PREMIER MANUEL. GRAMMAIRE ET CIVILISATION FRANCAISES.
By DouglasW.Alden '33. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1954. 524 pp. $4.00.
An authority on contemporary French literature (Marcel Proust and his FrenchCritics; Bibliography of Biographical andCritical References for the Study of Contemporary French Literature and other works), Douglas W. Alden, Professor of French at Princeton, has not neglected the more elementary aspects of his profession, teaching French to the beginner.
His Premier Manuel, according to its preface, "combines the postwar oral method with the traditional grammar approach to language study while focusing the student's attention continuously on the French way of life." As most of the Dartmouth alumni have been subjected to the traditional grammar approach, I shall not "rub it in," extolling the merits of the present text along the "beaten track." I would rather praise the fluency of its French and the deftness with which it is conveyed to the student.
Each lesson begins with a short, simple narrative, which, after being explained, is presented in dialogue form. Memorization is recommended before attempting to throw oneself in the deep waters of conversation; this is prudent pedagogy, and it saves many from drowning. Professor Alden, although presenting the fundamentals accurately and attractively, does not claim to make miracles and teach the foreign language the easy way. There is no easy way, and if there were, it would lead to blissful ignorance.
The author's standards are high and there is courage in this attitude at a time when the tendency is to lower them and turn out flimsy textbooks presenting only the 800 words of the basic language. Premier Manuel gives twice this amount, and many grammatical and idiomatic forms which require work. Inadequately prepared instructors will shy away from it, as too ambitious, - I would say too good —, but the others will single it out for its thoroughness and. pleasant diversity of approach. The book is well printed, bound, and illustrated.
For its happy combination of the grammatical and oral methods, its accuracy and pleasantness in presenting to beginners the language and the civilization of France, PremierManuel is a booster shot in the shaky carcass of foreign language teaching in America.
