An Outline of English Speech-craft

audiobook

An Outline of English Speech-craft

by William Barnes

EN·~3 hours

Chapters

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.

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

2013-11-26

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

William Barnes

William Barnes

1801–1886

Best known for bringing the Dorset countryside to life in verse, this 19th-century poet wrote with a rare warmth for rural speech and everyday people. His poems and language studies later caught the attention of writers including Thomas Hardy and Gerard Manley Hopkins.

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