Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-05-05
EDUCATIONAL MATTERS
Tho Teaching Modern Languages Discussed by Profo
Mathews.-Bountful School Essays

The following article ON one Of the
,,giea treated in the report Of the Com
mi,,ee Of Ten Is an interesting discus
sion Of the subject
reaching ct Modern Language
In considering the best methods OF
,csrbipr modern languages it is import
ami io decide upon the aim OF the work.
a., Mia pors hf to determine the char
,r,rf of thc process. 10 the end sought
/. tbc acquisition OF a speaking knowl.
doc of the language. one method viii
commend itself lfit is desired on the
gtber hand. 70 acquire the ability TO
..,t readily. then another method must
re- used. or at least a modification OF
tts One employed in The first case.
ma, aware that am here Dr. danger o..
leading ON the toes OF the advocates %,
Ia. so.callcd natural method, which is,
.n Grt q highly artificial one, but ] shall
gndeavur to Justify may position
Without considering iu detail the AL.
rifabIc report Of the Committee of Ten
ieius look briefly at the following two
objects iu studying "a modern language
ani then % the corresponding appro.
pirate methods.
Trt suppose that the object is 60
acquire lucncy in speaking. so that The
language may De used Boo conversation
and business rather than as means of
becoming acquainted with the literature
written Boz That tongue.
The appropriate method then would
seem 90 hc the natural one, The
learner should De allowed Co hear and
to speak only the language To- De ace
guIrrd. so hras that s pu ,iblo. Tie
should Dee placed il In atmosphere
wholly suggestive Of the foreign country
Us teachers should Dee natives OF the
land whose language De wishes 10 learn,
lie should hear that language at bis
meals, bis amusement. DIS religious
services as we'll as during The hours
especially devoted to Wdy, Ills read
bog shoull be easy stories, light come
dies. the newspapers. illustrated papers
and magazines, in word, u.l OF thli
writing which reflects the eur 'nt ideas
and tendencies OF thc time.
boo this way "a vocabulary 90 Tor the
uses OF everyday llo could Doe acquired
It any person OF ordinary intelligence
ina isW months Indeed lh1 teacher
uI summer and other schools where Che
Natural ngthod BE- employed, assert that
a,1.eable ability TO converse may Dee
gained iu SIX weeks.
llnow. ON the other hand thc chief
object is 90 acquire such 900 ability 90
read ihc foreign language ls will enable
one tu make the Acquaintance of the best
pieces OF literature BOO chat tongue, then
another method should De employed.
Here more accurate knowledge of
Grammar and % clearer comprehension
u' the precise meaning of word arc dee
WIuiUd.
Tie loose thinking and inaccurate
cNuf. sion which suffice tur The pur.
poses Of ordinary conversation where
exact thinking. close reasoning and
clear cut expression are, 20 say the least
not demanded, are found 90 Doe sorry
preparation lor the lppIegiauyc study OF
the masterpieces OF pure literature, such
ls poetry, drama, aud artistic prose, not
to mention the works ON science, art
ana philosophy To acquire the ability
to read uudeutandingly the best that is
written Do any foreign language there
must be an exact AMI thorough cumprc'
htnsion OF the grammar and a careful
and analytical study OF words. IL Is
precisely her, that the natural method,
as ordinarily used, s subject 10 tie
most serious criticism. IL must, how.
ever. be admitted that the qualities OF
inlccuncy and supefIgialty are not
inherent in the nature OF the natural
method. They are rather accidents OF
its employment But in general % may
be urged that the tendency OF the
natural method Is toward the acquI.l.
ton Of merely empirical knowledge OF
the language rather than philosophical
apprehension OF b iu rs nature and
fundamental characteristics. Indeed
this must bee true so iar as the method
really follows the course OF child
in leaning Us mother tongue. tn,
empirical, uurglsuuing stage nuts pre-
ccde that Of philosophical eomprchen
sion.
10 may be urged iu opposition 20 90,
grammatical ana pathological method
that language being a living thing must
be studied as such and cannot survive
the application OF the disscctiug knile
To whlchw may reply that the tnumph'
ui medicine and especially OF surgery
are due very largely 1t not chiefly TO th,
study Of anatomy, and that this study
s carried ON mainly In the dia5ectnl
room.
However, the contest between d.,
NNlNiM ANA kihllllNAlhal NlNlNNAA y
likely TO result, like that between real
ism and idcalism, In a combination O
forces AS there Is no realism which 4
absolutely objective, since every on,
sees the world through bis own spec
tacics and cannot avoid doing so am
more than he Clnnnt help falling IN Oh,
attempt 10 lilt himself over the fence by
his own boot straps. however perennia
ly fascinating the latter problem Is, s.,
there can be no natural method whicl
yields valuable results without a careful
study OF grammar and no grammatical
method worthy Of respect which doe
not tndcaylr TO iniusc that life aud in
tgTrst and sense OF victory which CONT
only with the ability to understand th,
spoken language and to express ones
thoughts 100 10.
IT'S true item that the method TO b,
used mus, depend ON the object aimee
as well as upon the material 10 be work
ed upon. Every teacher must make hr
own method by such combinations o
parts as Is best adopted to his nstur,
and powers and those OF his pupils,
There s another point To be consider
ed 10 the study of language, and that b.
is value as a mental discipline, Jus
here again the natural method Is oleI
weak. For the development OF On,
n,uara al discrimination accurate