word as to the manner of teaching with this book. The pupil's business will not be to commit to memory, and write verbatim, any particular portion of a conversation; but to read the whole conversation carefully, till he can answer the questions, and parse the exercises; and when he can do this, he will, necessarily, not only have committed to memory all the rules and definitions, but he will understand their application. The method adopted in this work, offers pecuJiar facilities to the teacher as well as to the learner. The former will here find, that the familiar style of explanation, avoiding uncommon words, and furnishing very easy examples, will save him the necessity of much verbal comment; will diminish his labour, by preventing the necessity of reiterated definition; and that it will also prevent much weariness, and many trials of patience on his part, by the clear ideas it will communicate to his scholars. ON ENGLISH GRAMMAR. CONVERSATION I. INTRODUCTION. TUTOR,-GEORGE,-CAROLINE. Tutor. (GRAMMAR treats of language, and, if you understand it well, it will teach you to write and speak it correctly. Grammar may be divided into two sorts, Universal, and Particular. Universal Grammar explains the principles which are common to all languages. Particular Grammar applies those general principles to a particular language, modifying them according to the genius of that language, and the established practice of the best speakers and writers by whom it is used. The practice of the best speakers and writers of any language, then, is the standard of the grammar of that language. But before I say more concerning language, I must know whether you can give the definition of an idea. George. An idea is whatever a person has in his mind, when he thinks. Tutor. Very well. And now, Caroline, do you remember the definition of language? Caroline. Language is the expression of our ideas and their relations, by certain articulate sounds, which are used as the signs of those ideas and relations. Tutor. That is right. We must observe now what we have under consideration, viz. first, things; secondly, the images of those things, in the mind, when we think of them, which are called ideas; and thirdly, language, or articulate sounds, used to express, or to convey, to other minds, those ideas which we have in our own. These articulate sounds we call words, which are used by common consent, as the B signs of our ideas and their relations. So you will perceive, that, unless these words are used in such manner and order, as will represent truly the order and relation of the ideas in our own minds, another person will not be able to comprehend our meaning. George. I perceive it very clearly. You say that words are used by common consent. Tutor. That means, that all the people who speak the same language, consent to call things by the same names; or to express the same ideas by the same signs. Caroline. I understand it; and perceive the necessity of it; for, if the fact were otherwise, we could not comprehend each other; there would be as many different languages as there are persons. I wish you to say more, if you please, respecting those words that are the signs of the relations of ideas. I think I understand how a word is the sign of an idea, for when I think about this book which you gave me, the word book is the sign of what I think of, but I do not precisely comprehend how words are the signs of the relations of our ideas. Tutor. When I say that you hold the book in your hand; what word expresses the relation between the book and your hand? Caroline. It is in. I see now, that the word in is not the sign of a thing that I think of, but the sign of a relation existing between the book and the hand, which are two things that I can think of; so then, a word that denotes a relation between things, must be the sign of the relation between the ideas of those things. Tutor. Yes; and you will, by a little reflection, perceive the different uses of words; that some are used to express ideas or images of things; some to express ideas of motion; and others to express ideas of relations merely. As, in the phrase, "The son of David studies," you may readily perceive, that of shows the relationship existing between the two persons; for if we were to leave it out of the sentence, and say, "The son, David," &c. the phrase would indicate, that the two words referred to one, and the same person; so you may as readily perceive, that of is used to express the relation of the ideas in your mind, and the signs of those ideas, when put on paper, which are son and David. George. I think we have a clear notion of what has been said; and that we perceive the importance of preserving the purity and uniformity of each particular language; and that, in each, there should be a common set of signs which may be known, by all who speak that language, as the representatives of particular ideas, and definite relations. Caroline. And this, I suppose, is accomplished by diffusing a knowledge of Grammar. Tutor. Undoubtedly; for Grammar treats, First, of articulate sounds, which are the sounds of the human voice, formed by the organs of speech, and of the forms and sounds of letters, which are the representatives of those articulate sounds; of the combination of letters into syllables, and of syllables into words; Secondly, of the different sorts of words, their various modifications, and their derivations; Thirdly, of the just arrangement of words in the formation of a sentence; and Fourthly, of the proper pronunciation and poetical con struction of sentences. These four parts of Grammar are called, 1. ORTHOGRAPHY, 2. ETYMOLOGY, 8. SYNTAX, and 4. PROSODY. I will now proceed with these in their order. |