Chapter II: Introduction: By Dr. Edwin C. Hewett

I have long thought that the careful, discriminating study of words is much neglected in our schools. And I am glad to approve, and help to forward, anything that will promote such a study.

Not only will such a study improve a person's language greatly, but it will, at the same time, do much to improve the clearness and precision of his thinking; thought and language have a reciprocal effect.

If a child, while young, can be made to be interested in words themselves,--their origin, their exact meaning, their relations to each other and some of the changes in their meaning which result from their use,--he will be likely to retain that interest through life; it will be more likely to increase than to diminish.

It seems often to be assumed that a student can do nothing profitably with the study of words made up from Greek and Latin roots till he has acquired some mastery of those languages. But I know from experience and much observation that this is not true. Why should it be? Must one master Greek and Latin before he can understand that, in English words, _graph_ means write; _ge_ means earth; _phone_ means sound; _cur_ means run; _fin_ means limit; _port_ means carry, etc.?

And then having learned the meaning of the prefixes and suffixes, is it preposterous to train him to know the etymological significance of a few hundred words by showing him how they are built up?

Of course, we know that many words in common use have shades of meaning quite different from, and in some cases almost opposite to, their literal significance. But will not the student be better able to understand these derived meanings by knowing their literal significance than in any other way? At any rate, I am fully persuaded that such a study of words as this book proposes can be made very profitable to those pupils for whose use it is prepared.

The teacher will find, however, that the teaching of this subject will require much careful labor on his part. The mere learning of the meaning of prefixes and suffixes and of the roots themselves, with the brief remarks on the meaning of some of the words, will need to be supplemented by a careful mastery of it all on his part. And to this must be added much thought of his own, together with careful research in the great dictionaries. But to the earnest and intelligent teacher, such thought and research will yield very rich fruit in his own thinking, and in his use of English speech.

I cheerfully commend the book as a move in the right direction; and as adapted, in my opinion, to do much to supply a serious lack in the present work of the schools.

Normal, Ill., Aug. 18, 1904. E. C. H.

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS.

1. From the lists given in this book omit such words as in your opinion are beyond the vocabulary of your pupils.

2. All words given for the first month's work are either defined or illustrated below the lists. This is done to help make clear the method of showing their _literal_ significance. Further along in each year's work only the most difficult words are explained. Insist that pupils in every case where it is possible define or illustrate so as to show the _literal_ meaning, else much of the value of the study is lost.

And, moreover, the ordinary, or current meaning, _where it differs from the literal_, should be given. Very many of the words have various uses. Thorough work requires that these be illustrated. This necessitates a free use of the dictionary.

It is strongly urged that the pupils (with the aid of the teacher when necessary) try to find _an appropriate sentence to illustrate each word_ and write the same in an orderly way in a note book for the purpose.

In work of this kind a teacher should not underrate the value of reviews. By this means fix facts on the minds of your pupils, especially the meanings of roots and prefixes. Since these meanings are given in a single word, reviews may proceed rapidly.

One convenient method of recitation in this subject is to send pupils to the blackboard without their books, assign them by turns words to be analyzed according to the examples given under "Directions to Pupils", and then let each pupil read to the class what he has written on the board.

DIRECTIONS TO PUPILS.

Given in the seventh and eighth years' work of the State Course of Study are 45 prefixes, 64 roots, and 33 suffixes,--in all 142 elements or component parts of words. In this book a list of words is furnished to illustrate each element, the average number of words in each list being about eleven, and the total number of different words analyzed, or partially analyzed, is over 1200.

TO ANALYZE A WORD.

1. Name its component parts--root, prefix, and suffix--and give the literal meaning of each.

2. Combine these meanings in a definition, _supplying additional words if necessary_, to make the sense complete. In exceptional cases, however, the exact literal meanings of the parts cannot be put together in a good definition. One or more of the parts must then be omitted entirely, or represented by words which are not exactly literal.

3. Give an illustration of the use of the word.

(Caution: Carefully distinguish verbs, adjectives and nouns. Do not define adjectives as nouns or verbs, or vice versa. Do not, for illustration, say _audible_ is _that which_ can be _heard_; but rather say _audible_ means _capable of_ being _heard_.)

EXAMPLES.

avert: (1) _a_, away + _vert_, turn.
(2) To _turn away_; to ward off.
(3) The evils which exist are necessary to _avert_ greater evils.

deify: (1) _dei_, god + _fy_, to make.
(2) To _make_ a _god_ of; to praise and revere as if a deity.
(3) The people of India _deify_ the Ganges River.

hostile: (1)_host_, enemy + _ile_, belonging to.
(2) _Belonging to_ or having the characteristics of an _enemy_.
(3) Yon tower which rears its head so high invites the
_hostile_ winds.

portable: (1) _port_, carry + _able_, capable of.
(2) _capable of_ being _carried_ or moved from place to place;
not stationary.
(3) A _portable_ photograph gallery stopped for three
days at the cross-roads near my home.

benefactor: (1) _bene_, good + _fact_, make, do + _or_, one who.
(2) _One who does good_; especially one who makes a
charitable donation.
(3) "He is a true _benefactor_ and alone worthy of honor who
brings comfort where before was wretchedness, who dries
the tear of sorrow."

A careful study of the five examples given above will reveal that to analyze words a pupil must--

1. Learn some _facts_--meanings of the component parts of words.

2. Be careful in putting these facts together to make a sensible definition.

3. Use the dictionary to find the ordinary, or current, use of a word.

4. Gather illustrations. This is not easy, but it should not be neglected, for it is the most practical feature of word analysis. Pupils should help each other, and the teacher may contribute when his help is needed. One good illustration for a difficult word might suffice the entire class.