REVIEWS Primeras Lecciones de Español, by Carolina Marcial Dorado. Ginn & Company, New York, 1918. xvi+307 pp. It is a joy to find this sane book thoroughly Spanish without running too much to archaic fable or fairy-tale vocabulary, yet including those features appealing to a child's language study. Songs, games, riddles, proverbs spice it. The early lessons can be handled by the direct method, if the teacher chooses. The readings are adapted to conversation, which is the child's main interest in foreign language. The book presents grammar essentials inductively, adds a brief chapter on general rules for reference, and is up-to-date in method. Since Miss Marcial refrains in her preface from hinting at what grade the book aims, I puzzled, at first, whether it were not for fifth-grade children, as the pictures and songs look so childish. But the tales and pointed anecdotes later seem hard enough for the ninth grade. Probably the text is to some extent experimental. But now that progressive schools have admitted Spanish to the seventh grade we conclude that it is here the book will be wanted. The most vital base all the way. When Two lessons beyond And if so, it might well provide a little more technical verb drill from the first. The seventh-grader is not badly frightened his first week to find a Spanish verb can be conjugated in the present tense. The book doesn't convince him of this till ser and estar are reviewed, page 39. About twenty pages on other morsels of real verb work are dealt out. of speech being verbs, more drill should be indulged in the book openly admits verbs, they hasten in with speed. the present-tense introduction, all three conjugations of the imperfect are thrust upon the learner in one lesson. Before he recovers from that blow he is struck by the preterit. By the way, since many authorities have adopted the nomenclature of past descriptive and past absolute it would be useful and courteous to explain both tense namings. A minor criticism may be made on those absolutely charming, clever illustrations, all so Spanish in flavor. None could lead us to dream that any part of Spain was advanced beyond the quaint, picturesque customs here shown. We even suspect some sensitive Spaniards might be worried lest they would teach that only provincial types exist. This could be offset by a few photographic cuts that do justice to progressive Spain. I'm sorry the vocabulary heads the lesson. Why force the pupil to gaze at the English meanings before he has a chance to guess or reason out the words from their context? Allow his brain exercise. I have not made up my mind that it was wise to omit an EnglishSpanish vocabulary. I fancy ambitious children and a teacher not too well prepared (Spanish educators hint that such are yet to be with us, through need) would like this for original work and reference. This leads me to say the book offers a stupendous Spanish vocabulary for a child's first year-nearly three thousand Spanish words! Linguists are satisfied when a child uses a thousand words and recognizes about a thousand more in his reading. What, then, will he do with three thousand new words to cloud his view? This threatened danger lessens when we recall that a bulk of the words occur in the supplementary matter the book squeezed in. We have complimented the including of songs, rhymes, etc. But reflect on the surplus! Among these 83 lessons are 39 rimas, 20 adivinanzas, 13 juegos, 46 proverbios, and 22 canciones! Can a class spare time from essentials to learn more than four or five songs a year? The English "rigmaroles" our young Americans learned to love between the ages of four and eight years will not appeal to a Spanish pupil of twelve or fourteen. Likewise baby rhymes and meaningless songs of Spanish fouryear-olds will not fail to irritate the average sophisticated twelve-year-old American. He appreciates things similar to what he likes in English, and nothing more, until, by gradual aids, he has gained some feeling of Spanish atmosphere. At the sensitive seventh-grade age he is more offended by the "babyish" than a high school or college student would be. Foreign folklore is rather wasted on him. Some study of literature must be made as a setting before we cast these pearls before him. Such a setting for future appreciation is, however, happily provided in other features of the book, in the nicely chosen accounts of festivals, customs and the legends of the Cid. The latter part of the book contains the most practical reading matter, namely, Spanish-American subjects. For that is the interest nowadays that is inducing parents to urge their children to study Spanish. Possibly too many new constructions are worked into the last few lessons, as though there were a fear that unless the whole grammar ground were covered, the poor student will have lost his final chance to learn Spanish. Launching so many new elements near the end of the year will not bait the young person to continue. He may feel surfeited. The last lessons should be so prepared as not to discourage him by a threat of the ponderous unknown. More simple review material over which he feels some confident mastery will whet his appetite for more Spanish. Among the lessons on Spanish-American topics, occur mistakes in the use of the definite article. The South American is punctilious about the definite article with such republics as have incorporated it as a part of the name. The neglectful Mexican or Castilian grieves him by omitting these precious articles (no pun). But among the latter lessons we find the articles jumbled. Whether used with adjuncts or not the following names should have been accompanied by the definite article: el Brasil, el Paraguay, el Uruguay, la Argentina, el Perú and el Ecuador. STATE NORMAL SCHOOL LOS ANGELES RUTH HENRY (a) Spanish Fables in Verse. Edited with introduction, notes and vocabulary by Elizabeth C. Ford and J. D. M. Ford. D. C. Heath & Company, New York, 1918. 12mo, xii+232 pp. (b) Fábulas y Cuentos. A Spanish Reader. Edited by Clifford G. Allen. World Book Company, Yonkers, New York, 1918. 8mo, 180 pp. Los libros de texto españoles publicados en los últimos meses merecen nuestra especial atención. Los autores y editores no se contentan ya con preparar gramáticas o coleccionar selecciones de autores famosos; persuadidos, quizás, de que hay ya bastantes libros de esta naturaleza, se lanzan a nuevos campos, y se esfuerzan por presentar al alumno textos especiales que correspondan a ciertas necesidades pedagógicas e intelectuales, que hoy día se presentan en la enseñanza moderna de idiomas vivos. Aparecieron primero los textos comerciales, los cuales además de tener por mira el comercio, facilitan el conocimiento de las naciones hispanas al estudiante. Llegaron después las piececitas dramáticas que tanto deleitan al estudiante y que se prestan admirablemente a ser base de conversación y a ser representadas; tenemos también textos que incluyen juegos, proverbios. adivinanzas y hasta música, y ahora llegan a nuestras manos dos nuevas publicaciones, Spanish Fables in Verse, y Fábulas y Cuentos, las cuales, por su aplicación especial, han de ser bien recibidas. (a) Para los que nos ocupamos de la enseñanza del español, el nombre de Ford, cuando va estampado en la cubierta de un libro de texto, es ya una garantía de que el tal libro es el resultado de una cuidadosa selección de materia y una acertada y documentada preparación de la misma: Spanish Fables in Verse no es una excepción a esta regla. El profesor Ford y su hermana han preparado un librito muy aceptable, en el cual presentan algunas de las mejores fábulas de Iriarte, Samaniego, Hartzenbusch, Barroz Grez y Campoamor. La introducción es concisa, clara y práctica, y ha de ser muy útil a los maestros que usen el libro, para el estudio adecuado de las fábulas y de la metrificación. Los editores demuestran buen gusto en la selección de las fábulas, algunas de las cuales por ser universalmente conocidas ofrecerán una grata facilidad al estudiante extranjero; otras, por el contrario, aunque son completamente nuevas, despertarán interés en la mente del alumno por su narración amena y por la agudeza del pensamiento. El fin de este librito, según lo indica el prefacio es, presentar algunos trozos de buena literatura para que o bien sean estos aprendidos de memoria. o bien sean usados como tema de conversación sirvan para hacer práctico el estudio del idioma español. Somos de opinión que se necesitaría una memoria altamente previlegiada para aprender de memoria fábulas del tipo que aparecen en las páginas 13, 22, 53, 57, 58, 59, 60. Las tres fábulas de Hartzenbusch, nos resultan intrincadas, difíciles de recordar y hasta de narrar y de esos mismos inconvenientes adolecen las fábulas exquisitas y filosóficas llenas de delicada tristeza y de amargo pesimismo del chileno Barroz Grez. Es de deplorar el que los editores no hayan juzgado oportuno agrupar las fábulas por grado de dificultad. Al abrir el texto nos encontramos con una extensa fábula de difícil traducción y comprensión, y mucho más allá, la breve y conocidísima del busto; y aquella otra deleitosa y fácil de "y sonó la flauta por casualidad." ¿No hubiese sido más práctico presentar la materia en forma más manejable para el maestro, ofreciendo al mismo tiempo mayores alicientes al inexperto estudiante? El verso es siempre más difícil que la prosa, y por eso nos inclinamos a sostener que en un libro de poesías para el uso de las escuelas y colegios es de suma importancia, sea cual fuere su contenido, la gradación de las selecciones de manera que, tanto su vocabulario como su construcción ofrezcan sus dificultades mínimas al principio de la obra y que poco a poco, y casi inadvertidamente, vaya aumentando el grado de dificultad de la misma. Como copilación de fábulas deleitosas e interesantes esta obrita será muy útil a aquellos maestros a los cuales les agrada enseñar usando el cuento y la moraleja en verso, como base de conversación y de trabajo para aprender de memoria. Claro está que será necesario alternar el libro con otros textos, porque una dosis exagerada de fábulas acabaría por entibiar el interés de los alumnos en el idioma. (b) En este libro el Dr. Allen nos presenta una selecta colección de fábulas y de amenos cuentos en prosa. El libro se divide en cuatro partes: la-Fábulas de Esopo; 2a-Trozos Escogidos de Calila y Digna; 3aCuentos, y 4a-Selecciones de autores modernos. El Doctor Allen ha contado las fábulas en forma fácil, y apropiada para ser estudiadas y narradas en clase; y apartándose del original lo menos posible. Eso explica, sin duda, el repetido uso de construcciones arcáicas y poco felices en la primera parte del texto, tales como: soltar argumentos (pag, 1, 22); El perro, teniendo un pedazo de carne, pasaba el río (pag. 2, 8); rogó al ratón del campo que él quisiese ir a la ciudad (pag. 5, 8); mucho rogado, se fué con él (pag. 5, 9); cámara konesta (pag. 5, 11); huir cada uno por su parte (pag. 5, 22); andando a hurtar (pag. 15, 1); diligentemente cazando (pag. 17, 7); soy sin fuerza (pag. 17, 14); como muestra esta figura (pag. 20, 9); el caballo iba entre si gimiendo (pag. 23, 2); ¿qué haces aquí estando? (pag. 24, 7) ; ¿ de qué eres tan gordo? (pag. 26, 4); no hay cosa de que te debas temer (pag. 26, 17); ¡que os pese! (pag. 41, 18). También contiene el libro algunas palabras usadas incorrectamente, y Voces anticuadas tales como: turbar el agua (pag. 1); natura del cuervo (pag. 23); artera (pag. 52); soterremos (pag. 53). Es de esperar que en ediciones venideras se salven estos inconvenientes y se haga más fácil la construcción de algunos párrafos que ahora resultan pesados y de complicadísima construcción; porque esta obra, por su grata presentación, sus artisticas ilustraciones y especialmente por su contenido, será de especial utilidad puesto que es, indudablemente, un libro fácil, grato y atractivo. BRYN MAWR COLLEGE CAROLINA MARCIAL DORADO Zaragüeta, comedia en dos actos original de Miguel Ramos Carrión y Vital Aza, anotada por M. A. De Vitis. Ann Arbor, Mich. George Wahr, publisher, 1917. This delightful little comedy by Carrión and Aza was first edited in this country in 1901 by Professor Howland, and was revised in 1915. Although there may still be room for a new edition of "Zaragüeta" the present edition has been so carelessly done that it leaves much to be desired. Professor Bonilla in a criticism of this edition1 justly laments the pass to which we have come in the editing of Spanish texts. His criticism covered only the notes to the text, which he found replete with errors and humorous absurdities. Such unbecoming traits as error and bad taste are everywhere in evidence throughout the book and a frank statement of the case is due to teachers of Spanish. A careful examination of the book leads one to believe that the editor borrowed lavishly from the first Howland edition, and played havoc with it. In his preface Mr. De Vitis says: "During the preparation of the notes and vocabulary for this comedy the editor read it with one class in university and three different classes in high school, so that this edition is suited for classes in the second semester college work or in the latter part of the second-year high-school work." Putting aside the false reasoning, let us see what the editor did, in part, in the preparation of his edition. He constructed a Prólogo carelessly written in English Spanish, wherein he startles us with the statement that Ramos Carrión (who died in 1915) "hoy continúa escribiendo para los teatros de Madrid." !!! After such a shock we do not mind the statement that Vital Aza died in 1913, which is doubtless near enough, since the Spanish playwright died in December, 1912. Next, in preparation of his edition there can be no doubt that he utilized the unrevised Howland edition of 1901, apparently sending the printed text of the play to the printer. The pages of the De Vitis edition correspond almost exactly to those of the first Howland edition. Occasional difficulties were overcome by employing brackets to hold overflow lines, e. g.: SAT. Veamos. [ridísimos e inolvidables tios." IND. (Leyendo.) "Madrid, 5 Septiembre. Mis que- (p. 8). Mr. De Vitis, it is true, has followed the new system of accentuation, but he has otherwise followed his copy closely and included almost all its errors. besides adding many more. I have noticed the following errors which his text has in common with the Howland text: p. 9. 1. 22 pecunario for pecuniario (both vocabularies have pecuniario); p. 14, 1. 15 desengañate for desengáñate; p. 30, lines 3-4 reconcimiento for reconocimiento; p. 46, 1. 32 que dirás que for qué dirás que; p. 49, 1. 11 y anímate tú, mujer for y anímale tú, mujer; p. 54, 1.7 sin oirle for sin oirle; p 62, 1.17 Quién? for ¿Quién?; p. 63, 1. 13 ¿á dónde? for ¿a dónde?. On page 8 we find Septiembre, and in the vocabulary, p. 148 Setiembre, just as in the first Howland edition. The vocabulary of the De Vitis edition contains the following errors and omissions which are to be found in each book: p. 124 ajaja for ajajá (both 1 Modern Language Journal, Nov., 1918, pp. 86-88. |