222 The Study of Living Languages, [no. 4, new series, 



not give him a hundredth part of the help derived from a practised 

 and well instructed teacher. Further, such languages are so ex- 

 tremely different from the European tongues, in every respect, that 

 a person is much more likely to be discouraged from the difficul- 

 ties he experiences than in learning a foreign European language, 

 and on this account it is especially necessary to adopt a system 

 that shall as far as possible tend to keep up the student's courage. 



These are some of the leading points that should be kept in 

 view in considering a system of study for such languages. 



I would now propose some fundamental principles to be taken 

 as clues to the better understanding of the subject. 



It is evident that there are two fundamental points to be attend- 

 ed to. The first, which is by far of the greatest importance of the 

 two, is ; To be careful that we lay a sound foundation. This is a 

 universal principle and yet one at least as often forgotten in study- 

 ing languages as in other matters. If a false foundation is laid, 

 the erection can never be made sound. If a man once acquires a 

 false pronunciation or a false mode of expression he will never get 

 over it. Whatever he learns should be perfectly correct, and not 

 only so, he should have such a thorough knowledge of it that he 

 shall be fully assured in his own mind that his knowledge is cor- 

 rect, so that he may not afterwards be in doubt and liable to give 

 up what is right and substitute some guess of his own instead. For 

 want of right modes of study, what numbers use all their lives some 

 language and pronunciation of their own invention and never find 

 out how it is they can hardly have any intercourse with Natives by 

 means of it. The true value and true pronunciation of every word 

 encountered should be fully ascertained, and its use in a great va- 

 riety of forms of expression should be made thoroughly familiar, 

 before proceeding to other words, and no imperfect acquaintance 

 with a word or expression should be allowed. The second great 

 principle is of course ; To save time ; but this must always be 

 subordinate to the former. In the main however the two princi- 

 ples are not only compatible but inseparable : nothing causes so 

 much waste of time as imperfectly learning things, receiving indis- 



