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



iionable as conveying no meaning whatever to an Englishman. 

 Thus a Tamil man may say in English, " If you see this that is 

 good," and the Englishman to whom it is addressed cannot even 

 guess what he means to express, though the same expression con- 

 veys a clear idea to the Tamulian. 



3rd. An ear so exercised in the sounds of the language that 

 the words spoken by a Native, if they have been learnt, are at 

 once recognized by the student so that what is said within the 

 limit of the student's vocabulary can be apprehended at once with- 

 out seeing the words written, and without a moment's consi- 

 deration. 



4th. The knowledge of so much grammar as is necessary to 

 form sentences of a few words only. 



This is the sort of knowledge of a language that a child of three 

 or four years old has. He does not know a single rule of grammar 

 he cannot perhaps read or write a letter, his whole vocabulary pro- 

 bably consists of a thousand words, but within the limits of the 

 matters he has to converse about, he can say with perfect freedom 

 and almost perfect correctness any thing he wants without a mo- 

 ment's hesitation, and he understands on the instant every thing 

 that is said to him, and that even though some of the words used 

 are unknown to him. He has in fact a sound foundation, what he 

 knows is real, and he has only to go on adding to his stock of 

 words and expressions, and to correct some unimportant errors, 

 which however are such as do not in the least prevent his being 

 understood. An adult student, who has such a knowledge, is 

 in a right position, because he can converse within certain limits, 

 and therefore he is in the way of exercising himself in contact with 

 a correct standard, and he has nothing of consequence to unlearn ; 

 his progress is not stopped by established habits of false pronunci- 

 ation, and false expression, nor by habitual dependance upon his 

 eyes to assist his memory. His only care then in conversation 

 should be, not to attempt too much, but to content himself with 

 common subjects and simple expressions, and only giving himself 

 more liberty, as by learning he increases his stock of words, ex- 

 pressions, &c. The knowledge of the character has nothing to do 



