[34] The French superlative is a purely syntactical, the comparative, a mixed phenomenon.
[35] I have treated accidence and syntax together in my own little English grammar (Kortfattet engelsk grammatik for tale- og skriftsproget, Copenhagen, 1st edition 1885, 4th ed. 1903).
[36] With reference to grammatical systematization, I may refer to my preliminary remarks in Progress in Language (London, Sonnenschein 894), p. 138 ff.
[37] I am tempted here to enlarge upon Gouin’s method of teaching languages, but I have neither the space, nor exactly the desire, to do so since I have never seen it carried out in practice. I can refer to R. Kron’s (certainly too enthusiastic) description (Die neueren sprachen, III, also published separately), and to Brekke’s (for me absolutely convincing) criticism: “Indberetning om en stipendierejse til England for at studere Gouins metode for undervisning i sprog” (Quousque Tandem No. = Norske univ. og skoleannaler, 1894).
[38] Greek could just as well be read with Latin letters, for they are almost as much like the letters which Demosthenes used as the late black-letters are which we print as Greek.
[39] A dot after the letter and above the line is the best indication of length. a is here taken phonetically, the vowel in arm.
[40] A hand-mirror is a useful thing to have in these preliminary phonetical exercises. In several places, the teacher requires each pupil to bring his own along.
[41] Here also the experiment in hearing the voice distinctly by holding the hands flat against the ears.
[42] I have often also conducted the exercise in such a way that the class had to voice the sound when I raised my hand, and unvoice it when I lowered my hand; thus I have made them articulate fffvvvffvvvff, ssszzsss, etc., without any pauses.
[43] That I am not exaggerating (as people certainly will suspect in about ten years from now), I could easily prove by means of a long series of opinions from pedagogical meetings, articles in pedagogical periodicals, newspaper reviews, etc.