Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-10-04
FOREIGN LANGUAGES.
TO LEARN THEM NOT A DIFFICULT
TASK IF PROPERLY UNDERTAKEN.

System which Makes the Grammar the
Main Thing Better Way Is to Read
and study the Dictionary.
We do not pretend i'm this short article to
enter into a scientific dissertation on the
acquisition of languages. but rather to
convey II few simple hints to those who
are interested in the subject There can he
no doubt as to the benefit that may be de-
rived from the study of II foreign tongue.
The many advantages of learning Ian
guagc need scarcely he dwelt upon One
of the most prominent is the largely in
creased power that is gained over ones
own speech The mental exercise involved
in searching the memory for appropriate
Synonymous words and phrases tends to
| increase the vocabulary and to give q great
er ease and facility of expression in the use
of the mother tongue There is, besides,
the pleasure that is nscparablc from every
intellectual pursuit, and also the practical
! profit of being able to converse with for
oigner whom we may chance to meet either
| in the way Of business or pleasure.
But all this said still leaves us with the
! question to answer, How may one best
learn II foreign language? In attempting
| an answer To this question we are not adj
vancng anything that is rev But the
method we would commend is one that
cannot be too much insisted upon, Tartic
ularly in the interest of a certain class to
| whom these remarks are more dir, ~ APP
pllcable. liany Young men find them
selves arrived at period of life when they
feel it difficult to attempt any subject of
study. There are many demands on their
time and the effort to attempt any sort of
consecutive. concentrated work seems
hopeless They may have cndcaVorrd mt
various periods i'm their live, to acquire u
| KNOWLEDGE Of Latin. French, German,
Spanish. or other foreign tongue. but. ow-
ing to various circumstances, these at
tennis hive had TO be given M
The effort to make a fresh start is nut
off from day to day. although the desire
to do something i'm this direction may still
be as strong as ever. Why is this so? Sim
ply because i'm many cases the contempla-
ton of the task brings up before the vision
so much Of the hard, grinding. unintcrcst-
ing nature of the schoolbov task. To wade
through "a grammar of perhaps 80 pages,
getting off by heart. if that he possible all
the conjugations, infections, exceptions
and idioms is the ordinarily accepted no
ton of what is required to be done in the
initatory process of learning some foreign
tongue after which the pleasing prospect
is held out that one may then begin to
read something
such systcm-if system it can be called
is an utterly erroneous one Little won
der that it rcpcls so many from taking
up what is really u most interesting study.
To any who contemplate doing so the ad-
vice may be given to cast aside all precon-
ceived ideas about the old methods and
begin at once to read the language they
are going to learn Thoughts about the
grammar and the rules should not be al
lowed TO trouble the mind. Except to those
who have had some previous grounding in
a language the grammar is sure TO prove
"a stumbling block and to beget naught
but despnir A GOOD dictionary and n book
u Ill.,. :; -', l.; H. O.. i.,,,