The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 11, October, 1836Various
History
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 11, October, 1836
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
In reply to the argument that the languages consume too much time from
the acquisition of English, we assume high ground, and lay down the
predicate that the study of them is the shortest, best and easiest way
to learn English. This idea will be illustrated by attending to the
_modus operandi_ of teaching. Before a student can acquire the idea
contained in the simplest sentence of a dead language, he must
ascertain the English meaning of every word in it; and before he can
render it correctly, he must study into what English moods, tenses,
and cases the words of his translation are to be put. If he do not
this, he will be liable to render a Latin or Greek imperfect by an
English future, and vice versa; hence it is evident that he must have
not only his classical books, but that an English Grammar, a
Geography, and a Dictionary must be ever at his side. Take an
illustration. The crude, disarranged sentence, “vinco Scipio Hannibal
in Africa,” and the English translation, (Scipio conquered Hannibal in
Africa) are given him to reduce to good Latin, and to explain the
three proper names. To do this he must refer to his English Grammar,
to find in what mood, tense, number, person and voice the verb
“conquered” is, and then take up the English books containing the
required information concerning Scipio, Hannibal and Africa: thus, in
correcting this short sentence, learning, perhaps, more of English
Grammar, Geography, and History, than of Latin. We are persuaded that
nine-tenths of our southern teachers will tell Mr. Carey, that in
their schools, consisting of Classical and English students, the Latin
scholars are the better English scholars—that they are the better
writers and speakers, the more cheerful and industrious, the more
influential with their fellows, and that they require in their studies
a larger number of English books than the other.
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