THE

FRENCH LANGUAGE

HOW TO READ, WRITE, AND SPEAK IT

WITH

CORRECTNESS AND PROPRIETY.

BY

W. J. CHAMPION, B.A.

NEW EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED.

LONDON

HOULSTON AND WRIGHT

65, PATERNOSTER ROW

MDCCCLX.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THIS Compendium is intended for the use of all who wish to learn the French Language, but have little leisure. It contains what is really necessary to be known in order to read and write the language; and but very few, if any, of the observations are superfluous. The reader's attention is particularly directed to the first five paragraphs on page 12, and to the hint given at the top of page 43, in connection with the observation on page 57, at the end of the Irregular Verbs.

The extracts given in the Appendix have been selected from the best authors to whose works access could be had. Some of them have been given in the Examinations at the University of London.

With the view of increasing the popularity and usefulness of this little work, the present edition has been carefully revised and considerably enlarged.

W. J. C.

LONDON, September, 1860.

THE French language is the language now current among the descendants of the allied Germans, who styled themselves "Franks," or "Freemen;" of the Celtic and Belgic population that survived the Roman and the Frank Conquest; and of the Romans that remained in the country after its subjugation by the Franks.

The elements of the French language will therefore principally consist of German, Celtic, and Latin; and from the length of the time during which the Romans held France under their power, it is only to be expected that the Latin should predominate.

Formerly, when there was much less communication between the parts of that extensive country than at present, there was great and almost essential difference between the languages of the inhabitants north and south of the Loire; the characteristics of the dialects spoken in the four quarters of the country being as follows:

In the north-east, the High German had more influence than in any other part: In the north-west, the Celtic and Scandinavian:

In the south-west, the languages of Spain:

In the south-east, the Latin or Italian.

Even now there is very great difference between the French of the capital and that of the southern parts of France. At Issoire and St. Fleur the provincial dialect is scarcely intelligible to a Parisian, and still less in Provence.

The standard French is of course the French as it is spoken by well educated natives of Paris; and to this we shall, for the future, confine our attention.

We beg our readers never to forget that we cannot supersede the use of laborious application and patient diligence; but we shall endeavour to give such directions as may prevent loss of time and waste of labour, and such instructions as shall be necessary and sufficient to guide the student by the easiest and shortest way to the attainment of his object.