mitted and classified as to subject matter. Although all these pupils had been writing compositions of the essay type for periods varying from six months to six years, in this test they all wrote letters-letters of inquiry, of complaint, of excuse; letters offering to sell or buy; letters requesting samples, letters ordering goods and canceling orders. Ninety per cent of the letters were such as laborers, peddlers, and small business men would be expected to write; the remaining 10 per cent were purely personal letters written by the more advanced pupils. These results, especially the relatively small number of personal letters, were disconcerting to the teachers who had emphasized "composition" writing of the expository and narrative type, and who in exercises in letters had assigned subjects such as "letters to your father telling him how you like America.'

Inquiry among the pupils, however, elicited the information that if they wished to write to their families or to their friends they would naturally use their native languages and not English, and hence they saw no reason for learning to write in English a letter "to my father in Russia." A seeming exception is the recent experience of teachers with illiterate immigrants whose soldier sons had grown up in America, and had learned to write English in the public schools. In many cases the children were able to speak the native language of the parents, but unable to write it, and in other cases the parents spoke English but were unable to write

it. An urgent need, therefore, arose for the parents to learn to write English in order to be able to communicate with their English-speaking children. Here it would seem as if writing in English had been desired by foreign-born persons in order to be able to communicate with relatives; but it must be remembered that these relatives were people who could understand only English. To summarize, immigrants find it worth while learning to write in English to English-speaking people, not to people with whom their communication would more naturally be in the native tongue.

SPELL FEW WORDS WELL

Intimately related to instruction in writing English is instruction in spelling. Our vocabularies are not one general list of words which serve our purposes in communicating orally and by written symbols as well as in understanding others orally and through written symbols. As a matter of fact, the vocabularies of literate persons consist of four more or less distinct groups of words making up our speaking, writing, understanding, and reading vocabularies. In short, there are kinds and degrees of acquaintanceship with words as with friends. Some words are known to us only as we hear them spoken by other persons. Others are recognized in our reading, but are strangers to our speaking and writing vocabularies. Finally, there are a few choice words with which we are so familiar that

we use them with confidence to convey our thoughts to others. Among the latter are the words we use in writing.

Since ability to spell is of value only in writing and since immigrants have a limited need for writing in English, it is apparent that our pupils need be taught the spelling of a relatively small number of words and that these words must be selected from the probable writing of the pupil rather than from his reading or understanding. Interesting studies have revealed that reading and speaking vocabularies are not affected by learning the spelling of words, nor does one necessarily know how to spell the words of the speaking or understanding vocabulary. The chief value of spelling ability as well as its final test is the use to which spelling is put in written communication.

Spelling lists selected from the reading and speaking vocabularies of pupils are not only likely to be too large, but also, on the one hand, to stress words which pupils will hardly use in their writing, and on the other to neglect words which they will probably use. At present the most reliable lists of spelling words for our pupils may be made by the teacher from the words that the learners use in their written discourse; this may perhaps be supplemented by such combined lists of words as those of Ayres1 or Chancellor. While these lists are not con

1 Measurement of Ability in Spelling, L. P. Ayres (Russell Sage Foundation, 1915).

2 Journal of Education, vol. 71, 1910, p. 488, etc.

structed for this purpose they would prove useful and suggestive to the teacher.

PHONICS OVEREMPHASIZED

An extraordinary difference of opinion among teachers as to the value of phonics in English instruction for adults results in a wide diversity in practice. This difference of opinion is illustrated by the following typical answers from superintendents to the question, "What use do you make of phonics?":

I. A minimum use, and that the practical. The chronic difficulties of national enunciation and pronunciation

and peculiarities of the English vernacular; phonetic grouping of words already mastered.

Just enough to get the pupils to pronounce the words distinctly.

Moderate use. Very much less time than with children. We have lists of phonics for drill to correct certain faults peculiar to some races. We recommend the use of such only in special cases, and devote little time to phonics in classes of beginners. Intermediate and advanced pupils receive drill.

Some of the "family groups" are useful in teaching spelling, but the use of phonics as a corrective agent is a waste of good time.

II. Pupils are drilled until they understand thoroughly the phonetics and then applied on selected words for pronunciation.

A constant use of phonetics. Many learn their a b c's in this class.

Very prominent with all beginners.

As much as possible.

It is used in spelling and in early reading to secure articulation.

Very similar to that of the primary classes in day school, except that progress of foreign adults is much more rapid than that of children.

It is evident that "phonics" as understood by teachers includes a variety of exercises having a number of different purposes, among which the more important are the following: (1) to aid in the teaching of spelling by giving a knowledge of the sounds of letters and by calling attention to the common elements of words; (2) to aid in the teaching of reading by furnishing a phonetic key to the recognition of new words; (3) to train the ear of the pupil in noting nice distinctions in sounds; (4) to correct errors in pronunciation, enunciation, accent, and tone.

As an aid to the teaching of spelling, phonic exercises are of undoubted value provided they are not carried too far. Two considerations as to the use of phonic exercises must be borne in mind: first, comparatively few words are needed by immigrants in their writing vocabularies; second, in English the syllable rather than the letter is the basis for spelling. Phonic exercises on abstract vocal values of the sounds of letters tend only to confuse the beginner and to convince him that he cannot master the intricacies of English.

As one would expect, the learner's pronunciation and accent almost unfailingly disclose foreign