English into French, A book of practice in French conversation, designed to accompany any speaking French grammar

Front matter

Sheldon & Company's Text-'Books.

Mental Philosophy. 1 vol. 12mo

Including the Intellect, the Sensibilities, and the Will. By Joseph Haven, Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy, Chicago University.

Preface

In offering to the public the present work, its authot and compiler would distinctly say, that he does not propose it as a substitute for any of the Speaking French Grammars now in use, which are undoubtedly essential in any thorough course of French instruction ; but, in common, he presumes, with all other teachers, he has found from actual experience, that a complete knowledge of these Grammars alone, does not enable a pupil to speak French, and that without some plan for carrying the scholar on from the point where the grammars leave him, the end at which they all aim is not attained.

At this point different teachers employ different methods, all more or less successful; but the text-books have seemed to the author of English into French, ill adapted to secure the desired result. They consist of phrase books in double columns, to be committed to memory, or of English exercises, to be turned into French, iV PREFACE.

arranged to illustrate the rules of Grammar. Both are useful, but both are slow processes, — the former severelytaxing the memory, the latter being rather an exercise in composition than in conversation. ,

The author's own experience in teaching is, that constant practice in turning English into French, is at this stage necessary ; but the phrases must be somewhat con= nected and susceptible of literal translation ; there must also be some easy continuous text, and enough of both to exercise the pupil for several months daily, and create in him a confidence that his own thoughts also may be expressed in French. This exercise requires, then, a book specially adapted to the purpose, and it is to supply this want that English into French has been prepared.

It begins with a Vocabulary of twenty-two lessons, on many familiar subjects, and including many words, which pupils will not easily find in their dictionaries. It is not, of course, intended that these lessons shall be learned consecutively. One a week is suggested as perhaps the best method of using this portion of the work.

In preparing the Conversation, the author has availed himself of materials found in other English phrase-books; but not without great labor of selection, revision and adaptation ; for he has admitted no phrase from beginning to end, which has not been subjected to the test of practice, or been altered to conform to his plan, of presenting in itself no obstacle to immediate conversion into French

PREFACE. ?

Particular attention is invited to the Idiomaticax Expressions, arranged alphabetically for every important verb in the language. Though put in the infinitive for convenience of reference, they should by no means be simply committed to memory in the order in which they stand They are intended to form the material of an extempore, original, and idiomatic conversation on topics of the day, place, or class, and, with a slight preparation on the part of the teacher, the exercise may be made very attractive and instructive.

In preparing the Proverbs, those only have been admitted which are in use in both languages. It is evident that proverbs cannot be translated literally; hence, if studied at all, they must be committed to memory. As pupils are constantly asking how to say some of the more common ones, the author, in inserting these, has been at some pains to make the list as complete as possible.

The last and most difficult stage in this plan of instruction is the translation of a continuous text; and for this teachers have been obliged to use ordinary English books. The difficulty of translating them is, however, so great, that the exercise becomes a slow and laborious one, little suited to promote one of the first requisites of good conversation — readiness. The Fragment from Voltaire here presented is not open to this objection. It has been selected, on account of the extreme facility which this author's writings afford for this peculiar exercise. No

a* apology is offered for the style of the translation, the d* fects of which, viewed as an English composition, consti* Lute its chief excellence for the purpose for which it is introduced — that of furnishing an easy text for retransla tion into French.

In preparing the Key, with the aid of a competent Parisian, the use of tu has been purposely omitted, as entirely unnecessary to any American child, and because, when used improperly, as it often is, it creates a ludicrous effect, much like saying, " how are you ? " on first presentation to a lady, or to some distinguished personage.

It will probably be asked, by some teachers, whether it is well to place the Key in the hands of the pupil. To this the author would say, that the pupil without it must have recourse to his grammar, dictionary, or teacher. Were the object in view discipline of the mind by the exercise of reflection and research, the end would be better attained without the Key ; but as conversation to be endurable must be rapid, and as the child learns his own tongue without any thought of grammar or dictionary, every means of facilitating his progress should be freely offered him. All that is important is, that he should fully master every lesson, and this the teacher can ascertain from his recitation when he has the English only before his eyes.

p. s. w,

Boston, Sept. 15, 1860.

TABLE OF CONTENTSpart I.

PREFACE iii

VOCABULARY, consisting of

Man and his relationships 1

The body ; members, &c . .... 2

Names of occupations 3

The senses; diseases; remedies 5

Clothes; trinkets, &c 7

Houses; rooms, &c 10

Furniture. 12

Trees; plants; fruit; flowers; vegetables 19

Time; dates, &c 21

Weather. 22

Festival days . 24

Law, army and navy terms. . . 26

Church terms 28

School terms; stationery; punctuation 30

Till CONTENTS.

Tools, and games 82

The country; agricultural implements 34

Theatrical terms ...*.,. 35

Journeying; buildings 36

Intellectual attributes; moral qualities. 38