Entered at Stationers' Hall, LONDON: PRINTED BY R. GRUBE AND CO., ENGLISH AND FOREIGN PRESS, 11, CAMOMILE STREET, BISHOPSGATE. PREFACE. KOTZEBUE'S,,Der Muthwillige," and SCHILLER'S „Neffe als Onkel," are here offered to those students of German who wish to familiarise themselves with light conversation, and, generally, with colloquial phraseology. In the Notes, all the difficult passages occurring in the text are explained, classified, and arranged in groups. Such words as do not admit of this kind of arrangement are given in the Vocabulary. To avoid unnecessary repetition, a few references have been made to my works, "German in One Volume" and "Practice in German," whenever anything occurs which has been thoroughly explained in either. Care has been taken to collect numerous examples on the Expletives which are so extensively used in common life, and impart so peculiar a colouring to the style of German conversation. Dictionaries afford only a very superficial explanation of these little words, and students and translators frequently contrive either to put a wrong interpretation upon them, or even to disregard them altogether; I have, therefore, thought it advisable not to economise space in treating this feature of the language. A careful perusal of the Notes is recommended. In the translation, it has been my endeavour to give the real meaning of a phrase rather than to aim at elegant English to the neglect of the precise spirit of an expression. Sebahn 85, Newman Street, Oxford Street. |
