Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-09-01

yet deeper from this fountain w
. would recommend the historical
study of our tongue. English, as i
, well known, is a composite language
Its basis is of German origin, as tn,
very name Anglo-Saxon implies
} AT the time of the conquest by Viii
liam the Norman (1066) the Nor
mans, themselves of German extrac
ton, had almost entirely relin
quished their barbarious jargon anC
adopted the tongue of the conquered
the Romantic, of Latin descent, a.
the name again proves. AS Greece
though conquered by the arms o
Rome, conquered her in turn by the
superiority of cultivation and art, SC
did the study of Anglo-Saxon hold
its own against the Norman French
which sought to displace it, but sue.
ceeded only in being partially en-
grated on it. To this day the sta
pie of our language, among the un-
learned especially, but to great
degree among the cultivated is OF
Saxon origin. From this it must be
evident that, apart from the discip-
linary value of the study of these
tongues, they help us directly to a
knowledge of the English. BY this
means we can trace words back to
their origin in many cases, ascer-
tanning what was their primitive
form and Specification and follow
them up through their various trans
mutations and vicissitudes (for these
are ever taking place in every living
tongue.) In this way we will be
better enabled to enter into the sanct-
uary, as it were, of the authors
mind, and know with precision and
certainty the very shade of meaning
he would convey by the use of any
given word according to its signifi-
cation at that period of its history.
Just as the ship which has touched
at many ports comes laden
with the products of many climes,
so the words so traced and studied
come down to us freighted with the
wealth of the past. l quote again
from Professor Whitney. He says:
"TO construct them by his
torical processes, with the aid of
all the historical evidences within
his reach, the history of the devel-
Opment of language, back to its very
beginning, is the main task of the
linguistic student. Further, it is
hardly necessary to point out that
the, history of language repOses in
that of words. Language is made
up of signs for thought, which,
though in one sense parts Of a whole,
are, in another and more essential
sense, isolated and independent en-
titles. Each is produced for its own
purpose, each is seXpOsed to the chan
ges and vicissitudes of linguistic
life, is modified, re-cOmbined, or
dropped, according to its own uses
and capacities. Hence, etymOlogy,
the historical study of individual
words is the foundation and substruc-
ture of all investigation oflanguage.
Words are the single witnesses from
whom etymology draws out the tes-
timony, which they have to give re-
specting themselves and their his
torV."
Hitherto we have been discussing
the modes of acquiring our mother
tongue for the purposes of our own
profit and enjoyment or for the eX-
change of the our own hardly won
treasures one with another in spok-
en- language, and although, in this
pursuit, we shall have gained much
towards enabling us to communicate
our knowledge to others in written
form, yet special labor and practice
will be necessary to attain even
tolerable degree of proficiency in
this. So different indeed are these,
that many men whoare regarded as
fluent and able speakers, fail often
ANONYMOUSLY when they undertake
to communicate their thoughts in
writing. The converse of this is
also true which seems to prove
waiving special native aptitude for
one rather than the Other-that sue
cess in either depends mainly upon
effort in that direction. In rare in
stances, both may be found united
in the same individual. To be prac-
teal, when shall we begin, and how,
to teach boys to write English cor
rectly? In general terms, begin ear
ly, and as said before, require them
to write it constantly. And this
brings up the subject of English
Composition, almost as great bug
bear as English Grammar itself. I'm
itatiOn of the best models and styles
is to be the main reliance. Let the
substance be memOri.ed and then
written out in the pupils own style
and language, then compared and
corrected. For at this stage it is
useless to talk of original compost
ton unless you mean merely that
the pupil, having had subject mat
ter furnished him, be required to
write it out in his own language.
Any other originality is preposter-
Gus. There are indeed but few orig
inal men in the world. In learning
to admire the clearness of statement
and force of expression, by which
our great authors have revealed
their thoughts to men, we are fol-
lowing the best and most direct
method toward making that clear
ness and that force our own.
Revert again to the education of
youth among the Greeks. 1t was al
most exclusively that just indicated.
And every scholar knows that the
fruition of that instruction was the
production of masterpieces, histori-
cal and dramatic, which have new
er since that day been surpassed if
equalled.
/ Irecur again to the great improve
ment in Composition derived from
4,.o,,cIo+ finn. l., vUrifinor a fnrosr.,,