The Nature Method for Learning Foreign Languages - What is it & Why isn't it Better Known?

Summary

This video discusses the Direct or Natural Method of language learning, which relies solely on the target language from the outset, using pictures and vocabulary building through known words. Popular a century ago, the method has waned but is exemplified by 'Lingua Latina per se Illustrata'. The script delves into the history of pedagogy, mentioning scholars like W.H.D. Rouse, and explores books from the 19th and 20th centuries. It highlights the efforts of the ION Academy to revive this intuitive and engaging method, offering modernized versions and resources for learners interested in this immersive language acquisition approach.

Takeaways

• 📚 The Direct or Natural Method is an approach to language learning that relies solely on the target language from the first lesson, avoiding the use of the learner's native language.
• 🌟 The method uses well-planned manuals with simple sentences and vocabulary building through pictures and known words, popular from about 1890 to 1920.
• 🔍 'Lingua Latina per se Illustrate' by Hans Orberg is a well-known book that employs the Direct Method, featuring a continuous story of a Roman family with exercises and grammatical explanations in Latin.
• 📚 The Direct Method was championed by prominent scholars and linguists like W.H.D. Rouse, Otto Jespersen, and Wilhelm Vietor, as an alternative to the Grammar Translation Method.
• 🎓 James Henry Warman published books using the Natural Method for French, German, Spanish, and Latin around the 1890s, focusing on conversation and understanding through the target language.
• 📚 The Nature Language Institute published a series of language learning books in the 1950s using the Direct Method, with a focus on conversation and practical use of the language.
• 🔍 The Ion Academy is dedicated to reviving and updating the Direct Method, offering videos and republished books for various languages, including Latin, Czech, and Turkish.
• 🌐 The Direct Method emphasizes immediate use and understanding of the target language, which can be intuitive, user-friendly, and gratifying for learners.
• 📚 The original Nature Language Institute books from the 1950s included IPA italicized writing for non-English, non-French, and non-Russian languages, aiding in pronunciation.
• 🔍 The resurgence of interest in the Direct Method is attributed to the efforts of organizations like the Ion Academy, which aim to make this approach more accessible to modern language learners.
• 🚀 The script suggests a hope for a renaissance of the Direct Method in the 2020s, similar to its brief resurgence in the 1950s, and encourages exploration of this method for language learning.

Q & A

What is the Direct Method or Natural Method in language learning?

The Direct Method or Natural Method in language learning is an approach that relies entirely on the target language from the very first lesson, with no use of the teaching language. It involves well-planned manuals that build vocabulary and simple sentences, often using pictures to aid understanding.

Why was the Direct Method popular in the late 19th century?

The Direct Method was popular from about 1890 to 1920 due to its intuitive approach, which was championed by prominent scholars and linguists of the time, such as W.H.D. Rouse, Otto Jespersen, and Wilhelm Vietor, as an alternative to the Grammar Translation Method.

What is 'Lingua Latina per se Illustrate' and how is it related to the Direct Method?

'Lingua Latina per se Illustrate' by Hans Orberg is a book that employs the Direct Method. It is well-known in the language learning community and uses a lot of pictures, continuous story, and exercises, all in Latin, to teach the language.

Why is 'Lingua Latina per se Illustrate' considered unique?

While 'Lingua Latina per se Illustrate' is not as unique as some people think, it is considered unique because it is one of the few books that still employs the Direct Method, which was popular a century ago, and it is part of a series with companion volumes.

What is the significance of the Nature Language Institute in the context of the Direct Method?

The Nature Language Institute published a series of books in the 1950s that used the Direct Method, including 'Latinas' by Orberg, which later became 'Lingua Latina per se Illustrate'. These books were part of a larger effort to promote the Direct Method for language learning.

What is the role of the Ion Academy in reviving the Direct Method?

The Ion Academy is dedicated to reviving and promoting the Direct Method. They are uploading videos, chapter by chapter, on their YouTube channel and republishing old books in updated editions, making the method more accessible to modern learners.

How does the Direct Method differ from the Grammar Translation Method?

The Direct Method focuses on conversation and immediate use of the target language, whereas the Grammar Translation Method, which was the standard at the time, focused on translating texts from and into the learner's native language, emphasizing grammar rules.

What are some of the criticisms of the Direct Method?

While the Direct Method is praised for its intuitive and engaging approach, some criticisms include its dated content, especially for languages that have evolved significantly since the method's heyday, and its limited availability in modern language learning materials.

Can you provide examples of other language learning books that used the Direct Method during its heyday?

Examples of other language learning books that used the Direct Method include works by James Henry Warman for French, German, Spanish, and Latin, as well as series by Payne and Mine Warring, and Appelton Jones.

How does the Direct Method utilize pictures in language learning?

The Direct Method uses pictures to visually represent the vocabulary and concepts being taught, allowing learners to associate the target language directly with the images, which aids in comprehension and retention without the need for translation.

What is the current status of the Direct Method in language learning today?

The Direct Method is not as widely known or used today as it once was. However, efforts by organizations like the Ion Academy are working to revive interest in this approach, making it more accessible through modernized materials and online resources.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Direct Method in Language Learning

This paragraph introduces the 'Direct Method' or 'Natural Method' of language learning, which emphasizes the exclusive use of the target language from the very first lesson. The method relies on well-structured manuals that build vocabulary and simple sentences, utilizing pictures and definitions in the target language to aid understanding. The speaker mentions the historical popularity of this method from around 1890 to 1920 and its resurgence in the 1950s. The paragraph highlights 'Lingua Latina per se Illustrate' by Hans Orberg as a contemporary example of this method, noting its structured layout with pictures, continuous story, and exercises in Latin.

05:02

🎓 Historical Context of the Direct Method

The speaker delves into the history of the Direct Method, mentioning its promotion by prominent scholars and linguists such as W.H.D. Rouse, Otto Jespersen, and Wilhelm Vietor. It discusses the method's initial popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and its subsequent decline. The paragraph also lists various Latin books from the period that employed the Direct Method, emphasizing that the Orberg series is not unique but part of a broader trend. The speaker notes the dated nature of these books for modern language learning but acknowledges their pedagogical interest.

10:03

🕵️‍♂️ Unraveling the Mystery of the Nature Method

This paragraph explores the enigma behind the decline of the Nature Method, despite its intuitive and user-friendly approach to language learning. The speaker mentions the Nature Language Institute, which published a series of language learning books in the 1950s, all adhering to the Direct Method. The books were reportedly used by half a million people, yet their impact and continuation remain a mystery. The speaker also touches upon the Linguaphone Institute, which continued to use the Direct Method in its language learning materials during the mid-20th century.

15:04

🌐 Revival of the Direct Method by the ION Academy

The final paragraph discusses the efforts of the ION (Ian) Academy to revive the Direct Method through their YouTube channel and website. The academy is dedicated to uploading videos and republishing books that follow the Direct Method, including languages like French, German, Spanish, Italian, Czech, and Turkish. The speaker expresses hope for a renaissance of this method in the 2020s and provides information on how interested individuals can access these resources. The paragraph concludes with the speaker's personal note about an upcoming road trip and the possibility of a temporary hiatus from video uploads.

Keywords

💡Direct Method

The Direct Method, also known as the Natural Method, is a language learning approach that relies solely on the target language from the very beginning, without the use of the learner's native language. It was popular from the late 19th to early 20th century and emphasizes learning through immersion in the language. In the video, the Direct Method is discussed as a historical pedagogical approach that has seen periods of popularity and decline, with 'Lingua Latina per se Illustrata' by Hans Orberg being a well-known example that employs this method.

💡Natural Method

The Natural Method is synonymous with the Direct Method and refers to a language learning technique that immerses learners in the target language from the outset, using pictures and context to understand new words and phrases. The video script highlights the Natural Method's historical significance and its focus on conversational skills, with the method being championed by prominent scholars and linguists of the late 19th century.

💡Lingua Latina per se Illustrata

Lingua Latina per se Illustrata is a Latin language textbook by Hans Orberg that is mentioned in the script as a prominent example of the Direct or Natural Method. The book is characterized by its use of Latin text accompanied by pictures and definitions in terms of previously learned vocabulary, providing a comprehensive learning experience that is entirely in the target language.

💡Pedagogy

Pedagogy refers to the method and practice of teaching, and in the context of the video, it relates to the historical development and application of different language learning methods. The script discusses the Direct/Natural Method as a pedagogical approach that was once widely used and later fell out of favor, with a brief resurgence in the mid-20th century.

💡Pattern Drills

Pattern Drills are a language teaching technique that involves the repetition of sentence patterns to help learners practice and internalize grammatical structures. The script mentions Pattern Drills as a once popular method that has become difficult to find in modern language learning resources, drawing a parallel to the Direct/Natural Method's rise and fall in popularity.

💡W.H.D. Rouse

W.H.D. Rouse was a prominent scholar and linguist mentioned in the script who championed the Direct/Natural Method of language learning. He is known for his work as the main editor of the Loeb Classical Library and his contributions to various fields, including language teaching methods.

💡Otto Jespersen

Otto Jespersen was a well-known philologist and linguist who supported the Direct/Natural Method of language learning. His endorsement, along with that of other prominent figures, helped to establish the method's credibility and popularity during its heyday.

💡Wilhelm Vietor

Wilhelm Vietor is another linguist referenced in the script who was part of the group of scholars advocating for the Direct/Natural Method. His support, along with that of his contemporaries, contributed to the method's acceptance and use in language education.

💡James Henry Warman

James Henry Warman is noted in the script as an author who published a series of books using the Direct/Natural Method for languages such as French, German, Spanish, and Latin. His work is considered part of the foundation of the method, emphasizing the use of pictures and context to teach new languages.

💡Ion Academy

The Ion Academy is mentioned in the script as an organization currently working to revive and update the Direct/Natural Method of language learning. They are dedicated to making this method more accessible through their YouTube channel and website, where they offer resources and materials for learning various languages using this approach.

💡Linguaphone Institute

The Linguaphone Institute is referenced in the script as a publisher of language learning materials that used the Direct/Natural Method in their books during the mid-20th century. The script suggests that the Linguaphone books share a similar format and pedagogical approach with the Direct/Natural Method, focusing on using the target language exclusively for instruction.

Highlights

Introduction to the Direct Method or Natural Method for language learning, which relies entirely on the target language from the first lesson.

Use of well-didactically planned manuals to build simple sentences and vocabulary through the target language.

Description of vocabulary in terms of known words and use of pictures to aid learning.

Historical popularity of the Direct Method from 1890 to 1920 and its brief renaissance in the 1950s.

Mention of 'Lingua Latina per se Illustrate' by Hans Orberg as a well-known book employing the Direct Method.

Layout of 'Lingua Latina per se Illustrate' with pictures, text in Latin, and exercises in Latin.

The Direct Method's emphasis on conversation and its contrast with the Grammar Translation Method.

Historical figures like W.H.D. Rouse and Otto Jespersen who championed the Direct Method.

James Henry Warman's contribution to the Natural Method with books for French, German, Spanish, and Latin.

The dated nature of conversational language in old Direct Method books, especially for modern usage.

Listing of important Latin books from the early 20th century that used the Direct Method.

The role of Maximilian Berlitz in popularizing the Direct Method through the Berlitz School.

The Nature Language Institute's publication of language books using the Direct Method in the 1950s.

Mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Direct Method and its lack of presence in modern language learning.

Introduction of the Ion Academy's efforts to revive and update the Direct Method for modern learners.

Availability of updated Direct Method materials and the Ion Academy's dedication to polyglots.

The speaker's personal journey with language learning and upcoming plans including a road trip.

Transcripts

good evening

today i would like to talk to you about

an approach to language learning that is

variously known as the direct method or

the nature or natural method

what is direct or natural about this

method is that it relies entirely 100

upon the

target language from the very first

lesson everything is in the language you

are learning there's no

teaching language whatsoever

and so the way that that works is that

uh they are very well didactically

planned manuals that uh start building

simple sentences and build your

vocabulary that way uh the vocabulary is

then of new words described in terms of

words you already know and more than

anything else there's a lot of use of

pictures you're shown pictures to see

what

it is that you're learning

so um this is a method that um

was popular 100 years ago for about 30

years from about 1890 to about 1920 um

and kind of went out of the limelight

for a while maybe had a renaissance in

the 1950s and then has

pretty much kind of disappeared the same

way

it was very popular once the same way in

the 1960s

pattern drills were everywhere and now

you can't find any pattern drills it's

very hard to find any books that use the

direct or natural method today there's

only one

commonly known

and well loved a book that employs this

and that is this book that

pretty much anybody who knows latin or

anybody in the language in the community

has heard of lingua latina per se

illustrate by hans orberg

and the layout of this book as i just

showed you is you have a lot of

pictures

so

there's on the sides you have the text

it's entirely in latin here and on the

sides you have pictures and definitions

in terms of the words you have already

learned the text is nice and clear uh

and you have uh this is kind of a

continuous story for the most part of a

family a roman family

and there is some grammatical

explanation also only in latin and then

at the end of every chapter there are

three different types of sets of

exercises so this is well laid out and

in this form very nice and clear and one

would think that this would be kind of a

popular attractive idea that people

would like to say hey can we explore

learning a language in this fashion if

that works well that might be something

interesting and very gratifying to do

um

so as i said this book is the only one

that's sort of commonly popularly out

there today uh and because of that a lot

of people i don't know i think i just

want to start off by saying this book is

is not as unique in two senses as as

people think that it is uh first of all

this is uh part of oregberg's book is

part of an entire series i think many

people do know there's a follow-up book

to it and there are also it's really

essential there's about a dozen

companion companion volumes of books

exercises and vocabulary and things like

that most essential of which you get is

the teacher's manual so that you have

the answers to those uh three different

sets of exercises and then there's also

some

just dialogues and things to go with

this so this is not really a standalone

book because a lot of people seem to

think that it is

um but it's

uh as i said it is um

the only ex-implier of this method that

was very popular uh up to 100 years ago

uh for about 30 years until that so let

me start out by doing a little bit of

history history of pedagogy here

historical pedagogy so um this method uh

when it came about in say the 1880s or

maybe the 1890s was

a little bit after that too was uh

really championed by a number of very

prominent scholars and linguists w.h.d

rouse who is the sort of the main editor

of the loeb classical libraries in a

very polymath in many fields otto

jespersen wilhelm vietor all of these

well-known

philologists and linguists really put

their uh weight into this method of

learning as opposed to the grammar

translation method which was the most

popular standard method of learning at

that time

i think that the

first person that really came out with a

lot of these volumes was a guy named

james henry warman

lived for a very long time about 95

years but starting about 1890 he

published a number of books for french

german spanish and latin which he called

that point the natural method or also he

gave credit to pastelozi the

late 18th century uh

swiss um pedagog

so

his books are very much along the same

lines of these books they're entirely in

those languages they rely on a lot of

pictures um so

they're quite interesting to look at

[Music]

i'm going to now mention a whole bunch

as i said this this is

something that you can find

if you're interested in the history of

this easily google it put in direct

method natural method uh it was mainly

for french german spanish maybe some

italian for english so if you put that

you can come up with any interesting

number of volumes besides mormons from

that time period about 1880 1890

1900 1910

and i'm going to just list now a couple

of really important ones because as i

said many people tend to know about this

book for latin and think that this

orbit series is is unique and actually

it's not it's the last of a series of

this and uh so i'm going to list a

number of latin books in particular

because

uh however interesting and i am very

much in favor of older methods in

general these uh books for french german

spanish are

they are truly quite dated at this point

to look at the if you're the focus on

the natural method or the direct method

was on conversation and uh the

conversation that you learned in 1880

and 1890 is

rather different from the conversation

that you need in in 19 in 2022

[Music]

so uh latin though uh has not changed

and so there's a lot of books that

anybody who likes latin likes this

method ought to know about and uh i'm

going to say

this this method the direct method the

natural method so it had its heyday it's

it's birth

1890 1920 kind of went out of the

limelight but didn't disappear

then maybe about 1950s it had a brief

renaissance shall we say and then it

seems to have disappeared from the

picture but nowadays in 2022 and as i'll

tell a lot more about towards the end of

this video

there's at least one person one

organization that's making a very valid

effort to to bring it back and to make

it widely accessible and that's that's

pretty exciting i think anybody who's

interested in

my

channel my approach to learning

languages uh ought to be uh very very

interested in this

so uh the latin manuals that really came

out and almost like a 10-year time

period uh from about 1910 to about 1920

uh that are very similar

probably the grandparents or the parents

the direct

ancestors of orbits lingering latina

there were two volumes by a guy named

sun and shime uh of uh komentari de

uitame

1910 1909 and 1910

that are entirely in latin a modern

british school boy talking about his his

daily life and details

then there

were a pair of writers uh payne and mine

warring

who had a series of books called the

primus annos lingua latina and uh

secundemanos lingua latina and

1911 12 and 16

[Music]

and these were really uh under the

the aegis of this uh whd ralph guy the

the polymath editor of the loeb

classical library

and then there's also very very

interesting for anybody who's interested

in this a pair of appleton jones and i

think jones got killed in the first

world war uh and so then appleton

continued on his own so they have a

really really great series of books

called the puerto romanus and ponce

tyrone

and also the initial my first latin

course on the direct method and ludi

pesiki a set of plays that you can use

again all of these are about 1912

through 1919.

so there's a whole bunch of books that

precede

this one and use this method again many

of them uh because they are

really you know from a totally different

time and age are not so suitable towards

learning how to converse in in german or

latin or german or spanish or french

today

but are interesting to look at

pedagogically and could be revived and

updated perhaps but these latin ones are

still as good as they were back then

so

this method that

natural method the nature method direct

method that was

involved

in about 1890

1900 1910 1920

was i guess mostly popularized by

maximilian berlitz the i don't know the

father the grandfather of charles

burletz i don't know how many religious

there have been i think three or four

who have been

good linguists starting about 1875

through about now um so this became the

core of the religious method the blitz

school so it didn't drop out there and

as i said this might have uh

for some reason you're hard-pressed to

find books like these that i just

mentioned uh or for you know as i said

you could do a a search for direct

method natural method french spanish and

most of them are going to be published

in that time period

thanks to the internet archive that

wonders of digitization you can get

copies of these um most of these are

going to be published in that time

period

and you're hard-pressed to find

something in the 1930s 40s 50s but where

you will find them what occurred to me

after i started really digging into this

is that this is really the the core or

the essence

of the linguaphone institute books of

that period this is a set of

books that i've always championed the

linguaphone here's a similar thing it's

the linguaphone lesson and you have all

around the text entirely in the target

language in this volume see lingual

phone i guess diverges from that there's

a separate volume that has the

vocabulary and translation but if you

just have the main volume it's entirely

in the target language there's pictures

all around showing what you're learning

and it builds upon itself from the

language so uh you could use these

language volumes as a um as a form of

the direct message or the natural method

so langophone continued using this in

the 19

clear that pictures about 1940s vintage

30s 40s 50s 60s

but

getting back to this book

here and why i'm calling this video the

mystery of the the nature

method

is because this one that i was just

holding up by my faded paperback version

of it is is a

temporary one but the original copy of

this that i have is the same title

before it was called lingua latina per

se lustrata it was called latinas

and this

uh was published this is the first

edition of this this is published by the

nature institute the nature language

institute

this is

you see they're giving credit to a guy

named arthur m jensen being behind us

and each volume of this series

is uh listed all these uh eminent

professors who are behind it and at the

bottom here you can see that this

institute supposedly had

offices in in dozens of major cities

around the world and so this is called

originally this orberg's lingua latino

paseo de strata before it became

separated was published by this nature

institute and if you start digging into

this all these

nature language nature method institute

books almost all of them have copyrights

of 1954.

uh so they clearly were doing things

they got started before that this i

think the first one

uh was by this arthur m jensen at least

about 1942 maybe 1945 uh was uh

published the uh english by the

nature method uh and this institute back

in the 1950s mid-1950s published english

french german spanish i think russian

and danish because it's it's based in

denmark by this nature method and all of

them have the same look and feel of this

they've got the main text in the middle

lots of pictures pictures on the side

words defined on it and then again those

three different sets of

exercises uh at the end and commander

grammar also on the sides and a separate

grammar explanation so very uniform nice

looking set of books for a handful of

major languages plus danish where it was

based and in latin and other things like

this these were published in as i said

about 1954 a whole bunch of these and

that's the mystery to me is that if you

read the preface and the introduction to

these

they talk about having half a million

people studying by this method

after 1945 through about 1954

and it's very hard to uh find anything

about that and and know

where this went or what became of it uh

why it dropped out of the picture uh

just trends and vogues come and go and

language pedagogy we all know that

but this is so intuitive

and so user-friendly and so fun and nice

and gratifying to just start out using

the language immediately

and be able to understand the language

through the language that it's a

tragic enigma to me how and why this

might have disappeared

um so

uh there you have it it seems to have

been gone uh and before we skip up to

the future

let me say that there is a very similar

book

by william

g most called latin by the natural

method about the same time period 1957

that has nothing to do with this

and the dialogues themselves aren't

entirely in latin but there are

explanations in english that might be

diverging from this but in trying to

track down what became of these nature

method books

i'm not the only person who's curious

about that as a matter of fact there's

somebody out there who's much much more

interested and curious and devoted to

this uh than i am and this is the

founder of the ian academy a-y-a-n

academy the ion academy uh which has a

website here on uh it says a youtube

channel here where you can go and you

can find

all of these

french

german

spanish italian by the nature method

which they are

very very serious in dedicated fashion

um uploading videos for uh

chapter by chapter on here uh they are

expanding the series uh they're doing it

for czech and for turkish the the

founder i think of this behind it i

think he seems to be turk himself um

they are expanding these and once you go

onto their youtube channel you can click

onto their other website where if you

like they're also reprinting and

republishing

not just these and nice hardcover i

think even leather bound editions but

also

these old langophone books

so they're really behind this and

devoted to helping

people with polyitis get their hands on

this very very interesting fascinating

and exciting method that for some reason

has enigmatically

died out

so um if you're interested in these as i

said to my mind the original things by

warman and other people in the 18

80s and 90s although they're

pedagogically very sound for learning a

modern language particularly since the

focus of the direct method is on

conversation

they are a bit dated excitingly enough

these ion academy versions seem to be

updated or rewritten or done something

along those lines

if you're interested in these originals

again as i showed you for lingua latina

this is the basic outline

and this is kind of what it looks like

for latin and i think also for

italian and spanish and

czech and

uh turkish

but going back to this original edition

for english and french and russian

because it uses different english and

french because they're not phonetic and

russian because they are it uses a

different alphabet

there is uh ipa italicized writing

underneath the uh the mean language

thing so

if that's

important to you know that as well

but

again if you're interested in this

direct method nature method natural

method of learning languages

you can go to ion academy and listen

see what they have on their youtube

channel get the hard copies of these if

you'd like that uh from their website

you can go and google or do any other

kind of search for direct method natural

method and then

language of your choice

again i think you'll find it mainly for

french spanish german latin

some italian some other languages not

too many others

but it's really a fascinating approach

to

learning a language just again the idea

that you can start out and only use the

language uh to learn the language i

think is wonderful and it's it's

exciting

and just as i mentioned before pattern

drills have their role in place and it's

a shame they dropped out it's a shame

that this method is not better known

and just as it had a renaissance in the

1950s uh i'm wishing the ion academy

all good goodwill that perhaps it might

be able to have a renaissance now in the

2020s so i hope this was interesting and

useful to you and um

i may not talk to you

next week or the week after i am going

to have to uh

make a a long road trip to take my sons

to college i don't know where i'll be or

if i'll be able to film a video or

upload a video for the next week or two

but i will talk to you try to do so and

if not i will definitely talk to you

after a week or two so thank you very

much for listening and

good night