Chapter 30

OLLENDORFF'S NEW METHOD OF LEARNING TO READ, WRITE, AND SPEAK THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. WITH NUMEROUS CORRECTIONS, ADDITIONS, AND IMPROVEMENTS, SUITABLE FOR THIS COUNTRY. TO WHICH ARE ADDED, VALUE'S SYSTEM OF FRENCH PRONUNCIATION, HIS GRAMMATICAL SYNOPSIS, A NEW INDEX, AND SHORT MODELS OF COMMERCIAL CORRESPONDENCE. By V. VALUE. 12 mo. 588 pages. Price $1.

KEY TO EXERCISES. Separate volume. Price 75 cents.

Ollendorff's French Grammars have been before the public so long, and have had their merits so generally acknowledged, that it is unnecessary to enter into any detailed description of their peculiarities or lengthy argument in their favor. Suffice it to say, that they are founded in nature, and follow the same course that a child pursues in first acquiring his native tongue.

Prof. Greene's Introduction, the first of the works named above, will be found useful for young beginners. In it are presented the fundamental principles of the language, carefully culled out, and illustrated with easy exercises. It paves the way for the larger works, preparing the pupil's mind for their more comprehensive course and awakening in it a desire for further knowledge.

Value's and Jewett's works are essentially the same, though differing somewhat in their arrangement and the additions that have been made to the original. Some institutions prefer one, and others the other; either, it is believed, will impart a thorough acquaintance with French, both grammatical and conversational, by an interesting process, and with but little outlay of time and labor.

Integral Method of French Instruction.

I. New and Comprehensive French Instructor,

BASED UPON AN ORIGINAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL METHOD, APPLICABLE TO THE STUDY OF ALL LANGUAGES, WITH AN INTRODUCTION EXPLANATORY OF THE METHOD, AND A TREATISE ON FRENCH PRONUNCIATION.

By STEPHEN PEARL ANDREWS AND GEORGE BATCHELOR. 1 Vol. 12 mo. 469 pages. Price $1 25.

II. Practical Pronouncer and Key

TO ANDREWS AND BATCHELOR'S NEW FRENCH INSTRUCTOR: CONTAINING THE LESSONS OF THE INSTRUCTOR, WITH A PHONETIC RENDERING IN PARALLEL COLUMNS; A FRENCH TRANSLATION OF THE EXERCISES, TOGETHER WITH AN APPENDIX.

1 Vol. 12 mo. 347 pages. Price $1.

It is claimed that the labor of teaching and learning the French language is immensely reduced by this new method, and the success of the pupil placed upon a footing of certainty never heretofore attained. The general characteristics of the system for which this claim is made are as follows: 1. The judicious combination of Theory and Practice, Rule and Exercise, in their just proportion to each other. 2. A new Analysis of the Elements of Language. 3. The presentation of a Panoramic View of the French Language as a whole. 4 Teaching one thing at a time, and proceeding by Inductive Steps. 5. The thorough examination of Complex Sentences, and the peculiar force and relations of Connecting Words. 6. The furnishing of so complete a Key to the Pronunciation, that the American can teach it with the same accuracy and facility as the native Parisian.

The Lessons are full; the Rules, clear; the Exercises, short and simple. They embody a complete course of Comparative Grammar, while their peculiar arrangement leaves the teacher free as to the use to be made of the theoretical portions. The treatment of the Conjugations, of the Gender of Nouns, the formation of the Plural of Nouns and Adjectives, of the Feminine of Adjectives, and of Adverbs, will be found novel and ingenious. The Introduction, the Treatise on Pronunciation, the Remarks on the Moods and Tenses, and the Philological Notes freely interspersed, contain a mass of information on the French Language which would be sought for elsewhere in vain.

The student who is without a teacher will find himself completely guided, by this new method, through the intricacies of French Grammar and Pronunciation.

French Grammatical Works.

Manual of French Verbs:

COMPRISING THE FORMATION OF PERSONS, TENSES, AND MOODS OF THE REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS; A PRACTICAL METHOD TO TRACE THE INFINITIVE OF A VERB OUT OF ANY OF ITS INFLECTIONS; MODELS OF SENTENCES IN THEIR DIFFERENT FORMS; AND A SERIES OF THE MOST USEFUL IDIOMATICAL PHRASES.

By T. SIMONNÉ.

12 mo. 108 pages. Price 50 cents.

The title of this volume, given in full above, shows its scope and character. The conjugation of the verbs, regular as well as irregular, is the great difficulty that the French student has to encounter; and to aid him in surmounting it, M. Simonné has applied his long experience as a teacher of the language.

COMPANION TO Ollendorff's New Method OF LEARNING TO READ, WRITE, AND SPEAK THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. By GEO. W. GREENE, INSTRUCTOR IN MODERN LANGUAGES IN BROWN UNIVERSITY. 12 mo. 273 pages. Price 75 cents.

As soon as the French student has learned enough of the verb to enable him to translate, this volume should be placed in his hands. It embraces ninety-two carefully selected dialogues on every-day subjects, calculated to familiarize the student with the most necessary expressions, and to enable him to converse with fluency. The dialogues are followed by an important chapter on differences of idioms, in which are set forth those peculiarities of the language that cannot be classified under general rules, accompanied by grammatical hints and explanations.

_GRAMMAR FOR TEACHING ENGLISH TO FRENCHMEN._ Grammaire Anglaise D'APRÈS LE SYSTÈME D'OLLENDORFF, À L'USAGE DES FRANÇAIS. Par CHARLES BADOIS. 12 mo. 282 pages. Price $1.

The want of a condensed Grammar for teaching Frenchmen the English language, long experienced by residents as well as travellers in this country, has been met by M. Badois with this clear and practical Treatise, on the Ollendorff plan. In the course of a few lessons, the learner is so familiarized with the most necessary English words and idioms that he can readily express himself, and can understand ordinary conversation.

The best French Dictionary. SPIERS AND SURENNE'S FRENCH & ENGLISH AND ENGLISH & FRENCH Pronouncing Dictionary. EDITED BY G. P. QUACKENBOS, A. M.

One large Vol. 8 vo., of 1316 pp., neat type, and fine paper. Price: sheep $3, half morocco $3.50.

THE PUBLISHERS CLAIM FOR THIS WORK,

1. That it is a revision and combination of (SPIERS') the best defining, and (SURENNE's) the most accurate pronouncing dictionary extant.

2. That in this work the numerous errors in Spiers' dictionary have been carefully and faithfully corrected.

3. That some three thousand new definitions have been added.

4. That numerous definitions and constructions are elucidated by grammatical remarks and illustrative clauses and sentences.

5. That several thousand new phrases and idioms are embodied.

6. That upwards of twelve hundred synonymous terms are explained, by pointing out their distinctive shades of meaning.

7. That the parts of all the irregular verbs are inserted in alphabetical order, so that one reference gives the mood, tense, person, and number.

8. That some four thousand new French words, connected with science, art, and literature, have been added.

9. That every French word is accompanied by as exact a pronunciation as can be represented by corresponding English sounds, and _vice versa_.

10. That it contains a full vocabulary of the names of persons and places, mythological and classical, ancient and modern.

11. That the arrangement is the most convenient for reference that can be adopted.

12. That it is the most complete, accurate, and reliable dictionary of these languages published.

_From_ WASHINGTON IRVING.

"As far as I have had time to examine it, it appears to me that Mr. Quackenbos, by his revision, corrections, and additions, has rendered the Paris Edition, already so excellent, the most complete and valuable lexicon now in print."

_From_ Wm. H. PRESCOTT.

"In the copiousness of its vocabulary and its definitions, and in the great variety of idiomatic phrases and synonymes, it far exceeds any other French and English dictionary with which I am acquainted."