The oral system being the most direct, the straight-line method for the simultaneous fourfold mastery of a foreign language teaching simultaneously to speak, understand, read, and write by a linguist of nearly 40 years standing and nearly 20 years resident abroad. Read for the LibriVox Language Learning Collection, Volume 2. Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater. Respecting the time required to learn a language, the writer ventures to recommend the way he himself took when a boy to solve this question. Having made choice of a known grammar, the exercises of which promise a satisfactory degree of proficiency, let the student affix to each and all of the lessons at the outset the dates when they are to be done and observe them. Some weeks a little perseverance and determination may be necessary, but let him be inflexible with himself, curtail his indulgences if required, and his task will be done with ease. Subsequent studies are pleasant and easy. Some time ago, a Mr William Roger came down from Glasgow for the purpose of showing how foreign languages should be taught. He brought on a gentleman, a clergyman from Leeds, who had gone through Otto's German grammar without being able either to speak or understand German. This gentleman was able to bear testimony to the merit of Mr Roger's system, because by it he had learnt to do both. Of course his testimony rested on one assumption. It assumed that having gone through Otto's grammar, all learnt from it had been forgotten, and that the whole merit of his success was due to Mr Roger's method. Mr Roger was of opinion that foreign languages should be learnt as a child learns its mother tongue. It seemed to me a strange use to make of the reason and intelligence of the adult to cast it aside as useless and to ask the youth and man to become a child again. It appeared to me the most wasteful of methods. Is language a science? And if so, what would be thought of a similar proposal for acquiring any other science? But are the cases parallel? Is there any similarity of circumstance? Can the youth and man again place themselves in the circumstances of the child? The child is constantly hearing the language spoken. Everyone around it is teaching it to speak. Everything around it stimulates it to do so. Nearly everything it learns comes to it through its mother tongue. At play it hears. It speaks. At five years of age it begins to go to school, and from that time until its 14th or 16th year, whatever else it studies, it must study its mother tongue. All other knowledge reaches it through this medium. Every other study compels the study and practice of its mother tongue, and allowing 10 hours per day for sleep, by the time it is 14 years of age, 71,600 hours have been spent in such study and practice. Let us take the case of the youth or man who commences the study of a foreign language. He has found that a foreign language will be of use to him or has become necessary to him in his work. He begins to study it and takes the usual one lesson per week of one hour's duration. In a year he has spent 50 hours with the teacher. If he devoted two or three hours weekly to the preparation of each lesson, he will have spent 150 to 200 hours per annum upon it, or less absences and emissions, perhaps 140 or 180 hours upon its study. This makes 14 days of 10 hours, or perhaps three weeks, as against 14 years spent by the child upon its mother tongue. Multiply this amount of 14 days by two or three, and grammar is still seen by comparison, to have accomplished a stupendous miracle. But even this disparity is not complete, for whilst the child, whether at work or play, never ceases to study and practice its native language, and this is by far its principal occupation, the youth and man, on the other hand, devote to the study of a foreign language, the remnants, the odds and ends of their time, after having exhausted their energies in their work. These were the considerations that occurred to me on thinking over Mr. Rogers' prospectus. Nevertheless, it was impossible to regard as satisfactory a method of tuition or study which left the pupil unable to understand or speak a language after having gone through a grammar like that of Otto. The grammatical method, being one which does not seek to render easy and simple at the cost of efficiency, by eluding and evading the difficulties and peculiarities of a language, but being the one which fairly meets and masters them, there can be no question of dispensing with its valuable assistance. The wise course is to adopt that method of using it which will enable us to derive most benefit from its teachings and ensure success. It is for this purpose the following has been written. It follows from this that if the pupils time admit the most complete grammar is the best. We have been amongst the most backward in this branch of study, but our grammars since then have been largely borrowed from our more successful competitors, from those who excelled as much in modern languages as we ourselves in industry. They are in many instances the work of foreign specialists and experts. They are the very instruments of success used by our most successful rivals. How then can they be inadequate? Translation has put us into possession of the best works used by our foreign rivals, and if we are less successful than they, it is due as a Swiss correspondent of the Manchester Guardian recently stated, not to the superior aptitude, but to the superior application of the foreigner. The writer first commenced studying foreign languages nearly 40 years ago and has resided for nearly 20 years in various foreign countries. His experience with regard to those who learn foreign languages has been that those who commence the practice of a foreign language with a previous knowledge of its grammar learn to speak it with an ease, confidence and correctness never attained by those who try to dispense with such preparation and study. On the other hand, those who have learned to speak without such study contract vicious and faulty locations and rarely if ever make good the deficiency. They are compelled of course to form a rough grammar of their own upon incomplete information and have to do so hastily and imperfectly. For writing where precision and accuracy are acquired, a knowledge not based upon grammar is next to worthless. Most pupils have a fourfold object in studying a language. They wish to be able to read and write, to speak and to understand it. By what method could this be most easily achieved? If this work could be performed simultaneously, it would affect a saving of time and labour, as well as impress what was being studied more deeply upon the memory. The memory for sound, form, music, figures, spelling, etc. appears to be distinct and to vary in each one. If the memory for some could be brought more into play, it must help to retain more tenaciously what was learnt. Of course the pupil can only expect to be master of the language so far as he has studied and learnt. He cannot expect to reap where he has not sown. Within this limit he learns to read in preparing the lesson and to write in writing out the exercises. But Mr Charles Sauer says in the preface to his Italian grammar 5th edition, page 4, everyone who has occupied himself with study of modern languages knows that by far the most difficult task is to understand the foreign language. That is, when spoken. That cannot be called a success which leaves the most difficult part of the task unaccomplished nor can it be wise to allow difficulties to amass and accumulate if they can be mastered in detail as they present themselves. The task is the education of the ear and tongue and this can only be done by practice. To learn to understand the language when spoken, one must hear it spoken. To learn to speak it, one must speak it. It may even have its advantages if such conversation keep within the range of the pupil's knowledge. He thus feels that he ought, must and can understand if he try. If the pupil speak to himself, both these results are attained. This he can do by studying aloud. His tongue will educate his ear and familiarize it with the new sounds whilst the ear will correct the tongue. I assume of course that he is under the guidance of a teacher. In this case, with attention to the teacher's pronunciation and care and a little effort on his own part he should soon pronounce correctly, easily and well. By translating the exercises aloud from 5 to 20 times they should become as familiar to him as English. But whether translating into or from English the foreign sentences should always be uttered aloud, clearly and distinctly. It is of course a drawback that in this translation allowed and alone of the exercises the eye should anticipate the ear in conveying the words to the brain. But when full allowance has been made for this the gain for the pupil is still immense as compared with the silent method of study. The learner should not be satisfied with being able to translate the exercises. He should aim at being able to use his new tongue with the same ease, readiness and fluency as his native language. At each successive translation he gains in this respect whilst engraving his newly acquired knowledge more deeply on his memory. The exercise which the first time required 15 minutes to translate the fifth time will probably take but three. A chief difficulty being the education of the ear and the time spent with the teacher being the pupil's best opportunity for this the lesson for the pupil so far as possible should be oral. The exercises being spoken by the teacher to the pupil for translation and the pupil's translations likewise being spoken. The pupil's book should be kept closed during the translation. Supposing the pupil to be studying French the teacher should first speak the French exercise in French, the pupil translating each sentence as spoken into English. Two, then taking the English exercise the teacher should translate it aloud into French, the pupil retranslating each sentence when spoken into English. Three, the teacher should then speak each sentence of the English exercise in English the pupil translating each sentence in a distinct voice into French. Four, the teacher should then translate aloud sentence by sentence the French exercise into English the pupil retranslating each sentence into French. This will double the exercises which are usually rather scanty as we see this part of the lesson is for the pupil exclusively oral and oral. He works through the ear and tongue only his book being kept closed. In working alone at the preparation of his lesson there is the disadvantage for the ear that before the sound reaches it the reply has conveyed the meaning to the brain but when working with the teacher as above this drawback is obviated. The test is indeed a more severe one than actual conversation would be when conversing the subject is known and the question suggests the reply but with disconnected sentences no such help is forthcoming. The pupil can much hasten his own progress by varying the exercises forming of them question and answer changing tenses and moods of verbs varying them so far as he can trying how far he can make conversation out of them. This method has further advantage of showing the pupil plainly week by week the progress he is making and the remedy being in his own hands he becomes responsible for his own failure. If he cannot translate freely and easily when with the teacher he cannot expect later to speak freely and naturally when he comes to engage in actual conversation with foreigners his remedy is to translate his exercises alone until he can do so as readily as if they were English the shyness and diffidence that so frequently a company first attempts to converse are not experienced under this method. One reason why pupils in conversation fail to understand readily is because they do not know the verbs well do not know their grammar a sentence does not convey to them at once a definite meaning and whilst engaged in puzzling out the meaning of what has already been said they cannot give their undivided attention to what their interlocutor is just saying. I have described the manner in which on Mr. William Rogers' visit in March 1891 I was led to this method. Theoretically it seemed to me sound and after having since tested it practically I do not think its merit exaggerated. In April last 1894 a French grammar by Mr. Paul Baum was brought under my notice. Mr. Baum recommends a similar method between teacher and pupil but omits to state how the pupil can best prepare himself for it. Mr. Baum will I think find the difficulties he mentions to disappear if the pupil prepare himself as I have prescribed. I have never encountered such difficulties and attribute this to the fact that I always recommend pupils to prepare themselves by studying aloud. Mr. Baum says he has practised this method with considerable success during 20 years. I was not very much surprised at having been partially anticipated by Mr. Baum for while error is infinite the truth is one. There can be only one straight line between two points and this seems to me the most direct the straightest way to the simultaneous four fold acquirement of a language. With a grammar like that of Otto an expeditious mode of learning words is desirable. Perhaps the quickest to transcribe the words to be learnt into parallel columns and covering up each column in turn to run down them ten or more times. Whilst doing this the foreign words should always be pronounced aloud. The transcription impresses the spelling on the memory and where the written alphabet differs from the English affords valuable practice. Arminius Bamberi thought it a matter for congratulation when having begun by learning ten words daily he was able to reach sixty. The column of twenty foreign words can be mastered in about one quarter of an hour and I have myself done over two hundred at this rate on some days though I do not say they can be retained without repetition. Lord Dufferin says that in a work of about six hundred pages there will probably be three thousand words of which the meaning will be unknown to the student. A list should be made of them and they can be conveniently mastered at the rate of forty daily and thus all learnt in three months. With each successive work the process should be repeated until it becomes unnecessary. He adds that this has the advantage that if necessary after a long interval by preserving such lists the words can be relearned with little trouble. An able Swiss authority recommends the pupil to learn from ten thousand to twelve thousand words of each language dividing them into three or four classes according to their usefulness or frequency of occurrence. He recommends their periodic repetition. Asher's German correspondent and Butch Arcosi in the Echo de Madrid recommend the translation of a good idiomatic work into English and its translation into the language of the original carefully comparing such retranslation with the original and noting mistakes. With the teacher such translation should be made by word of mouth the teacher translating into English and the pupil retranslating each sentence when uttered into the language of the original. Another method is to read and translate some idiomatic foreign work. At the end of the paragraph the teacher forms questions from each sentence to which the pupil replies so soon as able the pupil in turn questions. This is, I believe, substantially the old Robert Sonian method. The pupil can prepare his lesson by framing both question and answer himself. It is excellent drill. Good practice in speaking is also to be obtained by the pupils narrating to the teacher in the language of the original the contents of each paragraph. He need not, of course, attempt to recite by heart the words of the text but merely repeat the sense. Mr. Chardonnall recommends the pupil to translate mentally an increasing number of sentences daily and to repeat them as frequently as possible during the day. The sentences should illustrate important rules. His object is to induce mental work, personal labour, on the part of the pupil. Arminius Vamberi's method was to enter into imaginary conversations with himself. All these methods do not mean discordance but agreement. All methods which concurrently with grammar mean practice or induce it are good. This is the pith and secret of all successful systems. Practice with method often, much and allowed, but by all means master the grammar as quickly and thoroughly as possible and thus practice strengthens grammar while grammar guides and illumines practice. Dr. Abercrombie in his work Intellectual Powers Chapter Memory says the depth, the permanence of an impression on the mind depends upon the distinctness of the perception, the intensity with which it is contemplated, the length of time during which it is kept before the mind, the impression being very much strengthened by being repeatedly brought before the mind. This labour must be a voluntary act on the part of the individual. He adds, quote, the habit of listless activity should be carefully guarded against by the young and the utmost care should be taken to cultivate the opposite, namely of directing the mind intensely to whatever comes before it in reading or observation. This may be considered as forming the foundation of a sound intellectual character, end quote. Lord Macaulay attributed his marvellous memory to a very simple method, adopted when a boy. When reading at the bottom of each page, he required himself to give an account of its contents. At the outset, said he, he needed to re-peruse the page three or four times, but he ended by being able almost to recite a book from beginning to end after having once read it through. This is also the essential feature recommended by Dr. Abercrombie in his Intellectual Powers chapter on memory. Such a method of summarizing each letter, order, invoice, or conversation at its close would also give good results to the merchant, clerk, or traveler, both in leaving a clear impression and in strengthening the memory. It certainly seems to me an excellent way for mastering the rules and would admit of their recapitulation each time the exercises are gone through. Reading aloud is also an excellent practice. It improves the pronunciation and trains or keeps the ear in practice. Its benefit is not to be measured by what is retained by the memory. It confers also a benefit similar to that which is derived from a course of arithmetic. Grammatical peculiarities may be noted at the end of the book and the page added. As the limbs are invigorated and strengthened by suitable exercise, so the powers of the mind are strengthened and developed by following a great mind at its best, following its train of thought, of reason. Mr. John Cryer in his school board electioneering address, 1894, ranges promising pupils in the order of workers, plodders, and bright ones. The last are frequently overrated, the memory more quick than retentive. Wie gewonnen, so zerronen. Lightly come, lightly go. Mere quickness may prove a will of the wisp and may be peculiar to one subject, but the capacity for patient, honest, painstaking work is a vastly more valuable quality which can be applied with fair success to any pursuit. It gives earnest of the sense of duty, of responsibility, and that capacity for self-sacrifice which peculiarly fit and qualify their possessor for positions of trust and responsibility. It is a pledge that the amount of labour will be forthcoming to render equal to the position. Practice makes perfect, says the proverb. Habit becomes second nature and the facility and aptitude which nature sometimes bestows as a free gift can be acquired at the cost of application and diligence. Whilst mastering the first language, the pupil is also learning how to learn languages. Each successive one becomes more easy. Let the pupil make it a rule always to do his best. He will naturally take a pride and a pleasure in work well done and by continually striving and studying to do better he cannot fail to improve in it. This is the road to honest success, to happiness, and to self-improvement. This will continually enlarge his capabilities and strengthen his natural powers and even if he fail in accomplishing all he aimed at, there can be no better consolation than that of knowing that he has nothing to reproach himself with, that he has manfully done his best, and that he is the better for the effort. In their desire to disparage and discredit the already existing system of learning foreign languages by means of a grammar, the exponents of the natural method and the method of nature choose to ignore the existence of the large number of linguists who have acquired their knowledge through a grammar. Mr. Goan is of the opinion that one can learn a language perfectly in 900 hours or 300 lessons of three hours each. One can know enough French to feel at home in France to understand what is said in the street café or railway to read a French newspaper with ease and to talk French with a French accent in six months' lessons of two hours each five days a week. See Review of Reviews 1892 page 512 and January 1893. Most teachers under the grammatical method have to achieve success or make the best of one lesson of one hour weekly. This is one fifteenth or one tenth of the time per week mentioned by Mr. Goan. The saving of time shown by the grammatical method is due to generalization. It distributes words into classes, defines the laws or rules that govern their use and regulates the construction of sentences. Sentences are thus taught in groups and not singly. The pupil learns to construct sentences and does not simply learn by heart to repeat them. He can thus supply himself at will with an infinite number. If he fails us to apply his knowledge only his own lack of diligence is in fault. The writer first commenced the study of languages nearly 40 years ago and during this time he has spent nearly 20 years abroad in various foreign countries but he never met with a case where a pupil had continuously, daily, earnestly and honestly devoted one fourth of the time mentioned by Mr. Goan to the study of a good grammar of a foreign language who could reasonably complain of failure, nor indeed a shorter space of time applied under the same conditions which did not meet with a proportionate measure of success. The titles of the new methods have been adroitly considered. They claim to be those of nature and by implication stigmatize the grammatical method as unnatural. They profess that they teach a foreign language as a child learns to speak its mother tongue. A very high classical authority coupled ratio et oratio reason and speech as compliments and indubitably speech can only improve and develop as the mind unfolds and matures. Those who adopt the new method appear to think the limitations imposed by the immature child's mind worthy of imitation when dealing with the riper adult. Rule of thumb has the advantage that being born of and acquired by practice it can be applied and put into practice but it is certainly rather late in the day to revert to it in the requirement of languages. We have had some experience of rule of thumb in this town. The grammatical methods of teaching languages are those of teaching any science in a thorough manner. They classify the various parts of speech for the purpose of reducing them to rule. These are studied in detail and the rule defines the conditions and limitations under which they can be used in construction. This rule teaches us how we can correctly form thousands of sentences on the model of one instead of regarding each as so many distinct phenomena. One grammarian, Lenny, 47th edition, defines grammar as the art of speaking and writing the English language with propriety. It is very venture to say that in dealing with a foreign language one cannot express oneself with accuracy. Nay, one cannot be confident of expressing one's own meaning at all without a grammatical knowledge of it. But, of course, speech means practice and no amount of theory can become a substitute for this. Mr. Gohan was a youthful student of Cayenne University distinguished by a capacious but not very retentive memory. He was sent by the professors to attend lectures at Berlin University and Hamburg and proceeded to master German. He learnt the German grammar in ten days, but being unable to understand the lectures he learns the thousand German roots in four days and again tries the lecture room with the same ill success. He then decided to learn the German dictionary by heart and did so in one month, but on again attending the lecture room he was still unable to understand. He passed ten months in similar efforts and states that on one occasion he attended the lectures for a whole week without understanding a single sentence. He subsequently states that his previous ten months work so far from being useful to him in a new effort was detrimental. He had a wrong pronunciation and there was not a single verb in the whole language to which he did not attribute a meaning other than the true one. He had to unlearn, then relearn. After ten months' labours he returned to France unsuccessful. Under a teacher's guidance with much less labour he would have achieved an unqualified success. By observing a young nephew of four years he has led to his present method. He returns to Germany, puts it into practice and is speedily and eminently successful. He banishes dictionary, grammar, roots, Ollendorf and Robertson. Mr Goan appears to have thought that since a language is made up of grammatical rules and words it was only necessary to commit them to memory to have mastered the language. His mistake was that of the person who should suppose that since strength is derived from food the more food he swallows the stronger he becomes. He exceeded his capacity of mental digestion and assimilation. Another cause of Mr Goan's failure was that of supposing that a knowledge of the theory carries with it the ability to practice. Mr Goan states that his memory was in his eye, not in his ear and that a month's interruption of his labours proceeding from disease of sight brought on by overwork was sufficient to a face from his memory, grammar, dictionary all previously learnt. Dickens Yorkshire schoolmaster Mr Squeers recognised that knowledge acquired or speedily to be put into practice. Mr Goan would have found in Paris many young Frenchmen engaged in commercial pursuits who speak Italian or Spanish or Portuguese and even English or German well who have never been in any country where these languages are spoken. This was the case so far back as 1866. Review of Reviews 1892 page 88 Professor Blackie says that after 5 months in Germany he knew German as well as his mother tongue. He attended professor's lectures, took regular lessons in German. He added to this the textbook used by professor daily intercourse with students and the constant reading of easy German books. By this combination of social intercourse primary training of the ear and secondary use of relative books both in reading and writing he spoke German like English in 5 months. Memory depends upon force of original impression and frequency of repetition. He says that at the university pupils did not learn to speak Latin. A new professor came who spoke it, made a speech in it and called upon the pupils to reply. Blackie was the only one who entered to do so and had learnt by spouting Latin speeches of Cicero etc in his room he used Italian vowels. Dr Haynes says it is impossible to learn a language by the translation of disconnected sentences referring to the usual exercises of the grammatical methods and by learning lists of words. The sentences are only disconnected in that they do not always form question and answer but this the student can easily and profitably remedy. Besides all speech is not dialogue, see page 7. They are no more disconnected then are so many soldiers of a regiment moving at the impulse of one mind and marching to the attainment of one object. The connection is all the soldiers act in unison in execution of the command of their officers. The connection between the so-called disconnected sentences is that they have been selected to illustrate and inculcate the rule under study. This is the true connection that unites and harmonises them all. That each leads the pupil directly to the attainment of the object, the mastery of the rule. The illusory connection of some insipid narrative is only delusive. What can a method be which from the beginning excludes the mother tongue of the pupil when he knows no other? It is necessarily confined to dumb show and practice. It is no more to be compared for thoroughness to the method than would be the instruction in weaving by a weaver with the instruction of master of the technical school in constructing a piece. Doubtless a person can learn to weave a piece in a factory but no one will compare such an acquirement with the course of instruction in manufacturing in the construction of a piece imparted at the technical school. Under the guidance of Mr. Aschenhurst's textbooks, grammar in the study of language is such a textbook it imparts order and method to the study. We have suffered from the divorce and the dissociation of theory and practice. Until recently our universities or seats of learning catered only for the aristocracy the land owning class and the clergy. Science was neglected. Originating in the natural advantages of an abundant supply of easily worked coal and iron, an extensive coastline and a favorable geographical situation we had achieved an undeniable pre-eminence in industry and manufacturers which was supported by abundant cheap capital and a spirit of enterprise. It was backed by workmen possessed of natural ability and such skill as practice and highly subdivided labor can impart. All this was found insufficient to enable us to hold our own. Our supremacy was passing away and when the cause of our inability to maintain it was investigated our deficiency was declared to be in the lack of a systematized higher education. Public spirit founded our technical schools to supply the remedy and they have been found effective. Owing to the neglect of modern languages by our universities and a system of higher education which took no cognizance of industrial needs we were amongst the most backward in this branch of study but when interest was aroused our grammars were largely borrowed from our more successful competitors from those who excelled as much in modern languages as we ourselves in industry. They were often the work of foreign specialists and experts they are the very instruments of success used by our most successful rivals how then can they be inadequate? Translation has put us into question of the best works used by our foreign rivals and if we are less successful than they it is due as a Swiss correspondent of the Manchester Guardian recently stated not to the superior aptitude but the superior application of the foreigner he is less sensible to the attractions of football and outdoor sports or at least they are not of such an all absorbing irresistible temptation with a mother tongue compounded of the Teutonic and Romance languages no other people than the British enjoys such a natural facility for acquiring both the German and French and their sister tongues. In 1893 the Scotch Education Department issued a report to the lords of the Committee of Council on Education for Scotland by Professor Herbert A. Strong LLD on methods of teaching modern languages in Belgium. Belgium was selected as a field for investigation says Professor Strong because from force of circumstances it has paid particular attention to this branch of instruction the necessity of learning modern languages being there is felt much more strongly than in Britain it is a small country thickly populated with an extensive commerce for which as well as for its literature it is compelled to look to countries larger than itself it embraces three languages within its borders Flemish spoken by more than three millions Waloon by over two millions of literature and commerce in the primary schools French the language of their literature and commerce is studied six years every child must study one language besides its mother tongue this is compulsory girls weekly first year two hours second year two hours third year three hours fourth year three hours fifth year three hours sixth year three hours boys weekly first year two hours second year two and a half hours third year four hours fourth year four hours fifth year three hours sixth year three hours it is understood it is no part of the duties of the primary school to teach the literature of a language in the Atenes or schools French or Flemish compulsory courses comprise six lessons a week during first two years and three lessons per week in the following years German six years page 11 first year none second year two hours third year four hours fourth year three hours seven years page 12 fifth year three hours sixth year three hours seventh year three hours the degree of proficiency of the pupils is also stated page 17 in these schools the method of teaching from objects is not anti but simply anti grammatical and is apparent from the classes in which the two methods are respectively in use in the two lowest classes of a primary school the ignorance of their own language and their unright mental powers would not admit of children of such tender age learning otherwise than from objects supplement the following French numerals are differently pronounced according first as they stand alone or are joined to noun or adjective beginning second with vowel third with consonant compound numbers as simple ones four five five five six six six seven seven seven eight eight eight nine nine 10 10 10 17 18 19 20 20 20 80 80 80 100 100 100 in 9 à dîner 9 en 2 the F keeps its natural sound no thai is ever made before 11 in 21 to 29 the T of 20 is sounded 22 23 etc from 80 to 99 the T of 20 is everywhere mute and the N is sounded naso 81 is sounded 81 101 is sounded 101 but 200 200 hommes 1000 has no plural form 2000 2000 means 2 miles 1000 is used in christian era long 1800 in pronoun 2 the S is never silent and always pronounced like CCD or WS in belgium for 70 septant for 80 octant for 90 nonant are used end of the oral system being the most direct the straight line method for the simultaneous fourfold mastery of a foreign language teaching simultaneously to speak understand read and write by a linguist of nearly 40 years standing and nearly 20 years resident abroad beginning Latin lesson 2 by John Edmund Bars read for the LibriFox language learning collection volume 2 this is a LibriFox recording all LibriFox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriFox.org recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater lesson 2 subject and object 14 subject and object in English and in Latin in English Marius fears Sulla has a very different meaning from Sulla fears Marius in Latin however Marius timet Sullam and Sullam timet Marius both mean the same thing Marius fears Sulla but if we change Marius to Marium and Sullam to Sulla the meaning will be Sulla fears Marius no matter how we combine the words thus one Sulla timet Marium two Marium timet Sulla three Sulla Marium timet four Marium Sulla timet five timet Sulla Marium six timet Marium Sulla meaning Sulla fears Marius from the above it appears that while in English the subject may often be expressed by its position before the verb and the object by its position after the verb in Latin these things do not depend upon position but on the ending of the word 15 case when a word is used as subject it is said to be in the nominative case when used as object in the accusative case in English the latter is generally called the objective case there are other cases in Latin the use of which will be explained later 16 case endings besides showing the case of a noun as already explained the endings also show whether it is singular or plural as amicus friend amici friends 17 declensions there are five sets of these noun endings called declensions every Latin noun belongs to some one of these declensions except a few which are called indeclinable and do not change their endings 18 gender a nouns which are names of males are said to be of the masculine gender nouns which are names of females of the feminine gender b many nouns which are names of neither males nor females are called masculine or feminine in Latin according to rules of gender which will be given later these nouns are said to possess natural gender while those in a are said to possess natural gender c nouns which are neither masculine nor feminine are said to be of the neuter gender 19 endings for subject and object declension 1 nominative, singular are plural I nominative am plural are nouns of this declension are regularly feminine 20 endings for subject and object declension 2 nominative singular masculine us singular neuter um plural masculine i plural neuter a singular masculine um singular neuter um plural masculine os plural neuter a 21 base the part of the noun to which the endings are added is called the base thus base port gate nominative singular porta plural portai accusative portam plural bordas base amik friend nominative singular amikus amikus 22 exercise write out the base, the meaning and the nominative and accusative singular and plural of each noun in vocabulary 1 in the special vocabularies at the back of the book according to the examples given in 21 23 exercise learn vocabulary 1 then write the following sentences in Latin the verbs are not in the vocabulary but are given in parentheses in the exercise without endings when the subject of the verb is singular add t to the form given add nt when the subject is plural in Latin the verb generally stands at the end of the sentence 1 the left tenant has hubby a friend Latin has no word for a an or the translate as though it were left tenant friend has the friend sees we de the walls 3 towns have gates 4 the town has not a gate not has in Latin 5 the town has not a wall 6 the left tenant have friends 7 the friends see the towns 8 the girls sees the gates 9 the girls see the gates 10 the girls see the left tenant 24 rules of syntax syntax is that part of grammar which treats of the construction of sentences the substance of the following rules has been given in 14 to 23 they should be learned word for word and reviewed until perfectly memorized the same method will be followed with other principles of syntax as they shall occur rule 1 the subject of a finite verb is in the nominative case all parts of the verb except the infinitive are called finite rule 2 the direct object of a transitive verb is in the accusative case end of beginning latin lesson 2 by john edmund bars this is LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org I hope you enjoyed this video please subscribe to my channel and share this video with your friends see you next time I hope you enjoyed this video please subscribe to my channel see you next time I hope you enjoyed this video please subscribe to my channel see you next time see you next time I hope you enjoyed this video please subscribe to my channel see you next time see you next time see you next time See you next time see you next time On or seen on your face? Jesus Can't you do anything? On a craft, I can For a craft, you can Each on hundred For a hundred out though Each on the skill of the hundred Who begasts you, seen a craft? I pray to my net and I'll set a hay on the habre stove Sonne duster ich meine Hundas Sa hee sara wildeere echten Osa hee on unjare On sa net begumen Sonne hee, so shee lacht sind Sonne kumme ich do An hee on sa netum of slau Ne kanst du butan netum hundern? Jesus Ich kan butan netum hundern Who? Ich for sa wildeur mit zwiftum hundum Welch wildeur je fext du zwidost? Ich for heurotas An ran, an baras An hwilum haran Wer etho toldei an hundudei? Neze, for tham heet sunandai Arch dusterandai ich was on hundudei Va, je feng etho? Ich feng dweien heurotas An on a bar Who je feng etho hee? Tha heurotas on netum Ich feng An sonne bar ich ofstigudei Who, wheretho sa je durstig Tha thu bar ofstigudeist? Tha hundas, heene bedrivon tome An is thar fas liche on jaunstod An heene thar liche mit speer ofstigudei Swede je durstig wheretho sa Ne shall hunda furcht molt beau For tham misen liche weildeor Un jath on woodum Va, deus thu umthine hundoth Ich selle tham kuninge Swo, wa swoi je fo For tham i jel mis hundah Va, selth heet hee Hee shrut me well en fit An hwilum hee me hor selth oth a bar Tha ich thu jeur nor meene kraft bedar Sey fischere Wich de kraft kanst du? Ich jaun fischere Va, bejeet stu othinum krafte Be leothon ich mei bejeete An shrut on feo Hul je feestu othar fischas Ich ga on meene bat An roe oth an thar aar An hwilpe me net an thar aar Hwilum ich werpe angal oth mit aase Othar spurt an An swo, wa swo hee gehaftath ich neeme Va, deus thu jeef heet un klane fischast beoth Ich werpe thar un klanen oth An neemeth thar klanan metumete Vaar jeepstu thine fischas An saane chastre Va, buks hee Thar chastre waare Ne mei itch heera swo Feo leothon swo itch silan mei Welch je fischas je feestu? Aalos, an hakudas, an sheldan An ale othar fischas The on tham an swimath Verhu ne fischast du an saane Hwilum itch doswa, aksildun Vertham heet is me metul rewe to thar saane Va, je feestu on thar saane Herringas, an lauksos, an studion An lopestran, an graban, an fele othar a fischas Wilt thu faal forn?   And which word claft is the for must ye thocht? E-orth-tilth, for tham se earthling fit us alle. Se smith seeth, for on haf se earthling, she ar-oth ar-gulter, o the for them gade, but am of minum grafte. For on haf se fishir ar-angul, o the se show-work-ta-aul, o the se samere nadle, but am of minum grafte. Se ye thachtere answarath, so thoos seest, aq us aulum leofre is meid tham earthlinge toe-weekianne, tho ne meid thee. For tham se earthling sel-th we sloth and runche, aq tho, fa-tselth thoos on thee res smithan, but an easy ne-sperkan, an bow-tendra sledja, sway an bla-wendra bulia. Se tre-o-work-ta seeth, quelch e-o-er ne-notath minus graftes, tho ne, i-ch e-o-aulum hoos wor-tche, an she-po, an mistan li-kufatu. Se smith answarath. Aul-la tre-o-work-ta, fa-chus brits thoos war, tho-ne, furthum an thurathu ne-mich doon budam minum grafte. Se ye thachtere seeth. Aul-la ye feran um god-a-work-taan, o-dan red-li-tje ye se-man thas ye flitu, an se-sib, an ye thwarnes betweelzeo, an freme aul-s o-trem on his grafte. An-ut-an werth-jan tho-ne ear-tling, o-tham-wee betjeetathu se-l-fum bele-o-van, an-fo-dur ur-um hoos-um, an ye-ch ye-a-la-re-aul-um wor-t-um thi-s-ne-rad. Tha-t-andra ye-hwel-k-t-tj, his-craft jo-r-ni-tje be-gaw, fur-tham se-the his-craft fur-lat, se-bith-from tham-crafte fur-laten. Swar-wit-swar-thu se, swar-mes-a-pray-wst, swar-munuk, swar-chirl, swar-kimpa, be-gaw-dur-ni-tje thi-ne-craft, an-be-o-thathathu er-t, fur-tham-hit-es-mitchel-dem, an-mitchel-shond-jif-man-nu-le-be-on-thathathate-us, an-thathathate-be-on-shal. Se-munuk. E-a-la-ji-tjild, fu-li-gath-e-o-the-us-sprach, wel-he-u-us-li-gath, o-k-ther-li-deo-pl-t-je-thu-sprit-st, an-ov-er-ure-math, o-k-spray-g-with-us, a-fter-ur-um-an-jite, tha-we-may-n-under-stand-an-tha-ting-the-thu-sprit-st. Each-o-shie-e-o, fur-fu-ler-ni-a-je-swo-je-ur-ni-tje. Fur-tham-we-nu-lath-be-o-m, swa-swa-stut-ni-de-nu, the-non-thing-nu-ton-boot-an-gar-s, and-wath-er. Fa-at-we-li-je-tho-n-ne-be-o-m, we-we-lath-we-ze-be-o-m. On-fuel-tion-we-st-o-me, we-le-je-li-tje-be-o-m, an-f-a-kin-thu-le, we-l-spray-kin-de-and-u-ver-then-tje-nde, swa-swa-bur-y-us, the-is-we-thu-t-an-tha-er-and-we-thin-nan-thu-l. We-nu-lath-swa-be-o-m-we-ze, fur-tham-se-ni-sno-we-se-the-hine-se-l-fne, mid-li-ke-t-t-ung-be-sweakth. Who-we-le-je-be-o-m-we-ze? We-we-lath-be-le-we-te-be-o-m bur-t-an-li-ke-t-ung-e, an-we-ze-tha-we-me-en-u-vel-fer-bur-an-an-g-o-d-o-n. Tha-chwa-thre-jeet-thu-sprig-st-with-us-deo-blikur, thon-ne-u-re-ildur, a-beer-on-mai-e. A-k-sprig-with-us-a-fter-u-rem-y-u-nan, nas-no-deo-ble-je. I-ch-we-le-don-au-swa-je-bid-dath, thu-knapa, fa-durs-thu-tho-dai. Man-i-thing-i-ch-du-de, on-thi-se-n-icht-tho-tha-i-ch-thon-ne-knul-ge-hyer-de, tha-a-ra-s-i-ch-off-min-um-bed-de, an-tho-chir-i-chan-ee-o-de, an-sang-u-ch-sang-mi-tham-je-bro-thrum. After, tham-we-sung-on-be-aul-um-hal-gun-and-lo-f-sang-as. After-thi-sum-prim-we-sung-on-seo-vun-sal-mas, me-de-le-tan-ian-an-capital-mes-an, an-sith-an-under-deed-an-thas-dai-es-mas-an. After-thi-sum-we-sung-on-mid-dai, and-at-om-and-dr-un-an-sle-p-um, and-e-ft-we-or-ee-sum-and-sung-on. An-no-we-sint-her-be-for-an-de, jar-we-to-ye-her-an-ne-fat-thu-o-se-chan-wilt. Fone-we-le-je-a-fin-sang-sing-an-auth-an-ich-sang. Thone-he-te-ma-bith. We-re-tho-besung-an-tho-dai? Ne-ze-fr-sam-ich-me-we-er-li-che-he-ld. An-ho-thi-ne-ge-fe-ran? Fwa-t-a-sha-st-o-me-be-tham. Ne-da-or-ich-the-or-a-digil-ness-sa-u-pan. O-re-je-h-wel-ch-fwa-t-je-f-he-besung-an-was-auth-an-aw. Fwa-t-e-ts-tho. Wur-ta-and-a-ro-and-fish-and-chise-and-but-er-an-and-ba-no-and-al-clan-o-thing-ich-e-te-mi-d-mitch-e-re-thank-o-ng-e. Ne-bru-ge-ich-je-et-flash-ment-a-fr-sam-ich-e-om-child-und-er-je-r-de-druch-t-y-ende. Su-de-ji-f-re-auth-tho. Th-on-ne-tho-auth-thing-ich-t. The-the-be-foran-je-set-ts-int. Ne-om-ich-sw-om-ich-e-o-swil-ge-re-th-an-ich-mai-a-ore-kun-ne-met-as-an-an-o-ma-le-et-an. Fwil-um-ich-bru-ge-an-es-kun-nis-met-is. Fwil-um-auth-th-res-fr-th-am-ich-ne-om-na-s-well-ge-re. What-drinks-to? I-ich-drink-a-a-olo-d-if-ich-e-t-har-be. O-the-w-a-ter-d-if-ich-a-olo-na-t-be. Ne-drinks-to-win-ne-om-ich-sw-o-spady-tha-ich-mai-a-me-win-bu-jan. And-win-nis-na-child-a-drunch-e-ne-du-sig-a-ak-a-ld-ra-and-w-ist-ra. Where-slaps-to? On-th-am-slap-er-ne-mit-th-am-y-bru-th-ru. Fa-a-witch-t-th-to-uch-sange. Fwil-um-ich-ye-hy-re-th-on-e-kun-un-d-a-ri-ze. Fwil-um-min-la-re-aw-a-witch-th-me-st-ith-li-ge-met-gird-de. An-nu-je-child-ich-e-u-man-ya-sa-je-sam-g-ud-kund-um-la-rum-ye-her-sum-in- An-je-ri-se-n-li-che-je-ba-ren-un-au-ch-le-sto-we. Th-one-je-je-he-ra-th-sa-re-che-de-jan-be-lan-ga-sa-au-li-che-to-je-bed-de. An-mug-ath-a-th-mood-li-che-ho-sam-ho-g-um-we-l-vo-do. An-sta-nd-a-th-ja-ri-se-n-li-che-e. An-se-ng-a-th-an-mood-li-che-e. An-je-bi-da-th-for-e-rum-su-nu-m. An-ga-th-out-vot-an-hus-li-ste-to-c-la-st-re-o-the-to-le-r-n-ung-e. End of Be-man-na-craft-o. From First Steps in English Saxon by Henry Sweet.


It's him or Yolkich after watching Yolkich last the last night. If Yolkich hadn't won the last two, I think we'd be talking how he's the MVP. But you can't ignore what Tatum's doing. He's taken such a leap. He is an absolute superstar. They're the best duo in the NBA. They've kind of been the most consistent best team in the NBA. But I can't ignore what Yolkich is doing over there. I don't care that it's his third time. I don't care that, you know, whatever you say, having Tatum, you know, you don't want to give it to the same guy. And this guy's a young, budding star.  But yes, Jason Tatum, his game is on a whole new level. It's going to come down to one of those two, I think.


Hey Virgo, welcome back. Let's get into your weekend love reading. What messages does Virgo need to have for the Sun, Moon, Rising, and Venus for the weekend, the holiday weekend, beginning on Thursday the 24th through November 27th? All right, let's take a look and see. Oh, engagement ring. And you have seduction. Okay, let's see. Mirror and the Phoenix. Okay, I hope you guys, I'll show you the cards as we go, but you're starting with engagement ring. So somebody's, I don't know, coming into union or partnership on Thanksgiving. So there might be, or on the 24th, I should say, because I know not all of you celebrate Thanksgiving, who are listening. But yeah, there's some type of partnership, completion, union. You might receive a proposal or be giving a proposal. You could be connected. Everybody's sitting around the table having dinner or at some kind of a party or an event and somebody proposes, which is very strange. Time to do that. But I guess with all those witnesses, I suppose it could happen, but it feels like Thursday will be a very engaging time. Okay, let me see here. Okay, King of Pentacles. So for some of you, that's you. Oh, wow. And for others, you're receiving something from a King of Pentacles. Wow. Okay. Um, my gosh.  Let's do this. Let's get together. And I feel like this person is really stressing about their kind of like, it's like, what if Virgo says no, or yeah, there's like a lot of stress. What if Virgo says no, no, Virgo won't say no, maybe I shouldn't do it. I'm like, there's but I'll regret it or but what if Virgo refuses this opportunity, refuses this commitment, doesn't want the partnership. Okay, what if it's like, there's there's a lot of anxiety and stress and fear someone having trouble sleeping at night. There's a fear that things aren't going to change. They're very focused on the negative, full of nostalgia, but like, gosh, so much remorse that if they don't do this, there may be remorse for not making something go forward in the past. Okay, Virgo Taurus Capricorn Energy, this could be you making this offer to someone or you could be receiving it from an earth sign. Okay, they don't have to be a son, they could have earth in their chart somewhere. Alright, so I'm seeing definitely okay, you may not actually receive the proposal on the 24th, but there is somebody here who is wanting to make some type of an offer for a long term commitment, partnership, engagement to bring you both into union to complete the cycle. But there's like, a lot of anxiety about that a lot of stress. There's fear of rejection. There's a fear of maybe this being a missed opportunity, or this person just kind of like, there's they're up at night, and they're but they're at rest during the day because they're distracted. But I'm seeing someone who's like up at night, really stressing. And then during the day, they're more relaxed because I don't know, we're going into the holiday season as well. But the nighttime, the nighttime is really getting this person, maybe you guys used to talk at night. But the nighttime, wow, they're just giving me this really hard. They're up at night thinking about this. And so concerned that you're going to refuse or say no, are you not going to want them? Yeah, or it's you could be you. Alright, wow, that's crazy message for the 24th. Let's take a look at Friday 25th. Okay, so you have seduction, attraction, flirting, dating, hooking up, temptation, third party interference. Okay, let's see what's going on here. Wow, night of wands energy. Well, that's definitely hooking up. I had pentacles, peach pentacles. Wow, okay, Virgo. So Friday night, or Friday day, whenever. There was like, there's going to be some type of very flirty, sexy, lusty energy coming towards you on Friday on the 25th. I'm feeling like someone flirting with you, wanting to get together, temptation, trying to interfere. Okay, this might be the same person who is really stressing they're trying to seal the deal with you. I feel like somebody's actually going to make an offer. You're going to get some kind of offer on the over this weekend. I could tell you that.  And then the offer comes in while you're busy doing whatever you're doing. Look at all this pentacle energy. Virgo, Virgo, Capricorn, Taurus here. But for a lot of you, I do feel like also that this person coming in is going to be coming in with these passions like, how can I see this? It could be traveling to see you. Somebody might live in the desert. Maybe somewhere in the Middle East as well.   There's going to be some communication first, you know, very seductive, flirtatious type of communication from this person. And I feel like, yeah, I'm just seeing with all this pentacle energy. They're just telling me somebody had something made for you or a gift that they're picking up and they want to bring to you that they're going to seduce you with, I don't know, money or some type of a gift or maybe even a ring, something along the lines on Friday. You may get a message or communication from someone where they tell you they have something for you that they want to share with you. I'm also picking up Sagittarius, Pisces, Libra, and here's Gemini. Okay, they have the gift. Do they have something they want to share with you or something they want to give to you? Right? But there's a lot of like they want to get together. Like they're coming on strong and it may feel like a hook up but there's actually more behind it. Like it's kind of a trick.  I see this energy here like lusting after you like crazy attracted to you. It's insane. Okay, it's completely insane. I feel like this person is trying to seal the deal over this weekend or at least over these holidays, this holiday weekend or week season. Definitely. Okay, let's take a look at Saturday. So we're going into the weekend here. So mirroring each other, self-image relationships, reflect our wounds, introspection. Okay, oh my goodness. Five of pentacles, five of swords, Knight of Swords, Queen of Swords. Wow. Saturday looks, Saturday looks harsh Virgo. Saturday looks like somebody's getting a cut off. Too much pain. Don't want it. Dejection. Leaving somebody out in the cold. Virgo. Okay, now this is going to be, they're giving me two messages here. Some of you are going to reject an offer that's coming in here from someone. That it's just like, it was a very toxic relationship. You mirrored that toxic energy. Somebody got out of the relationship and it's like, doesn't want to go back into it, doesn't want to commit. Because every time you both look at each other, it's like you're seeing your old wounds in each other. There's not enough healing, a ring, marriage, all that. It's not going to heal it. It's not going to fix it. You know, just because you win that jackpot prize doesn't mean that it's going to make you happy. So for some of you this is like no. You're saying no. You don't want this because it's not, it feels forced. It feels like, okay somebody's coming in and they're trying to seal the deal but they're not coming correct. For some of you it's like this person leaves you out in the cold or there's abuse or they're controlling or they're lacking affection and they could be a bit critical. So some of you are definitely just going to turn it down. Okay? You're turning it down. Others of you, this person who's coming in with this offer is turning somebody else down, is getting out of a toxic relationship or something that was very unhealthy. Okay? And they're coming towards you with that offer but it looks like there might be a conversation sitting face to face and I feel like whoever your person is that's making this engagement or proposal or offer to you over the weekend is like done with another person and they will, you know, you will have to know if they don't tell you, you will have to know that this person just dumped them or was abusive or walked away from them or was just a bully or just couldn't communicate, was very aggressive, intimidating, they were self-sabotaging, that this person was very impatient and impulsive with them, rebellious, would talk a whole lot of shit and never say really anything but was very strong but just really not for them, not for them and it looks like there's going to be some kind of conversation on Saturday about a cutoff about some type of very, look at all this very cold energy right here. I could feel it, like it's very cold. The person that they were with, whoever you're connecting with here over the weekend, their person projected blame onto them and everything and they blame them for everything that was happening when it was actually the other person who was doing all that stuff. So there we say, you know, people accuse you of cheating, it's because they're usually cheating. If people accuse you of lying, it's because they're usually lying, you know, so there's a lot, there is a lot of projection here. All right, so on Sunday you have the phoenix. So there's a new phase, a rekindling, a renewal, transformation, growth and a changed mind. Okay, the phoenix is rising. All right, a decision is getting made here. Going after the ninth cup, the emperor and strength here. Wow, you know what? The emperor, this is the first major arcana that I've pulled. Actually the emperor and the strength card, the first two major arcana cards that I've pulled throughout this whole reading already. So there might be an Aries or a Liam, August 4th or April 8th. Okay, so I feel like somebody here really is coming in with the final decision here that they are moving on this journey with you. They've leveled up, they're coming in correct. Some of you might not give them a chance to see that and turn it down. But you know, you have a decision that you have to make and that's your decision. You know, you're either in or you're out. You know, make sure you're making the right decision before you go forward. But I feel like, yeah, you too are going to rise. There's going to be a new phase here. So it feels like Sunday a decision will get made to move forward. For others, this is a decision to move away and move on with somebody else. Okay, someone that might have a dog or a pet. So yeah, I definitely feel like Sunday is a big decision maker day. You know, whether to accept the offer or whether to move on with someone else. But I do feel like this person who's making this offer to you Virgo is they're ready. They've reached their limit. They've analyzed the situation. They've been on their journey. They've taken that deep look even during withdrawal. They don't want to be disappointed anymore. They're letting go of past. I want to say past toxic behaviors but also a past relationship that was toxic. Abandoning all those former plans that they had or whatever they were doing. Abandoning abandonment, right? No longer running away. That kind of thing and showing up here with that emperor energy, male or female. This is beautiful. Feminine or masculine. This is someone who comes in extremely stable, structured, like leveled up, coming in correct. Someone who has learned their lessons and who has grown up. They have taken all of the elements of the queens and the kings and they have now embraced all of their elements. Not just one. Not just fire. Not just whatever.   That's utilizing all of the elements to work in your favor. This person is coming up, showing up here with this inner strength and this courage, bravery, confidence. This is somebody who's like tremendously brand new. Libra, Pisces, Aries, Leo. There's three Aquarius cards up here for Saturday and Taurus again. So I don't know, some of you might reject an offer from an Aquarius or that person is rejecting an Aquarius. So there's a really strong energy change happening here over this holiday weekend. Remember, I just did the new moon reading for the 23rd, which was some of you were letting go and getting yourselves free. You should, if that's like your plan, definitely keep that up. There should be a leave a card where at the end of this video, if you didn't see it yet, you can definitely check that out because that runs from November 23rd to December 23rd. Some of you, I will say, may just put someone off so you can figure out the following day what you want to do. You may not completely reject an offer. Some of you might delay an offer from someone and kind of say to them, I've got to think about it or I'm not sure. So you can try to get clarity, you know, what is going on or how you really feel and if you want to accept this new phase or a rekindling of a relationship in your life. So I feel like Friday is really going to be the offer. Friday is going to be like, whoa, Saturday is kind of like, oh, I got to think about this. You don't know. You might be like kind of shell shocked or frozen a little bit because of it. It feels unexpected, but Sunday, I think the decision gets made. I think by Sunday, you're going to know what you're going to do. All right. So I'm going to leave your reading there, Virgos. I hope that you enjoyed that and I do hope that you have a lovely Thanksgiving for those of you who celebrate and I will be back here. I'm not sure. I'll either be back on Sunday or Monday. I'll let you guys know. So do keep your eyes and ears peeled for the shorts that I will be uploading throughout this little pre-holiday workout, pre-holiday workout. Why did I say that? Some of you need to get in your pre-holiday workout before eating all those candy gains. All right, you guys, I love you and I will see you all back here very soon. All right, take care.


Hey gents, welcome back to my channel. So I just wanted to record a very quick video touching on a portion of postpartum struggle that I know affect a lot of women and that is the lack of help and support after having the baby. While you're pregnant, everyone is basically up in your business, asking how far along are you, when are you due, what are you having, do you have a name yet, etc, etc. And then you give birth and have the baby and it's like the mama is invisible and everybody just want to see the baby, hold the baby and no type of help and catering is done for the mother. It's all about the baby, which the baby is very important, but it's the mother's job to take care of the baby. But whose job is it to take care of the mother while she's healing and recovering for bringing life into the world? I know a lot of women experience after having their baby feeling alone and feeling like nobody really understands what they're going through, how they're feeling and just basically being surrounded by people but feeling like they're doing everything by themselves. I'm not saying that's the reality for every mother, but I know a lot of women experience that. I've experienced that, I've experienced it after having my first son and I've experienced it after having this baby. So with that being said, I've just been thinking a lot because I know for sure that bringing a child into the world is something special, is something magical, is something that should be cherished and embraced, but if we're not taking care of the mothers, then the children aren't being taken care of the way they need to be taken care of. A healthy and happy mother results in a healthy and happy baby no matter what. One thing I wanted to do for a very long time I've been considering is becoming a doula and not just to assist during birth, but to assist after the baby is here. I've been thinking about it for a very long time honestly, like before I even got pregnant with my first child I learned about what a doula is and I was like hmm, sounds interesting but at the time I was all in college and all into the accounting field and so forth. After having my first child I started thinking about it more deeply again, but brushed it off. But then after having this baby, while pregnant with this baby, it's like it kept hitting me in the face of all the signs and all the little things that the universe is throwing at me as to why I should do it. And then I firmly decided that yo, this is something I'm going to do and that's when I decided to start doing some research and looking up some doula training. And I found one just randomly one day somebody shared it on their Insta story and I decided to sign up. So I am currently in the process of becoming a certified doula. I've already done the first part which was a three day training and now there's a list of requirements I have to accomplish before becoming fully certified. But so far I've been learning so much and the more I learn, the more my passion for this grows, the more I want to help other women, the more I want to support other women, the more I want to advocate for other women, melanated women to be specific because we suffer the most, the most regardless. So I'm not going to get into all of the details right now, I'll probably record another video to explain everything that I have to do to accomplish this but one of the requirements is attending four births as a doula. I do have a mentor and I do have access to all of the information that the training provides. So it's a continuation of learning and gaining knowledge on the topic about birth, pregnancy, postpartum and just everything regarding that being an advocate, injustice in the medical system when it comes to the maternal mortality rate, it's just so much. And like I said, I've already learned so much and I'm just eager to learn more and more and as much as I possibly can so that I can be the best advocate for other melanated women as possible and to also educate them and teach them a lot of things that we should all know regarding pregnancy, birth, labor, delivery, postpartum, etc. So like I said, I do have to attend four births as a doula as part of fulfilling my requirements to become certified with the help of my mentor. I've already had one and I have three more that I will have to fulfill but we have the decision to offer our services for free or charge a very minimum fee. I've decided to do it for free because like I said, one thing I know for sure is that I'm not entering this for the money. Yes, everybody has to earn their income or whatever but I'm not entering this for the money itself. I literally have a passion for this and I feel like I finally found my purpose so I am offering my first two stats for free for sure. My next two stats I might just charge a very minimal fee if that and see how it goes from there until I'm fully certified but if you are pregnant in the Virgin Islands area of St. Croix and would like me to be your doula, hit me up, send me an email, comment below, DM me anything I will respond but that is it for this video. I just wanted to share that because I know how hard it is when you're pregnant preparing to give birth and after giving birth, going through your postpartum period. I've struggled with it. I know other women struggle with it and I just wish more people really, really understood what women go through when it comes to pregnancy, birth and postpartum because a lot of people don't understand. A lot of men don't understand. A lot of friends and family just don't get it and it's so easy to feel alone and I want to be that support system for other women and hopefully find a support system for myself for the future so that I don't experience some of the things that I've experienced with my first two pregnancies. Anyways, that is all for this video. To all my melanated women, protect your womb by any means necessary and to everyone else watching, protect your peace by any means necessary. I wish you all love, light and prosperity and you always see me in my next video. Peace.