Practical Study of Languages

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. My examples are taken from a variety of languages, partly to avoid one-sidedness of treatment, partly to interest as many different classes of readers as possible. In discussing methods, I have drawn my illustrations from those books which I know best. The time has not yet come for an historical survey and critical estimate of the vast and increasing literature of linguistic pedagogy, either of that portion of it which deals with generalities and criticisms of methods, or that still larger portion which carries out - or pro fesses to carry out - these general principles in practical text books - reading-books, grammars, text-editions, methods,' etc. In giving warning examples of mistakes into which learners may fall, I have confined myself to those made by foreigners in speaking and writing English, for the simple reason that the mistakes made by English-speakers in the use of other languages, though in themselves equally instructive and amusing, would have no point for the majority of my readers.