  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. Suffixes and PrefixesHere 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
The child's exercise with the two alphabets will be as follows:
For English:
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:
For English:
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 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 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. |
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