Henry 6. Marren. 310. A NEW PRACTICAL AND EASY METHOD OF LEARNING THE SWEDISH LANGUAGE. BY C. LÉNSTRÖM. AFTER THE NEW SYSTEM OF MATHIAS MEISSNER. THIRD IMPROVED EDITION. LONDON: FRANZ THIMM, FOREIGN BOOKSELLER, 24 BROOK STREET, GROSVENOR SQUARE. W. 1878. 04060 Harvard College Library Feb. 18, 1901 From the Bequest of „All rights reserved." PREFACE MATHIAS MEISSNER'S NEW AND IMPROVED SYSTEM OF LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES. The study of foreign languages having become general, the method of teaching them has altered and improved, so as to unite the changes which philology has suggested, with those which the comparison of languages has taught. The publisher has had this aim in view in the series of foreign grammars which has been issued under the title of FRANZ THIMM'S Series of European and Oriental Grammars after Mathias Meissner's easy and improved method. These grammars combine Theory with Practice, and follow the ideas which eminent men have adopted, as to the clearest and most rational method of teaching languages. the The celebrated philosopher Leibnitz remarked "my opinion with regard to grammar is this, most is learned by use rules must be added for finish", and the learned philologist Facciolati observes "I am indebted to the classical authors for every thing I know, to the grammarians I owe nothing". SEIDENSTÜCKER was the first who in 1811 introduced this new Method for the Latin, Greek and French Languages, and to him belongs in justice the merit, which others have unjustly appropriated, of having introduced a rational system of tuition. Ahn who made use of his method long after acknowledges in his Preface of 1834, that Seidenstücker was the originator of the System. But there was an essential point omitted even n these books, namely "That the grammatical form should precede the Exercises, "so that the learner should at once be made acquainted with "the grammatical structure of the foreign language, without "which, he could never attain a thorough knowledge of it"; this was first done in a masterly manner by Mathias Meissner in his "German Grammar" and is the principle which has been followed in "FRANZ THIMM'S Series of European Grammars" which gives it a distinct feature of progress beyond the former systems pursued. On these valuable principles the following grammars have been published: for the German Language by MATHIAS MEISSNER. by АHN. The prevalent idea in these grammars is that of teaching a language easily and pleasantly, of adapting it to every capacity, of removing all unnecessary difficulties and at the same time of imparting the necessary grammatical knowledge. In this respect therefore "Franz Thimm's Series of Grammars" is not only original, but extending the new Method to all the languages of Europe, it is unique. |