JULY — SEPT. 1857.] The Study of Living Languages. 245 
A soldier may be shown how to march, and he may be made to 
move his legs in the manner shown in a few steps, but nothing but 
long continued practice can possibly enable him to do it both cor- 
rectly and with ease ; and it is the same with the muscles of the 
tongue, the ear, and the brain, as it is with the limbs. 
A girl may have the firmest ear possible, but that will not enable 
her fingers to run over the notes of a piano or her throat to produce 
the notes of a song freely and correctly, without long exercise of 
those organs. • 
After the first^ jnonth the teacher will be required much less, 
because the student ^an be trusted to pronounce when he is alone, 
provided he exercises with the teacher for some time daily. He 
should always read aloud by himself just as when he reads 
with the teacher, both because, the great point is the exercise of 
the organs of speech, and hearing, and also because the pronoun- 
cing of the word is so great a help to remember the meaning. It 
must however be remembered that in this solitary study as little 
use as possible should still be made of the eye. The word or 
sentence should be merely glanced at when necessary and the re- 
petition should then be made wdthout looking at the book. 
With respect to the time required, I cannot speak certainly, 
because I have never had an opportunity of seeing the study com- 
menced with such materials properly prepared beforehand ; but 
so far as I have seen it tried with imperfect materials, the result 
was certainly excellent. 
In the only case where an approach w^as made to a fair trial, a 
gentleman studied irregularly, but equal to about two months' 
continuous study of five hours a day, and from that time he went 
out and performed all his duties without an interpreter, having 
constantly to converse with the middling and lower classes, most 
of whom had never spoken to a European before. , 
This was a real, practical and effective acquaintance with the 
language, though within small limits as to his number of words 
and expressions at first starting ; but then his ear and tongue 
having been well exercised, he could both make himself under- 
1 
t 
