Page:Madras journal of literature and science vol 2 new series 1857.djvu/233

JULY— SEPT. 1857.] The Study of Living La7igmges, tinct and shallow impressions of thera, because such things are always forgotten and have to be learnt over again. This is the grand reason why such enormous time is wasted in this study. A man attempts so much at once that every thing is partially learnt and forgotten probably at least a hundred times over. He begins with a book containing hundreds, more likely thousands of words and long sentences*involving innumerable rules of grammar, and before he gets to the end of it has learnt in a sort of way and forgotten every word in it and every expression over and over again, and has probably in the end thoroughly apprehended and acquired a famiUar knowledge of not one twentieth part of the words he has met «vith. He perhaps makes lists of the words that he me&ts with and learns many hundreds by heart at once, but he has no useful knowledge of one in twenty of them. No word is effectually known till it is so thoroughly familiar, that it is ready in his mouth at any moment, without the slightest effort of memory, and till it can be used in a considerable variety of ex- pressions ; in fact, till it is just to the student like one of the words of his native tongue, and so wrought into his mind that it cannot be forgotten again. It may however often appear that time would be gained by adopting some plan which would endan- ger the soundness of the foundation, and in this case such a plan must be rejected.

The third great principle is ; To have such a syitem as shall en- courage people, both to commence upon and go through with the study of Native languages. It is of exceeding importance to en- courage all persons, whatever their situations or occupations are, when remaining for any time however short or uncertain in such countries, to make themselves acquainted, as far as possible, with the language of the people. Numbers at present never attempt it, solely because the usual mode of study cuts them off from all hope of ever attaining to the smallest useful knowledge of it, without such an expenditure of time and labour as they are afraid to en- counter or their circumstances absolutely prevent. A system which shall afford some useful results to every one who enters upon it, and those in some degree proportioned to the time and labour ex- I