Extract from the Literary Review (Litterarische Rundschau) of J. B. Stamminger. 1804 EDUCATIONAL WORKS AND for the Study of modern Languages, Julius Groos, Publisher at Heidelberg, has for the last thirty years been devoting his special attention to educational works on modern languages, and has published a large number of classbooks for the study of those modern languages most generally spoken. In this particular department he is in our opinion unsurpassed by any other German publisher. The series consists of 140 volumes of different sizes which are all arranged on the same system, as is easily seen by a glance at the grammars which so closely resemble one another, that an acquaintance with one greatly facilitates the study of the others. This is no small advantage in these exacting times, when the knowledge of one language alone is hardly deemed sufficient. The system referred to is easily discoverable: 1. In the arrangement of the grammar; 2. in the endeavour to enable the pupil to understand a regular text as soon as possible, and above all to teach him to speak the foreign language; this latter point was considered by the authors so particularly characteristic of their works, that they have styled them to distinguish them from other works of a similar kind Conversational Grammars. The grammars are all divided into two parts, commencing with a systematic explanation of the rules for pronunciation, and are again subdivided into a number of Lessons. Each Part treats of the Parts of Speech in succession, the first giving a rapid sketch of the fundamental rules, which are explained more fully in the second. In the first Part attention is given rather to Etymology; in the second Part more to the Syntax of the language; without, however, entirely separating the two, as is generally the case in Systematic Grammars. The rules appear to us to be clearly given, they are explained by examples, and the exercises are quite sufficient. We must confess that for those persons who, from a practical point of view, wish to learn a foreign language sufficiently well to enable them to write and speak it with ease, the authors have set down the grammatical rules in such a way, that it is equally easy to understand and to learn them. Moreover, we cannot but commend the elegance and neatness of the type and binding of the books. It is doubtless on this account too that these volumes have been received with so much favour and that several have reached such a large circulation. Our admiration for this rich collection of works, for the method displayed and the fertile genius of certain of the authors, is increased when we examine the different series, especially those intended for the use of foreigners. The first series comprises manuals for the use of Englishmen. It consists of 36 volumes, 19 of which are adapted to the study of German and French: German Convers.-Grammar and Key to it; Supplement. Exercises to the Germ. Grammar; Elementary German Grammar; First German Book; German Reader, 3 vols.; Materials for transl. English into German, 2 vols. and Key to I. vol.; German Dialogues; Accidence of the German language; English and German Idioms; French Conv.-Grammar and Key to it; Materials for transl. English into French; Elementary French Grammar; French Dialogues; Dutch Conv.Grammar and Key to it; Dutch Reader; Italian Conversation-Grammar and Key; Elementary Italian Grammar; Italian Reader; Italian Dialogues; Russian Convers.-Grammar and Key; Elementary Russian Grammar and Key; Spanish Grammar and Key; Elementary Spanish Grammar; Spanish Reader; Spanish Dialogues. The series for the use of Frenchmen comprises 28 vol., 7 of which adapted for the study of German: Grammaire allemande and Key to it; Petite Grammaire allemande; Lectures allemandes, 3 vols.; Conversations allemandes; 5 adapted for the study of English: Grammaire anglaise and Key; Petite Grammaire anglaise; Lectures anglaises; Conversations anglaises; five each adapted for the study of Italian, four for Spanish, three for Dutch and four for Russian: Grammaire italienne and Key; Petite Grammaire italienne; Chrestomathie italienne; Conversations italiennes; Grammaire espagnole and Key; Petite grammaire espagnole; Lectures espagnoles; Gramm. néerlandaise and Key; Lectures néerlandaises; Gramm. russe and Key; Petite gramm. russe and Key. The series for the use of Greek comprises: ΕΠΙΤΟΜΟΣ ΓΕΡΜΑΝΙΚΗ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΙΚΗ (Kleine deutsche Sprachlehre); ΓΕΡΜΑΝΙΚΟΙ ΔΙΑΛΟΓΟΙ (Deutsche Gespräche für Griechen). For the use of Roumans: Gramatică germană and Key; Elemente de Gramatică germană; Conversațiuni germane; Elemente de Gramatică francesă; Conversațiuni francese. The series for the use of Dutchmans comprises: The series for Italians comprises 14 vols. (3 for the English, 2 for the French, 3 for the Spanish and 6 for the German language): Grammatica inglese and Key; Grammatica elementare inglese; Grammatica francese and Key; Grammatica elem. francese; Grammatica spagnuola and Key; Gramm. elem. spagnuola; Grammatica tedesca and Key; Grammatica elem. tedesca; Letture tedesche; Conversazioni tedesche; Avviamento al tradurre dal tedesco in italiano. There are six volumes for the use of Spaniards: Gramática alemana and Key; Gramática sucinta de la lengua alemana; Gramática sucinta de la lengua francesa; Gramática sucinta de la lengua inglesa; Gramática sucinta de la lengua italiana. There are three volumes for the use of Portuguese: Grammatica allemã and Key; Grammatica elem. allemã. The series for the use of Germans comprises the English subdivision with the following books: Engl. Konvers.-Grammatik and Key; Englisches Konversations- Lesebuch; Englische Chrestomathie; Englische Gespräche; Kleine englische Sprachlehre; Materialien z. Übersetzen ins Englische; the French subdivision comprises: Franz. Konvers.-Grammatik and Key; Franz. Konversat.-Lesebuch, in 2 parts; Franz. Konversat.Lesebuch for the spec. use of Schools for young ladies, in 2 parts; Kleine französische Sprachlehre; Französische Gespräche; furthermore: Französisches Lesebuch and Französische Chrestomathie by Dr. L. Süpfle. (These two works have been revised and enlarged by Professor Dr. Mauron, who joined to the last a,,Résumé (Compendium) de l'Histoire de la Littérature française", and ,,Petit Traité de la Versification française", that enhance its value.) α the Italian subdivision comprises: Italien. Konvers.-Grammatik and Key; Italienisches Konvers.-Lesebuch; Italienische Chrestomathie; Kleine italienische Sprachlehre; Italienische Gespräche; Übungsstücke zum Übersetzen aus dem Deutschen ins Italienische; in the Arabic subdivision we have Arabische Konvers.-Grammatik and Key; in the Danish subdivision: Niederl. Konvers.-Grammatik and Key; Niederländisches Lesebuch; Kleine niederländische Sprachlehre; in the modern Grecian subdivision: Neugriechische Konvers.-Grammatik and Key; in the Hungarian subdivision: Kleine ungarische Sprachlehre. in the Polish subdivision: Polnische Konvers.-Grammatik and Key; in the Portuguese subdivision: Portugiesische Konvers.-Grammatik and Key; Kleine portugiesische Sprachlehre; in the Russian subdivision: Russische Konvers.-Grammatik and Key; Kleine russische Sprachlehre and Key; in the Spanish subdivision: Spanische Konvers.-Grammatik and Key;Spanische Gespräche; Spanisches Lesebuch; Kleine spanische Sprachlehre; Spanische Rections-Liste; in the Swedish subdivision: Schwedische Konvers.-Grammatik and Key. in the Turkish subdivision: Türkische Konvers.-Grammatik and Key. In these works the chief difficulty under which several of the authors have laboured, has been the necessity of teaching a language in a foreign idiom; not to mention the peculiar difficulties which the German idiom offers in writing school-books for the study of that language. We willingly testify that the whole collection gives proof of much care and industry, both with regard to the aims it has in view and the way in which these have been carried out, and, moreover, reflects great credit on the editor, this collection being in reality quite an exceptional thing of its kind. Paderborn. The Publisher is untiringly engaged in extending the range of educational works issuing from his Press. A number of new books are now in course of preparation. |