Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1855-01-23
OBJ 5la}Ig Spgg,
TUESDAY. JANUARY %, 1855.
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The French Language and Literature.

lance with the language and Literature Of
France.
The English and the French are, at the
present time, unquestionably the two most
most important languages in the world. The
former, accompanying conquest and COM
merce, has already made the circuit of the
globe; while the latter, more subtle, insinua-
ting itself into all the refined society, all the
courts, and nearly all the schools, and frater-
nizing with almost all the travellers in chris
tendon, is beginning to assume something of
tie character of universal language.
The French ard the English are, for the
most part, composed of the same elements ;
namely Celtic, Latin, and Teut0nic, the chief
element of the French being Latin, that of the
English Teutoaic.
The English language is a stream, receiv-
ing its waters from many sources, the princi-
pal, constituting nearly one half of the body
OF our language, being the (Teatonic) Anglo
Saxon, of which little else now remains, ex-
cept few fragments of its rude literature =
The next most important tributary to our Ian
guage, its Latin Element, flows from the coun-
tries formerly constituting the ancient Roman
Empire. OF the vast number of our words
from this source, the greater part have come
to us through the French, with forms and sig
nhcations more or less modified by the me-
dunn through which we have received them.
Now, as thorough kno ledge of our Ian,
guage cannot be acquired except by the study
of its elements, and as-for reasons not neces.
sary to be explained here-the study of its
latin element is more important than that of
all fits other constituent parts, andas very large
proportion of our words from this Latin source,
have been transmitted through the French,
the advantages of an acquaintance with the
latter lang uage to any one DESTROYS of obtain
ing a thorough knowledge of the English,
must be sufficiently apparent.
But, to throw stronger light upon these as
sertions, we will state few facts, chiefly bor-
rowed from Nason's Chreston,athte Francaise,
illustrative OF the intimate connection existing
between the French and English languages
Thus, careful comparison will show, among
many other condolences and analogies, the
following:
LIST. Nearly one thousand words, ending in
son, are the same, i'll form and signihcalion,
IN both languages: as religion, occasion, &C.,
&c.
I'd. Some five hundred French nouns end
ing i'll e, and very large number of French
words ending in ie, have become English by
changing the or ie into y; as beaute, beauty;
melodie, melody, &C., &c.
Sd. Nearly all French verbs in er have be-
come English by changing en- into ate, or Ter
into q; as mediter, mediate, saectifer, sane
tify, &c.
4th. Thousands of other words, in the two
languages, and not few of their idiomatic
expressions, have more or less intimate alli-
ances, which we have not space to illustrate
i'll the narrow limits Of a newspaper col
umn.
Nor is this all. The Englsh-whether for
good or evil-have abandoned the modes of
living, the customs, land costumes, of their rude
Saxon ancestors, and have by force of circum-
stances, conformed to the French, in matters
of fashion, etiquette, and even, to a con slider
able degree, in the grammatical structure of
their language. This process of assimilation
has been going on, for centuries, and affords,
at present, no prospect of termination.
10 such an extent indeed, had these chan
ges manifested themselves, nearly hundred
years ago, that DR.. Johnson was won: to ex-
press his apprehension, that the English would,
81 no very distant day, ''be reduced to bubble
dialect of France"
But the French language has other claims,
arising from the intrinsic value of its litera-
ture. Itself the most copious, graceful, re-
fined, and polished, of all living languages, it
embodies the most comprehensive, varied, and
brilliant literature in existence; the most
elaborate, complete, and instructive work. in
every department Of literature, science, and
art
Nor, does more practical view lessen our
estimation of the utility of knowledge of
this language OF courts, Of diplomacy, and of
fashion, which is also fast becoming the uni
versal language of well bred society in Eu-
rope, and ct travellers, everywhere. Our
ministers and ambassadors, abroad, are per.
picked and mortified by their Ignorance of it
while, here at home, scholars, and even mer-
chants, find similar embarrassment in con-
versing or transacting business with the better
educated classes of foreigners, most of whom
are conversant with this language
American travellers who make the tour of
Europe, without having previously acquired
some degree of facility in speaking French,
almost unanimously admit, on Their return,
that the pleasures and advantages of their
journey were sadly diminished, their expen-
ses increased, and their veXations and annoy.
ances greatly multiplied, by their ignorance of
language, so universally spoken and under
stood in those parts of Europe which it is most
desirable to visit
But it is impossible, within the narrow
bounds OF our present writing, to do Justice
to the subject under consideration. We will
adj, only, in conclusion, that, whoever studies
any modern language, and especially the
French, without the aid of a teacher to whom
the language is yernaeular, commits the same
error, as he does, who attempts self education
III Music, Painting, Architecture or other fine
arts; Tor at least until one becomes far advanced
sell education, either in a language, science,
or an art, is great waste of time, by no
means compensated for, by any mental discip-
line which may be supposed to result there.
from. To learn colloquial French, otherwise
than from the lips of living teacher, is a
thing simply impossible to learn anything
like accurate French pronunciation, from an
Amer!crn teacher, with very rare exceptions,
is also impossible; to learn to read French,
without at the same time learning its pronoun-
citation, is, in the present state OF our literary
advantages a sottise, which ought not to be
any longer countenanced; nor should any one
claim to be French scholar, unless able to
speak the language with tolerable degree of
facility. ].
The INDEPENDENT This well known
religious paper commences the new year
under the most fattering auspices. Forty
thousand new subscribers, it is stated, have
been received during the last three months.
We fully agree with the Boston Journal
in the opinion that the Independent has justly
earned its ti:le 1t is bold and fearless in its
discussions Of principles, and is exerling a
powerful influence over the community AS
journal il is without a superior among the