A Method and Means for Facilitating the Study of Languages.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 21st Nov., 1893-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Method and Means for Facilitating the Study of Languages.
HORACE CANNON 36 Charlotte Street Fitzroy Square W. Tutor do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The employment of a special book or register to be printed in colours.
Thus for the German language the register is printed in three divisions-these
divisions are red white & green. The student registers all masculine nouns in the
red division. The feminine in the white and the neuter in the green.
Thus
The association of the noun with the colour will render the gender easy to
remember.
Small cards are furnished, one side perfectly plain and the other side red white
or green. Each card to contain a noun printed or written on both sides: Thus,
Regenschirm would be printed or written on both sides of a card that was red one
side and plain the other. Seife would be printed or written on a card that was
white both sides. Wasser would be printed or written on a card that was green on
one side, and plain the other.
For practice, the student is to place the cards on the table with the white
or plain side upwards, & to arrange them in three rows 1st row the masculine
2nd row the feminine and 3rd row the neuter. When he has arranged them thus,
he can see at once whether he has learnt their gender by turning the card up to
see whether it is in the proper row according to its colour and gender.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1893.
HORACE CANNON.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Method and Means for Facilitating the Study of Languages.
HORACE CANNON 36 Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square, London W. Tutor
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Is the employment of a special book or register to be printed in colours.
Thus for the German language the register would be in three divisions, these

page_text: The association of the noun with the colour will render the gender easy to
remember.
A vocabulary on separate cards is furnished, one side of each card is plain and
the other red, white or green. Each card contains a noun printed or written on
both sides. Thus Regenschirm would be written or printed on both sides of a card
that was red one side and white the other. Seife would be written or printed on a
card white on both sides. Wasser would be written or printed on a card green one
side and white the other; and on the white side of the card underneath the foreign
word would be the translation.
For practice the student is to place the cards on the table with the white side
upwards, and to arrange them in three rows, first the masculine, second the feminine,
and third neuter. When he has arranged them thus he can see whether he has
learnt their gender by turning the card up to see if it is placed in the proper row
according to its colour and gender.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The employment of colours to assist in learning the gender of nouns in foreign
languages.
2. The use of separate cards or other suitable material and for blind persons who
may wish to learn a foreign language the cards would be of different shapes to
represent the three genders with the nouns embossed or impressed upon them.
3. The right of adapting this method to all languages where applicable.
Dated this 21st day of November 1893.*
HORACE CANNON,
36, Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square, London, W., Tutor.