Tout, adv. all, entirely. Tout-à-coup, adn. suddenly. Tout, m. e, f. adj. all. Tous, m. plur. toutes, f. plur. adj. all. Traduire, v. a. irr. pres. inf. IV. to translate. translated. irr. pret. def. IV. 3d pers. sing. Traita, v. a. and n. pret. def. 1. 3d pers. sing. treated. Traité, v. a. and n. part. past, 1. treated. Traiter, v. a. and n. pres. inf. 1. to treat. Tranquille, adj. quiet. Tranquillement, adv. quietly. Transporter, v. a. pres. inf. 1. to carry. Travailla, v. a. pret. def. 1. 3d pers. sing. worked. Treize, adj. thirteen. Trente, adj. thirty. Très, adv. very. Trône, s. m. throne. Trop, adv. too much, too many. Troublé, v. a. part. past, 1. troubled, interrupted. Trouva, v. a. pret. def. 1. 3d pers. sing. found. Trouva (s'en), v. r. pret. def. 1. 3d pers. sing. found himself. Trouvait (se), v. r. imp. ind. 1. 3d pers. sing. happened to be, was finding himself. Trouvaient (se), v. r. imp. ind. 1. 3d pers. plur. happened to be, were finding themselves. Trouvé, v. a. part. pres. 1. found. Trouver (se), v. r. pres. inf. 1. to find one's-self. Trouverait, v. a. cond. 1. 3d pers. sing. would, should, or could find. Trouvèrent, v. a. pret. def. 1. 3d pers. plur. found. Troisième, adj. third. Tué, v. a. part. past, 1. killed. Tuer, v. a. pres. inf. 1. to kill. Tuèrent, v. a. pret. def. 1. 3d pers. plur. killed. Ubba, prop. n. m. Ubba. U. Un, m. e, f. one. Les uns, some; les uns et les autres, all. Unanimement, adv. unanimously. Uniquement, adv. only. Université, s. f. university. Vagabond, s. m. vagabond. མ. Vaincre, v. a. irr. pres. inf. Iv. to vanquish. Vainqueur, s. m. conqueror. Vaisseau, s. m. ship. Valeur, s. f. valour, courage. Venait, v. n. irr. imp. ind. 11. 3d pers. sing. did come, was coming. Venir, v. n. irr. pres. inf. 11. to come. Vent, s. m. wind. Venu, v. n. irr. part. past, II. come. Véritable, adj. true. Vérité, s. f. truth. Vers, prep. towards. Vertu, s. f. virtue. Victoire, s. f. victory. Victorieux, adj. victorious. Ville, s. f. town. Violation, s. f. violation. Violence, s. f. violence. Violer, v. a. pres. inf. 1. to violate. Virent, v. a. pret. def. of voir, irr. III. 3d pers. plur. saw. Visiter, v. a. pres. inf. I. to visit. Vit, v. a. pret. def. of voir, irr. 111. 3d pers. sing. saw. Vivement, adv. vigorously. Vivre, v. n. irr. pres. inf. iv. to live. Vœu, s. m. vow. Voile, s. f. sail. Voir, v. a. irr. pres. inf. to see. Volonté, s. f. will. Vont, v. n. irr. pres. ind. of aller, 1. 3d pers. plur. go. Voulurent, v. a. irr. pret. def. III. 3d pers. plur. were willing. Voulut, v. a. irr. pret. def. 111, 3d pers. sing. was willing. Voyait, v. a. imp. ind. of voir, irr. III. 3d pers. sing. did see, or was seeing. Vu, m. e, f. v. a. part. past of voir, irr. 111. seen. Wessex, prop. n. Wessex, Wilton, prop. n. Wilton. W. Wittena-Gemot, prop. n. Wittena-Gemot. Y, adv. there. Yeux, s. m. plur. eyes. Zèle, s. m. zeal. Y. Z. E ON THE GENDERS OF NOUNS IN THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. Or all the difficulties that the pupil meets with in the study of the French language, that of the knowledge of the genders is generally admitted to be the most embarrassing. The difficulty is so great that the solution of it has always been avoided by teachers. The reference to a common dictionary gives so vague an idea of the genders, that a life might be passed in consulting one without reaping much advantage. Many persons who have a tolerable proficiency in the language are deterred from speaking it, from the knowledge that the most ludicrous blunders are generally those which come under this head. Several treatises have been already published on this subject, but in a manner that has rendered them of little or no service, and they have attracted but a small share of notice. Some are full of the most palpable errors, and of rules so complicated that it would require the skill of a mathematician to understand them, even if they were correct, which is not the case; while in others the examples are so monstrous and inaccurate, that it is easy to perceive they are not, although they pretend to be, French, which a few sentences taken at random will prove : “Un sanglier fier de son pouvoir prenant le frais dans un bosquet. Et dans une minute. "Une impudente belette qui mangeait en goinfrade ses poulettes. "En phrase adroite la captive dit...." We will not allude to a thousand words found in these works, without reference to the rules given, nor to the gross error which assigns rules for the masculine which ought to be for the feminine, and vice versâ; nor to the innumerable technical words introduced, which are neither to be found in ordinary conversation, nor in the Dictionary of the Academy.* It is evident that a treatise on this subject must be alphabetically and methodically arranged, and adapted to three classes of students :— Those who, wishing to use it as a dictionary, would, at the same time, learn a hundred words in a shorter period than it would cost them to learn five in a common dictionary; those who wish to learn * We had nearly completed our dictionary of the genders when the treatise of M. de Rouillon, on the same subject, came under our notice. We have too much esteem for the talents of M. de Rouillon to mingle his work with those quoted above; but as his treatise resembles our own, we owe it to truth, and to those who take interest in these matters, to say that the resemblance between the two works is more apparent than real. |