An Outline of English Speech-craft

audiobook

An Outline of English Speech-craft

by William Barnes

EN·~3 hours·1 chapter

Chapters

1 total

The cover image was produced by the transcriber, and is placed in the public domain.

3:15:40

Description

In this compact guide the author argues that true mastery of English comes from the ear, not the page. He builds a teaching method that starts with breath‑shaped sounds, letting learners feel the rhythm of consonants and vowels before ever seeing a letter. By presenting scientific and everyday terms in plain English, the book aims to make the language’s own logic clear and memorable.

The work also reexamines traditional grammar, treating time‑words, case and prepositions as living parts of speech rather than abstract rules. Its unconventional classifications—grouping verbs by strength of ending and viewing prepositions as post‑positions—invite readers to see familiar structures in a fresh light. Ideal for anyone who wants to deepen their spoken fluency, the guide offers a thoughtful, ear‑first approach to the rich Anglo‑Saxon heritage of modern English.

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Details

Language

en

Duration

~3 hours (187K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Henry Flower and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

Release date

Nov 26, 2013

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

William Barnes

William Barnes

1801–1886

A Dorset poet, priest, and language lover, he became famous for capturing the speech, work, and feeling of rural life in southern England. His poems are especially remembered for their warmth, musicality, and deep sense of place.

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