STUDIES IN ANGLO-SAXON ROOT-WORDS. CHAPTER I. STUDIES IN ANGLO-SAXON ROOT-WORDS. THE study of words may be made a very pleasing one Words are wonderful things. Some of them are TALES, and some of them are HISTORIES. The Anglo-Saxon rootwords, which we are now going to study, are dear ones. They are signs of many sweet things about home and the heart. FIRST STUDY. STUDY. THERE is no growth in knowledge without study. Without it, there is nothing learned well. Study is fixing the mind on what we wish to know, and learning all we can about it. In this way, we study trees and animals; in this way, we study our pains, hopes and sorrows. In the same way, we are to study words. SECOND STUDY. THE STUDY OF WORDS. THERE are about ONE THOUSAND WORDS in this little book; and these are all to be studied. Their study is not hard. If you know how to study one, you will find it an easy thing to study all the others. An instance follows: If the written word, manly, is to be studied, we fix the mind upon it through the sense of sight, and find out its letters, syllables, accent, quantity, meaning and use. Thus, manly, is composed of the letters, m, a, n, 1, y; the syllables, man, ly; has the accent on mán; the syllable man is short, and ly is long; the word means like man, and may be used thus-Robert is a manly child. If the spoken word is to be studied, we fix the mind upon it through the sense of hearing, and find out its sounds, syllables, accent, quantity, meaning and use: we also attend to articulation, enunciation, pronunciation and spelling. Thus, the word, father, is made up of the sounds, -, -, -, -, -; the syllables, fa, ther; has the accent on fá; fã is long and ther is short; the word means the male parent of man, and is used in this instance-Father is kind. In speaking it, we join the organ of speech in each sound, enunciate it clearly, and pronounce it thus-father. We spell it thus-feh, ah, fah, theh, ĕ, er, ther, fahther. There are some other things to be known in the study of words. They will come before us hereafter. What is study? How do we study the written word? Give an instance. How do we study the spoken word? Give an instance. THIRD STUDY. THE PLAN OF STUDY. A PLAN is a great help in every thing we wish to do. If we work without one, we will not work well. A plan is a form, copy or model by which we are guided in our work. The plan for the study of Anglo-Saxon root-words, is a very simple one. 1. The words are brought before the mind in GROUPS. Thus, home, stead, homestead, house, form a group. 2. Each group of words belongs to some THING. Thus, the group of words, barn, shed, crib, rack and stall, belong to outhouses. Outhouses are the thing. 3. The names of things are first given; then the names of qualities; and lastly, the names of actions. Thus, Thus, under HOME, we give the names of the things, home, stead, homestead, house; then the names of the qualities, sweet, dear; and lastly, the names of the actions, draw, hallow. 4. The meaning of each word is given. First is given the meaning of the word when it was made; as, husband, the house band or bond, binding the family together; and then the common meaning of the word; as, husband, a man wedded to a woman. 5. The use of each word is also given. The teacher asks a question, in which he uses the word, and thus gives a model to the child. The child turns this question into an answer, and gives the same use of the word. Thus: Teacher. Is a barn a place for grain? Child. A barn is a place for grain. (See Readers.) What is a plan? Go over the plan for the study of Anglo-Saxon rootwords FOURTH STUDY. A MODEL OF THE PLAN OF STUDY. THE child, in early life, imitates what he sees and hears. He learns from models better than from maxims or sayings. This is true of the plan of study. We accordingly bring it before the mind in a model. We select HOME and its words. THE MODEL. HOME. HOME is the dearest spot on earth. The heart turns to it, wherever we may be. HOME, a cover; the place where one lives. Teacher.-Is home a dear place? Child.-Home is a dear place. STEAD, a stand; room or place. Teacher.-Shall I answer in Child. You may answer in my stead. your stead? HOMESTEAD, the place of home; one's abode. Teacher.-Do you like the old homestead? Child.-I do like the old homestead. HOUSE, a closed place; a building to live in. Teacher.---Is your house large? Child.-Our house is large. In this model, every thing is done for the child. In the following studies, every thing is done, but ONE, the answer to each question, and this is easy. The child has only to learn what is done, and be able to answer each question. Tell what is said about the model. FIFTH STUDY. PREPARING A STUDY. THE study for the day is pointed out to the child. It may be HOME and its words. These are to be studied. He takes his seat and opens his book. What is to be done? WORDS ARE TO BE STUDIED. STUDY. Study is fixing the mind on what we wish to know, and learning all we can about it. THE WRITTEN WORD. In this case, the written word is the thing to be studied. The mind is fixed upon it through the sense of sight. What is it? The written word is one or more letters used as a sign of the spoken word. See Ins. VII. THE SPOKEN WORD. The written word becomes the spoken one, when we speak it. And what is this? The spoken word is a sound of the human voice, used as the sign of a thing. See Ins. II. THE STEPS. The steps in the study are easily marked. 1. The WRITTEN word. In studying this, the mind is fixed upon it through the sense of sight. We mark the letters, syllables, accent, quantity, meaning and use in the question of the teacher. See Ins. VIII. 2. The SPOKEN word. When we say the study, the written word becomes a spoken one. The mind is fixed upon mark its sounds, syl it through the sense of hearing. We 3. The use of the word. This is shown to the child in the question of the teacher, and is to be studied. The child learns what it means, and shapes an answer in the |