The Combined Spanish Method

PREFACE. PROFESOR DE TORNOSS Combined Spanish Method, first published thirty years ago, has won for itself an established position among students of the Spanish language. After the test of use and competition for a quarter of a century, it still continues to be the most satisfactory book of the kind in the hands of the public. Nevertheless, the extensive modification of Spanish orthography by the decrees of the Real Academia Espamla, enacted some years ago, has necessitated further revisions in accordance with these changes. The object of the present edition is to preserve the unquestioned advantages possessed by the original work, and at the samc time to make it conform entirely to the rulings of the Academy, in order to meet the demands of the modern student. Since many of those who are to use the method will do so with the view of travel or residence in some of the Spanish-American countries, special attention has been devoted to a consideration of the American variations from Castilian Spanish in the matter of pronunciation. However, there has been no departure from the grammatical principles laid down by the Academy. The written language is the same everywhere, save that the speech and literature of each country have adopted many words of native origin. It will be found expedient to acquire first the true Spanish word, and afterward to take np the native variant. June, 1899. IT is an undoubted fact that in teaching, not only languages, but any other science or art, there neither is, nor can be, any other method than that of uniting theory with pactice and the various modes of applying the one to the other, the extent of the application, and the time at which it should be commenced, have produced the great number of methods hitherto published. This fact is now universally acknowledged, and each new author proclaims himself to be the only one who has put it into execution. The most insignificant little phrase- hook does not fail to announce, in its introduction, that it comlines theory and practice and grammars containing nothing more than confused masses of rules, heaped one upon another, are entitled Theoretical and Practical. It is admitted oc all hands that much progress has been made within the last fern years in the art of teaching languages and, in testimony of this, we have only to mention the excellent oral and practical methods of Jacotot, Manesca, OllendorE, Boulet, Robertson, and others who have followed in their footsteps, all of which are ably treated, and have done much good in their may. But each one of the gram- marians referred to, satisfied with his own invention, looked with disdain upon that of his predecessor. Hence the enmity and the almost unaccountable diversity of opinion which we observe amongst them. Had they studied each other with impartiality, and .endeavored to profit by the experience, and even the defects of the several systems, their labors would certainly have been attended with still more favorable results, and of course more considerable benefit would have accrued thereby to the science in general...