A MELLE. ZARA ANNE ROGERSON TUXFORD, Acceptez, ma bonne amie, la dédicace de ce petit ouvrage que j'ai composé spécialement pour yous. J'ôse espérer que les élèves de votre âge, vous seront obligés d'un livre qui leur facilitera la connaissance de cette langue, et qui leur épargnera en même temps bien des peines. Soyez persuadée de tout l'intérêt que je prends aux progrès de vos études, et combien je suis fier d'avoir eu l'honneur de diriger, avec d'aussi grands succès, les études d'une si jeune élève Recevez, ma bonne amie, l'assurance de la parfaite estime de Votre très humble Serviteur, L. F. DE PORQUET. PREFACE. ADDRESSED TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS. WITHOUT fear of contradiction, we may say, Nature is the best of teachers. Why should we, therefore, depart from her precepts, or deviate from her principles in teaching living languages ? A little child, in his earliest attempts at speaking his own mother tongue, begins by uttering the sounds of words spoken to him by his mother or by his nurse a great many times. In this manner, he soon acquires his own language, -not by merely being shown printed characters— the signs by which those sounds are representedbut, on the contrary, by continually and incessantly hearing the sounds themselves and imitating them. V. This principle may, with equal success and propriety, be applied to the imparting of foreign languages to the young, and also to adult pupils ; and consequently those who make children learn or pronounce by the aid of books (which are the mere representations of sounds themselves) are totally wrong; and the result is, that the pupil not only learns to pronounce incorrectly, but is rendered wholly incapable of comprehending anything which may be spoken to him, or to any one else in his presence. The novelty of teaching languages, in the first instance, by Oral Instruction alone, instead of by the old method, through the medium of a Grammar and Dictionary, will, doubtless, raise against the Author a host of opponents. As a further evidence, however, of the superiority of this system, and in order to support the truth of these assertions, the author would put this question, and ask, vi. "Whether the child, who first utters words of a foreign language by reading or learning them from a Dictionary or Grammar,does give a more correct sound or truer pronunciation than the child who learns to read and speak simply by continually imitating what he hears from his parents or nurse ?" The Public must, therefore, doubtless be convinced of the great defect in the old methods of teaching French, and must see the desirability of following up the plan here to be adopted, which is not only the most natural, but also is the surest way to ensure success, in teaching modern languages. Conversation in French has now become so important a branch of education, that whatever plan may be brought forward to abridge the study thereof, must be acceptable to every Teacher who has the interest of his Pupils at heart, and his own reputation to maintain. Just Published, Price 3s. 6d. A NEW AND INTERESTING WORK FOR INDUCING LEARNERS TO CONVERSE FREELY IN FRENCH, BY L. F. DE PORQUET, SPEAKING FABLES IN FRENCH, By the assistance of which, without any study, without preparing any lesson, or committing anything to memory, or learning by heart, the most obstinate scholar may be made to convrse freely in French; the effect, indeed, has been wonderful, even with pupils of all ages and capacities, and it has been pronounced, by impartial professors, a most INGENIOUS and a most EFFECTIVE MODE of imparting a colloqual knowledge of that language. |