ENGLISH BY THE NATURE METHOD BY ARTHUR M. JENSEN Endorsed by the Following Professors of English: 8. R.T. 0. D’ARDENNE, University of Lidge FRANZ DE BACKER University of Ghent FRANK BEHRE University of Gothenburg HELLMUT BOCK University of Kiel ©. A. BODELSEN University of Copenhagen @. BONNARD University of Lausanne KARL BRUNNER University of Innsbruck W. CLEMEN University of Munich L. ECKHOFF University of Oslo OTTO FUNKE University of Berne P.N.U, HARTING University of Amsterdam OTTO JESPERSEN (+) University of Copenhagen B. VON LINDHEIM Free University of Berlin H. LUDEKE University of Basle FERNAND MoSsé (+) Collége de France OLE REUTER University of Helsingfors K. SCHIBSBYE University of Copenhagen F. TH. VISSER University of Nijmegen MAX WILDI Inatitute of Technology, Zurich R. W. ZANDVOORT University of Groningen Tue Nature MetuHop INSTITUTES AMSTERDAM - BRUSSELS - COPENHAGEN - HELSINGFORS LONDON - MILAN - MUNICH - OSLO - PARIS STOCKHOLM - VIENNA - ZURICHPREFACES Extract from the Preface by OTTO JESPERSEN Ph. D,, Lit. D., LL. D., Late Professor of English Language and Literature in the University of Copenhagen Mr. Arthur M. Jensen has asked me to write a preface to his course: “English by the Nature Method”. It is with great pleasure that I comply with his wish, for I heartily agree with his method and think it has been on the whole carried out very skilfully and with real pedagogical insight. The main idea is that all, or nearly all, sentences should be self- interpreting, the meaning of new words being in each case readily understood without any possible doubt from the context, in the begin- ning aided here and there by a simple drawing, so that a translation is never necessary. In accordance with a wise old rule the author has not been afraid of repeating the same thing over and over again, especially in the beginning, so that words and phrases are as it were hammered into the brains of the student so as to be his possessions for ever. The most necessary grammatical forms are from the very first imparted in a natural way without using any technical terms; later some very elementary grammatical instruction is given with simple theoretical explanations. It is my conviction that the student who has conscientiously worked his way through the course will with a minimum of effort have acquired a fair knowledge of the English language and will be familiar with the most necessary words and phrases so as to feel at home in the language. Elsinore, May the 11th, 1942. Orro JesPERsEnPREFACES Preface by Dr. FERNAND MOSSE —— I have pleasure in giving my fullest approval to the course entitled “English by the Nature Method”, which I have examined with much interest. It is a genuine “natural” method, most ingeniously presented with great pedagogical acumen. Its user can be assured of the utmost success, provided that he never becomes discouraged if he is working on his own, and that he keeps on perseveringly to the end. It is only by thoroughly assimilating the most judiciously chosen sentences making up each lesson, by learning them by heart after having studied and understood them, that the student will gradually discover that he really knows English. When he reaches the last booklet he should be able to express himself with facility by the help of the words, forms and phrases at his command. Like the man in the Gospels who was cured by a miracle, he can then be told to arise and walk. Other highly qualified persons have already excellently expressed their opinions of this English course. I shall merely add that, even if similar methods are to be found, I know of none more capable of attaining the desired goal than the one so patiently worked out by Mr. Arthur M. Jensen. Paris, January 1955. FERNAND Mossé Preface by Dr. J. FOURQUET Profetsor of Germanic Philology in the University of Paris The method worked out by Mr. Arthur M. Jensen corresponds very closely to the ideal conception I had formed as I reflected on the best possible way of devising a rational system of modern language teaching inspired by the “direct method”. I had in mind a work in which the principles of this method would be applied down to the smallest detail. It would be necessary to pass from the phonetic transcription of isolated examples to a running transcription; to associate with pictures all 4PREFACES words capable of being so represented, to present the material progres- sively in such a way that every new element would be explained by a context made up of elements already acquired, and finally systematic- ally to base the acquisition of knowledge on complete sentence forms, passing gradually from the simplest to the most complex types. It should thus be possible to build up a language without having recourse either to dictionary or grammar-book, those lifeless collections of forms divorced from their context. I find all these requirements complied with in Mr. Jensen's work, to which I cannot but give my full approval. Moreover, the working out of every detail, no doubt thanks to much patience and ingenuity, is in every way worthy of the boldness of the plan and, if I may say so, of the purity of the principles inspiring the author. Provided one enters fully into the spirit of the method, namely never to make a step forward without having consolidated all that went before by the repetition of complete idiomatic sentences, one will be capable, by the end of the book, of immediate and spontaneous expression. It will only be necessary to make different combinations of the elements in the type sentence-patterns firmly imprinted on the nervous system, in order to speak with ease. The vocabulary, built up round centres of interest and always having a context, will be more readily recalled because of the network of associations in which it grew up from the start. This method can be called truly natural be- cause it takes the fullest account of the organic nature of language. Paris, August 1956. J. Fourguer Preface by Dr GEORGES BONNARD Profetsor of English Language and Literature in the University of Lausanne The author of “English by the Nature Method” has aimed at providing those who wish to learn English and are denied the help of an ordinary teacher, with a text-book that might, in little over a year, 5PREFACES bring them to the point where reading English books and conversation in English may be, or at least begin to be, actually possible. This means that they must be made to acquire an intelligible pronunciation, the essentials of the grammar, a fairly copious vocabulary and plenty of idiomatic phrases. A careful examination of the sixty chapters — each to be mastered in a week — contained in the sixteen booklets of the whole course has convinced me that Mr. Arthur M. Jensen has really succeeded in doing all he had set out to do. His main concern has been with young people in business, which is quite natural since it is in the world of business that he will mostly find young men and women who feel the need of some knowledge of English and have never had the opportunity of getting it. But he has taken care not to give undue importance to their requirements, so that his course may be used with just as much profit by whoever desires to learn English by himself. On reaching the end of the last booklet, any student with a normal, even if untrained mind, will certainly be capable of reading easy stuff, of understanding some- thing of the spoken language, even of speaking it to some extent. This result is obtained by the systematic use of the so-called direct method of teaching languages. The basic principle of that method, as every one knows, is to teach a foreign language without the help of the learner’s mother-tongue, except for occasional explanations. This can be done firstly by connecting as many words as possible directly with the objects, ideas, and actions they denote, and secondly by introducing new words, idioms, and grammatical facts in such a way that there can be no hesitation whatever in the pupil’s mind as to what they mean. In the class-room the teacher can easily point to many objects the names of which he wants to teach the pupil. He may use pictures re- presenting all sorts of things which are not at hand. A number of verbs can also be taught by means of gestures and movements. In a book meant for people who try to learn a language without a teacher, pictures can of course be used to some advantage, but they must be very clear and simple, so that there will be no risk of wrong associ- ations being formed. The pictures given in the margins of the booklets 6PREFACES answer that condition. But the author has had to rely, far more than any teacher in any class-room, on the second of the means at the disposal of the direct method, that is on the introduction of any new word, idiom or grammatical fact in such a context that its meaning can be grasped at once. It is in the application of that principle that “English by the Nature Method” is unquestionably superior to any text-book based on the direct method that I have ever seen. The skill with which everything new, be it a word, a phrase or a fact of grammar, is first presented is remarkable, at times even truly amazing. That skill will be best appreciated by those teachers who, intent on never deviating from the direct method, are often at a loss how to get it done. But every sentence seems so natural, in no way perceptibly composed for the purpose it fulfils, that the skill is never obvious. The new word must be, not only understood, but learned and remem- bered. It must become familiar. This can only be achieved by dint of repetition. But repetition, unless it be sustained by variety, will soon become wearisome. The new element must therefore be used again and again, each time in a different context. That is a serious difficulty. That difficulty has here been successfully overcome. Mr. Jensen has displayed a resourcefulness in the repeated use of the same element in different contexts which is equal to his skill in introducing it for the first time. And this is all the more creditable because he has done so not in discon- nected sentences — that curse of language teaching — but in continuous texts which, simple though they must be, quickly grow in interest. The course is divided into three distinct series of twenty chapters, each with its own general subject, and serving at the same time as a well-informed approach to various aspects of English civilisation, life and manners. Here again the author must be praised for his making the story he tells something more than a mere pretext for passing from one chapter to the next. The adventures and experiences of the clerk who marries his office manager’s daughter are sure to delight those unsophisticated young people who are most likely to use “Engslish by the Nature Method”.PREFACES One of the most interesting, and to my mind most judicious, features of the course is the importance it gives to the imparting of a decent pronunciation. The learner is expected to master the alphabet of the International Phonetic Association and study the simple descriptions of the sounds of English given in the introductory booklet before starting on the course proper, where, right underneath every word of the text, he will find its full transcription. This may appear a bit clumsy. But I do not see how else the problem of teaching the pronun- ciation could have been solved satisfactorily. At the cost of a slight initial effort, the student, however left to himself he may be, is sure never to go astray. And he is advised of course to use to the full every opportunity he may have of hearing the new sounds he must use. The instructions in the student’s own language which are sent to him with each booklet, the exercises added to all the chapters, and the para- graphs of grammar to be found in the last twenty chapters, all denote the same meticulous care, the same attention to the necessary details as have gone to the composition of the text itself. In conclusion I think it can be confidently asserted that those that set themselves to learning English with the help of Mr. Jensen’s method will be thoroughly satisfied with it, but on condition they do not imagine any language can be learnt without steady and even hard work. For this is not one of the least satisfactory features of “English by the Nature Method” that it does not pretend that you can learn to read and speak English in a few weeks or in a dozen lessons or so. May I add that in the hands of a competent teacher devoted to the direct method this course would probably do wonders in the class- room, Lausanne, February the 26th, 1951. Gerorces BoNNARDChapter One (1). The First (1st) Chapter. THE FAMILY ‘Mr, Smith Mrs, Smith s Ae Helen John ¢: Se man woman S baby girl Mr. Smith is a man. Mrs. Smith is a woman. John is mista smip iz a men. misis smip iz a wuman. dgon iz aboy. Helen isa girl. The baby is also a girl. Helen abi. heliniz a ga:l. da beibi iz a:lsou a ga:l. _helin and the baby are girls. Mr. Smith is the father. Mrs. | _ is and da beibi a: ga:lz. mista smip iz do fa:da, misiz | Sy saps «, . ¢ John is a boy. Smith is the mother. John is a child. Helen is a | Helen and the smip iz da mada. dan iz a tfaild. helin iz 9 | baby are girls. one (1) girl child. The baby is a child. John, Helen, and the baby | two (2) girls tfaild. da beibi iz a tfaild. dan, helin, and do beibi | one (1) child two (2) children are children. Helen is a girl. . r ~ Helen and the a: tfildran’ perChapter One (1). Mr. Smith is the father of John. Mr. Smith is the mista smip iz 89 fa:da av don, mista smip iz da father of Helen. Mr. Smith is the father of the baby. fa:da av helin. mista smip iz da fa:da av da beibi. Mr. Smith is the father of the children, Mrs. Smith is mista smip iz do fa:da av 6a tfildran. —misiz smip iz the mother of John, Helen, and the baby. Mr. Smith da mada av d3on, helin, and da beibi. mista smip and Mrs. Smith are the parents of the children, John and misiz smip a: do pearants av a tfildran. dan is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Smith iz da san av mista and misiz smip. mista and misiz smip are the parents of John. Helen is the daughter of Mr. a: da pearants av dzon. helin iz da do:ta av mista a the and Mrs. Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents John is a boy. and misiz smip. mista and misiz smip a: 9 pearants The boy is John. Helenand thebaby | of Helen. The baby is also the daughter of Mr. and al re = w helin, 89 beibi iz a:lsou d9 da:ta 9 mista and Helen and the | irs, Smith. Mr. and Mrs, Smith are the parents of the misie smip. mista and misis smip a: 9 peorants au da of The father of the | baby. children. beibi. Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, John, Helen, and the baby are mista smip, misiz smip, d3on, helin, and da beibi a: a family. There are five (5) persons in the family. 2 femili, dear a: faiv —pa:snz_in da femili. Mr. Smith is a person. Mrs. Smith is a person. John mista smip iz 9 pa:sn. —misiz smip iz 9 pa:sn. dan 10The First (Ist) Chapter. is a person. Helen is a person, and the baby is also iz 9 pacsn. helin iz 9 pa:sn, and da. beibi iz 2:lsou a person. a pazsn. How many persons are there in the family? There are hau meni pa:snz a: dea in da femili? dear a: five (5) persons in the family. Who are the five (5) faiv pa:snz in da femili. hu: a: da faiv persons in the family? They are the father, the mother, pa:snz in da famili? dei a: da fa:do, da mada, the son, the daughter, and the baby daughter. How da san, 89 do:ta, and da beibi_— da:ta. hau many children are there in the family? There are meni tfildran a: dea in da femili? Gear a: three (3) children in the family. Who are the three (3) pri: tfildran in da famili. hu: a: da pri: children in the family? They are the son, the daughter, tfildran in 8a femili? dei a: da’ san, Ga do:ta, and the baby daughter. How many girls are there in and da beibi_ do:ta. hau meni ga:lz a: dea in the family? There are two (2) girls in the family. Go femili? dear a: tu: gaslz in da famili. Who are the two (2) girls in the family? They are the hu: a: do tu: gailz in 8a famili? dei a: da daughter and the baby daughter. How many boys are do:ta and da beibi do:ta. hau meni boiz a: there in the family? There is one (1) boy in the family. Geo in da femili? dear iz wan boi in do famili how many? How many girls are there in the family? there is there are There fs one boy in the family. There are two girls in the family. 11Chapter One (1). who? Who is the boy? The boy is John; he is the son of he hu: iz da bi? a bai is dan; hi: iz da san wv she they Mr. Smith. The girl is Helen; she is the daughter of Who is John? He is the son. mista smip, da ga:l iz helin; fi: iz da dj:ta av Who is Helen? She is the Mr. Smith. The man is Mr. Smith; he is the father. daughter. mista smip. a man iz mista smip; hi: iz da fa:da. Who are Helen and the baby? The woman is Mrs. Smith; she is the mother. The They are the oa gene: Fi ma daushiews 2 wuman is misis smip; fi: iz da mada. da man and the woman are Mr. and Mrs. Smith; they are man and da wuman a: mista and misiz smip; dei a: the parents. a pearants. John is the brother of Helen. Helen is the sister of dz iz da brada av helin. helin iz da sista av John, The baby is the sister of John and Helen. The oot d3on. 89 beibi iz da sista ov dgzm and helin. do boy persons | baby and Helen are sisters. John and Helen are baby beibi and helin a: sistas. dg and hhelin_ a: father mother }parents brother and sister. boy brada and sista. girl fentren baby Mr. Smith is the husband of Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith mista smip ig 0a hasband avmisis smip. misiz smip is the wife of Mr. Smith, Who is Mr. Smith? He is the iz 09 waif av mista smip. hu: iz mista smip? hi: is da husband of Mrs. Smith and the father of the three (3) hasband avmisiz smip and a fa:da ov da pri: children. Who is Mrs. Smith? She is the wife of Mr. tfildran hu: iz misis smip? fi: iz da waif av mista