast #bnd #crd #dth #eth #fth year ,girls #b #b #c #c #c #c hours weekly ,boys #b #b4e #d #d #c #c hours weekly ,it is understood1 it is no part of the duties of the primary school to teach the literature of a language4 ,in the ,athenees1 or ,secondary ,schools1 ,french or ,flemish compulsory courses comprise six lessons a week during first two years1 and three lessons per week in following years3-- ,german six years1 page #aa4 #g years1 page #ab4 #ast #bnd #crd #dth #eth #fth #gth year #b #d #c #c #c #c hours ,the degree of proficiency of the pupils is also stated page #ag4 ,in these schools the method of teaching from objects is not anti- but simply ante-grammatical as is apparent from the classes in which the two methods are respectively in use4 ,in the two lowest classes of a primary school1 ignorance of their own language1 and their unripe mental powers would not admit of children of such tender age learning otherwise than from objects4 ,supplement4 ,the following ,french ,numerals are differently pronounced according #ast--as they stand alone1 or are joined to ,noun or ,adjective beginning1 #bnd--with ,vowel4 #crd--with ,consonant4 ,compound numbers as simple ones4 ,practise the sounds given with the words alone ans livres un un un n'arbre un deux deu deuz deu trois troi troiz troi quatre quatre quatr' quatre cinq cinq cinq cin six siss siz si sept set set se huit huitt huit hui neuf neuf neuv neu dix diss diz di #ag diss-sett1 #ah diz-huit1 #ai diz-neuf1 vingt vin vint vin quatre-vingts quatre-vin quatre-vinz quatre-vin cent san sant san ,in ils etaient neuf a diner1 neuf en tout1 the f keeps its natural sound4 ,no tie is ever made before onze ,in #ba to #bi the t of vingt is sounded1 #bb1 vint-deu1 #bc vint troi etc4 ,from #hj to #ii the t of vingt is everywhere mute1 and the n is sounded nasal4 ,quatre-vingt-un is sounded quatre-vin-un4 ,cent un is sounded san un2 but #bjj deu sanz hommes4 ,mille1 thousand has no plural form4 deux mille #bjjj2 deux milles means two miles4 ,mil is used in ,christian era1 l'an ,mil huit cent1 #ahjj4 ,in pronoun ,tous1 the is never silent and always pronounced like c or ss4 ,in ,belgium for #gj1 septante1 for #hj1 octante1 for #ij nonante are used4 ,the ,aural ,system ,supplement4