Guide for the use of the Cortina phone-method by individuals and in classes; French course

Foreword

At the age of four the average child of educated parents speaks its native language easily, grammatically and with proper pronunciation. This is as true of the children of China and Japan as of those of Europe and America; and the method of acquiring this ability to speak is common to all.

They learn through observation, particularly through listening. They can express an abstract thought such as "What do I care?" with the same ease as they would say "Give me some bread." And this accomplishment, wonderful, miraculous even as it is, results only from practice, first in listening, so as to arrive at the comprehension of the sounds, then in the early attempts at expression, and finally in the finished exercise of the organs of speech.

Like gymnastics, music, painting, oratory and similar subjects, the mastery of a language demands patient and persistent practice.

As the muscles cannot be developed simply by reading a treatise on anatomy, as the skill of the pianist cannot be acquired simply by reading about music or learning the parts of the piano, so the ability to speak a foreign language cannot be gained by reading a book about it, but by persistently listening to the language and constantly attempting to speak it.

As the sailor by practice acquires keenness of vision and as the blind person in the same way develops an acute hearing and a sensitive touch, so also the ear can be trained to understand a foreign language even when spoken with the greatest rapidity and the tongue can be trained to speak with the same ease as in its native language. It is all a matter of constant practice in listening and speaking.

In compiling the present work ,the author's lifelong experience in the teaching of languages has led him to lay particular stress on the necessity for untiring repetition. Indeed, the records should be played even a greater number of times than is indicated in the instructions.

The words and sentences should be written down &s the phonograph voices them, the student repeating aloud as he writes. The act of writing engraves the language on the memory, and hearing, sight and speech all co-operate to the same end.

We have, therefore,

Hearing, by which we listen to the records ;

Sight, by which we read ;

Speech, by which we express ourselves verbally ;

Writing, by which we communicate our thoughts on paper. Each additional faculty assists the memory to retain the new sounds, to combine the strange characters into words, and to formulate the words into phrases and sentences.

New York, July, 1918.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

1. This method is intended for students of all ages: for self-study, for study clubs and for schools and private classes. Both adults and children will find it an easy and fascinating method of acquiring the language. Whether this method is used for selfinstruction or under the direction of a teacher, however, it is important that the general plan as well as the instructions for each period should be thoroughly understood; and in order to obtain the best results it is necessary that the instructions should be closely followed.

2. The material for each period consists of:

a. A disc phonograph, such as the Columbia or any other standard instrument;

b. a complete set of Cortina Phone-Method language records, consisting of fifteen doublefaced discs, or thirty numbers, made from Cortina's French Method;

c. one Cortina's French Method for each student;

d. a note-book and pencil for each student;

e. fibre needles for individual study and steel ones for class work. Use always, if possible, fibre needles.

3. The directions for the operation of the instrument given in this book are printed from light-face type. The heavy-face type is used for the instructions to be given by the instructor in the class room to the students. For the individual studying by himself both the light and heavy type matter will be valuable as a guide for the use of this method.

4. Study clubs using this method will elect one of their members to act as leader, either for the entire course or for each period, and this leader will in turn appoint an assistant to operate the phonograph while the instructions are being given to the class. The leader should speak in a clear, distinct voice and should possess sufficient enthusiasm to hold the attention of the class. Neither the leader nor the assistant need know any French, and both of course share in the instruction received from the records.

5. The instructor in the class room, whether it be composed of adults or children, can call upon the students in turn to operate the instrument for him.

6. Three or four periods are assigned to each Lesson of the Cortina Method, the number being governed by the ability of the students to cover the ground. Not less than three periods should be devoted to each lesson of the book, however, and when time permits, the records should be played through even oftener than is indicated, for the outstanding feature of this method is constant listening to train the ear and constant repetition to train the organs of speech.

7. Students in clubs and classes should begin to converse with one another at as early a period as possible, using the words and sentences that they have heard from the phonograph. The instructor should begin each period with a salutation in French as soon as these salutations have been learned from the records. The class should respond in unison to the salutation.

8. No arguments on the method should be permitted during the period. When any doubt arises in the minds of the students, they should write down their questions and hand them in to the leader or instructor, who will either answer them personally or send them to the Cortina Academy of Languages for explanation.

9. The Exercises in Grammar and in Composition in the Appendix should be handed to the students during the periods indicated at the head of each paper. They serve as a complete guide to the study of the French grammar for the individual studying by himself, and for students in informal classes. The instructor in the class room, moreover, will find them a valuable aid to his lessons in grammar. These papers, when completed, should be sent with return postage to the Cortina Academy of Languages, to be corrected free of charge and returned.

10. The marginal figures in parentheses indicate the number of times the record is played through during the period.

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