II
WORD STUDY
When a little child begins to read he shows a keen desire to learn words, words, words! Indeed in the "Children's House" we had that impressive phenomenon of the children's tireless reading of the little slips of paper upon which were written the names of objects.
The child must acquire his word-store for himself. The peculiar characteristic of the child's vocabulary is its meagerness. But he is nearing the age when he will need to express his thoughts and he must now acquire the material necessary for that time. Many people must have noticed the intense attention given by children to the conversation of grown-ups when they cannot possibly be understanding a word of what they hear. They are trying to get hold of words, and they often demonstrate this fact by repeating joyously some word which they have been able to grasp. We should second this tendency in the child by giving him an abundant material and by organizing for him such exercises as his reactions clearly show us are suitable for him.
The material used in our system not only is very abundant, but it has been dictated to us by rigid experimentation on every detail. However, the same successive choices of material do not appear among the children as a whole. Indeed their individual differences begin to assert themselves progressively at this point in their education. The exercises are easy for some children and very hard for others, nor is the order of selection the same among all the children. The teacher should know this material thoroughly. She should be able to recognize the favorable moment for presenting the material to the child. As a matter of fact, a little experience with the material is sufficient to show the teacher that the educational facts develop spontaneously and in such a way as to simplify the teacher's task in a most surprising manner.
Suffixes and Prefixes
Here we use charts with printed lists of words which may be hung on the wall. The children can look at them and also take them in their hands.
List I
SUFFIXES: AUGMENTATIVES, DIMINUTIVES, PEGGIORATIVES, ETC.
buono (good): buonuccio, buonino, buonissimo
casa (house): casona, casetta, casettina, casuccia, casaccia, casettaccia
formica (ant): formicona, formicuccia, formicola, formichetta
ragazzo (boy): ragazzone, ragazzino, ragazaccio, ragazzetto
lettera (letter): letterina, letterona, letteruccia, letteraccia
campana (bell): campanone, campanello, campanellino, campanino, campanaccio
giovane (youth): giovanetto, giovincello, giovinastro
fiore (flower): fioretto, fiorellino, fioraccio, fiorone
tavolo (board): tavolino, tavoletta, tavolone, tavolaccio
seggiola (chair): seggiolone, seggiolina, seggiolaccia
pietra (stone): pietruzza, pietrina, pietrone, pietraccio
sasso (rock): sassetto, sassolino, sassettino, sassone, sassaccio
cesto (basket): cestino, cestone, cestello, cestellino
piatto (plate): piattino, piattello, piattone
pianta (plant or tree): piantina, pianticella, pianticina, pianterella, piantona, piantaccia
fuoco (fire): fuochetto, fuochino, fuocherello, fuocone, fuochettino
festa (festival): festicciola, festona, festaccia
piede (foot): piedino, piedone, pieduccio, piedaccio
mano (hand): manina, manona, manaccia, manuccia
seme (seed): semino, semetto, semone, semaccio, semettino
semplice (simple person): semplicino, semplicetto, sempliciotto, semplicione
ghiotto ("sweet-tooth"): ghiottone, ghiottoncello, ghiottaccio, ghiottissimo
vecchio (old man): vecchietto, vecchione, vecchiaccio, vecchissimo
cieco (blind): ciechino, ciechetto, ciecolino, ciecone, ciecaccio
Note:—The rôle of augmentative and diminutive suffixes in English is vastly less important than in Italian. Here are a few specimens:
lamb—lambkin
duck—duckling
bird—birdling
nest—nestling
goose—gosling
mouse—mousie
girl—girlie
book-booklet
brook—brooklet
stream—streamlet
poet—poetaster
The child's exercise is as follows: he composes the first word in any line with the alphabet of a single color (e.g., black). Next underneath and using the alphabet of the same color, he repeats the letters in the second word which he sees also in the first. But just as soon as a letter changes he uses the alphabet of another color (e.g., red). In this way the root is always shown by one color, the suffixes by another; for example:—
buono
buonuccio
buonino
buonissimo
For English:
stream
streamlet
lamb
lambkin
Then the child chooses another word and repeats the same exercise. Often he finds for himself words not included in the list which is given him.
In the following chart the suffixes are constant while the root varies. Here the suffix changes the meaning of the word. From the original meaning is derived the word for a trade, a place of business, an action, a collective or an abstract idea. Naturally, the child does not realize all this at first but limits himself merely to building the words mechanically with the two alphabets. Later on, however, as grammar is developed, he may return to the reading of these charts, which are always at his disposal, and begin to realize the value of the differences.
List II
English Examples
| teach | teacher |
| sing | singer |
| work | worker |
| cater | caterer |
| wring | wringer |
| conduct | conductor |
| direct | director |
| launder | laundry |
| seam | seamstress |
| song | songstress |
| priest | priestess |
| mister | mistress |
| cow | cowherd |
| piano | pianist |
| art | artist |
| pharmacy | pharmacist |
| drug | druggist |
| physic | physician |
| prison | prisoner |
| house | household |
| earl | earldom |
| king | kingdom |
| count | county |
| real | reality |
| modern | modernness |
| good | goodness |
| sad | sadness |
| aloof | aloofness |
The child's exercise with the two alphabets will be as follows:
| frutto | frutteto |
| canna | canneto |
| oliva | oliveto |
| quercia | querceto |
For English:
| song | songster | songstress | |
| art | artist | artless | artful |
List III
PREFIXES
nodo (knot): annodare, snodare, risnodare
scrivere (write): riscrivere, trascrivere, sottoscrivere, descrivere
coprire (cover): scoprire, riscoprire
gancio (hook): agganciare, sganciare, riagganciare
legare (bind): collegare, rilegare, allegare, slegare
bottone (button): abbottonare, sbottonare, riabbottonare
macchiare (spot): smacchiare, rismacchiare
chiudere (close): socchiudere, schiudere, richiudere, rinchiudere
guardare (look at): riguardare, traguardare, sogguardare
vedere (see): travedere, rivedere, intravedere
perdere (lose): disperdere, sperdere, riperdere
mettere (put, place): smettere, emettere, rimettere, permettere, commettere, promettere, sottomettere
vincere (overcome): rivincere, avvincere, convincere, stravincere
For English:
cover: uncover, discover, recover
pose: impose, compose, dispose, repose, transpose
do: undo, overdo
place: displace, replace, misplace
submit: remit, commit, omit, permit
close: disclose, foreclose, reclose
arrange: rearrange, disarrange
The child's exercise with the two alphabets will be as follows:
| coprire |
| scoprire |
| ricoprire |
For English:
| place |
| displace |
| replace |
List IV
COMPOUND WORDS
cartapecora (parchment)
cartapesta (papier maché)
falsariga (guide)
madreperla (mother-of-pearl)
melagrana (pomegranate)
melarancia (orange)
biancospino (hawthorn)
ficcanaso (busybody)
lavamano (wash-stand)
mezzogiorno (noon)
passatempo (pastime)
ragnatela (cobweb)
madrevite (vine)
guardaportone (doorkeeper)
capoluogo (capital)
capomaestro ("boss")
capofila (pivot-soldier)
capopopolo (demagogue)
caposquadra (commodore)
capogiro (dizziness)
capolavoro (masterpiece)
giravolta (whirl)
mezzaluna (half-moon)
mezzanotte (midnight)
palcoscenico (stage)
acchiappacani (dog-catcher)
cantastorie (story-teller)
guardaboschi (forester)
lustrascarpe (boot-black)
portalettere (letter-carrier)
portamonete (pocketbook)
portasigari (cigar-case)
portalapis (pencil-case)
portabandiera (standard bearer)
guardaroba (wardrobe)
asciugamano (towel)
cassapanca (wooden bench)
arcobaleno (rainbow)
terrapieno (rampart, terrace)
bassorilievo (bas-relief)
granduca (grand-duke)
pianoforte (piano)
spazzacamino (chimney-sweep)
pettorosso (redbreast)
For English:
sheepskin
cardboard
shoestring
midnight
midday
noontime
redbreast
appletree
afternoon
moonlight
starlight
doorknob
bedtime
daytime
springtime
flagstaff
rainbow
workman
housekeeper
pastime
chimneysweep
sheepfold
barnyard
sidewalk
snowshoe
shoeblack
firefly
steamboat
milkman
bathroom
streetcar
lifelike
pocketbook
inkwell
tablecloth
courtyard
honeycomb
beehive
flowerpot
buttonhole
hallway
midway
storekeeper
horseman
masterpiece
bookcase
The children read one word at a time and try to reproduce it from memory, distinguishing through the two alphabets the two words of which each one is composed:
carta pecora
bianco spino
piano forte
spazza camino
lava mano
For English:
moon light
work man
In the following chart the words are grouped in families. This chart may be used by children who are already well advanced in the identification of the parts of speech. All the words are derived from some other more simple word which is a root and of which the other words, either by suffix or prefix, are made up. All these roots are primitive words which some day the child may look for in a group of derivatives; and when he finds them he will realize that the primitive word is a noun, adjective, or a verb, as the case may be, that it is the word which contains the simplest idea, and so the derivatives may be nouns, adjectives, verbs or adverbs.
On these charts appear various word-families. The teacher is thus spared the trouble of looking them up. Furthermore the child will some day be able to use them by himself. The exercises based on these are still performed with two different alphabets of different color so that the child can tell at a glance which is the root word.
WORD-FAMILIES
terra (earth): terrazzo, terremoto, terrapieno, atterrare, terreno, terriccio, terricciola, territorio, conterraneo, terreo, terroso, dissotterrare
ferro (iron): ferraio, ferriera, ferrata, ferrigno, ferrugginoso, ferrare, sferrare, inferriata
soldo (penny): assoldare, soldato, soldatesca, soldatescamente
grande (great): ingrandire, grandiosità, grandioso, grandiosamente, grandeggiare
scrivere (write): scrittura, scritto, scritturare, scrittore, inscrizione, trascrivere, sottoscrivere, riscrivere
beneficio (benefit): beneficare, benefattore, beneficato, beneficenza, beneficamente
benedizione (benediction): benedire, benedicente, benedetto, ribenedire
felicità (happiness): felice, felicemente, felicitare, felicitazione
fiamma (flame): fiammante, fiammeggiante, fiammeggiare, fiammelle, fiammiferi, infiammare
bagno (bath): bagnante, bagnino, bagnarola, bagnatura, bagnare, ribagnare
freddo (cold): freddolose, infreddatura, freddamente, raffreddore, raffreddare, sfreddare
polvere (dust): spolverare, impolverare, polverino, polverizzare, polverone, polveroso, polveriera, polverizzatore
pesce (fish): pescare, pescatore, ripescare, pescabile, ripescabile
opera (work): operaio, operare, operazione, operoso, operosamente, cooperare, cooperazione, inoperare
canto (song): cantore, cantante, cantare, cantarellare, cantiochiare ricantare
gioco (game): giocare, giocattolo, giocarellare, giocatore, giocoso, giocosamente
dolore (pain): doloroso, dolorosamente, dolente, addolorare, dolersi, condolersi, condoglianza, addolorato
pietra (stone): pietrificare, pietrificazione, pietroso, impietrire, pietraio
sole (sun): assolato, soleggiante, soleggiare
festa (festival): festeggiare, festino, festeggiatore, festeggiato, festaiolo, festante, festevole, festevolmente, festosamente
allegro (happy): allegria, allegramente, rallegrare, rallegramento
seme (seed): semina, semenze, seminare, semenzaio, seminatore, riseminare, seminazione, disseminare, seminatrice
For English:
wood: wooden, woodworker, woody, woodsman, woodland
earth: earthen, earthy, earthly, earthborn, earthward, earthquake, earthling
fish: fishing, fisherman, fishery, fishy, fishmonger, fishnet
well: welcome, wellmeaning, wellknit
war: warrior, warlike, warship, warhorse, war-whoop, warsong, war-cry
play: player, playful, playhouse, playmate
politic: politics, politician, political, polity, politically
hard: hardly, harden, hardness, hardship, hardy, hardihood, hardware
turn: return, turner, turnstile
close: disclose, closet, unclose, closure, foreclose
The child sees that the mother word is always the shortest. The root remains in one color.