Janua linguarum reserata

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Title page of the Latin-German edition of 1657

Janua linguarum reserata (German: Open language door ) is a Latin textbook written by Johann Amos Comenius in 1629. It was published in Leszno , Poland, in 1631 and soon afterwards was translated into most European languages. With this book Comenius became famous all over Europe. In the 17th century it was the most printed book after the Bible .

The full title of the Latin-German edition of 1657 reads: “Opened Güldene SprachenThür: Or, Plant Garden of All Languages ​​and Sciences. This is a short and advantageous guide, Latin and every other language, at the same time as the reasons for the sciences and arts, to be learned in 100th Capittel and 1000th Proverbs. "

content

Janua linguarum reserata is the first language textbook that aims to impart basic knowledge as well as language skills. In addition to the basics of Latin, it offers the student a summary of the most important knowledge about things and phenomena in the world. Comenius believed that language can only be taught in relation to the things it describes. In his Didactica magna he writes:

“ The study of languages ​​must progress parallel to that of things, especially in youth, so that we understand as much factually as we learn to express it in language. We educate people, not parrots. [...] From this it follows that the words should not be learned independently of the things, since the things separately neither exist nor can be understood, but only occur here and there in their connection with the words, causing this and that. On the basis of these considerations, I have, apparently with good success, created the "Janua Linguarum", in which the words, combined into sentences, express the essential features of the matter in question. "

- Johann Amos Comenius, Didactica Magna, from chap. 22nd

He was inspired by the Latin-Spanish textbook Janua linguarum by the Irish monk William Bate, which was published in Salamanca , Spain in 1611 . It contained about 5000 words in 1200 sentences. The book was published in London in 1617 in four languages ​​(also in English and French). Comenius probably got to know this edition through John Johnston in Leszno.

Janua linguarum reserata consists of 1000 paragraphs, which are encyclopaedically divided into 100 chapters according to subject matter. The topics covered cover a wide range: religion, nature, human body and health, handicrafts and activities, family and society, school and education, virtues, entertainment and play. There is a short memorandum for each topic that the student should learn by heart. The entire vocabulary (around 8000 words) and Latin grammar are used in the memorabilia. The pupil is gradually led from easier to more difficult Latin sentences and should acquire the basic knowledge of the world together with the language.

distribution

from the Latin-Czech-German edition of 1669

Comenius himself was surprised by the success of his textbook. He writes:

“ I could not have imagined that this child's book would be received with such universal approval in the learned world. This was shown to me by the number of those who wished me hearty success with my new discovery; and by the number of translations into foreign languages. Not only has the book been translated into twelve European languages, and I've seen these translations myself, but also into the Asian languages ​​- Arabic, Turkish and Persian - and even Mongolian, which is understood by everyone in the East Indies. "

During the life of Comenius alone there were 101 bilingual and multilingual editions, and a further 18 editions followed by the end of the 17th century. In the 18th century the importance of the textbook declined. An expression of the success was also the addition of the title Janua linguarum reserata aurea (German: Opened golden language door ) , which was customary from 1633 .

There are 11 known translations in European languages: English (London 1631), German (Leipzig 1633), French (London 1633), Polish ( Gdańsk 1633), Italian ( Leiden 1640), Swedish (1641), Dutch ( Amsterdam 1642), Greek (Amsterdam 1643), Hungarian ( Bardejov 1643), Icelandic (unpublished manuscript, Stockholm 1681), Spanish ( Valencia 1819–21). The book was translated into Arabic before 1642. Translations into other oriental languages ​​have been prepared (Turkish, Persian, Mongolian, Armenian), but they have not survived. Comenius himself published the Czech version in Leszno in 1633. Even the Jesuits , who otherwise condemned Comenius' writings, published a Czech-Latin-German version in Prague in 1669.

In 1632, Comenius published a simplified version for beginners, Januae linguarum reseratae vestibulum , also called vestibulum for short (German: vestibule or entrance ). It contains 1000 words in 427 paragraphs and 7 chapters and was also a great success. About 40 bilingual and multilingual editions were printed while Comenius was still alive. Janue and Vestibulum were introduced as a Latin textbook in many high schools in Europe. In 1656, Comenius published a stage adaptation of the textbook in Sárospatak, Hungary , Schola ludus seu encyclopedia viva (German: school through play or a living encyclopedia ). It's a collection of eight plays for schools. At the court of the Egyptian King Ptolemy II , representatives of different professions and classes discuss with each other and present knowledge in a wide variety of areas: nature, handicrafts, education, the coexistence of people in the family and in the state, morals and virtues. The pupils should get to know the individual areas of knowledge through close observation and learn to name things correctly in Latin.

See also

literature

  • Jan Kumpera: Jan Amos Komenský, Poutník na rozhraní věků (= Johann Amos Comenius [Ed.]: Wanderer in the upheaval of times ). Amosium Servis, Ostrava 1992, ISBN 80-85498-03-0 , p. 253-254 (Czech, 372 pp.).
  • Jan Václav Novák: Jan Amos Komenský, jeho život a spisy . Dědictví Komenského, Praha 1932, p. 129–168 (Czech, 722 pages, online in the digital repository of Městská knihovna v Praze [accessed April 27, 2019]).
  • Will S. Monroe: Comenius and the Beginnings of Educational Reform . Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1900, p. 125–128 (English, [2] [accessed February 12, 2017]).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Jan Kumpera: Jan Amos Komenský, Poutník na rozhraní věků . Amosium Servis, Ostrava 1992, ISBN 80-85498-03-0 , p. 253-254 (Czech, 372 pp.).
  2. ^ Johann Amos Comenius: Great didactics. The complete art of teaching all people everything. 10th edition. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-608-91372-9 , pp. 150 . Edited and translated by Andreas Flitner (original 1657)
  3. ↑ a b c Will S. Monroe: Comenius and the Beginnings of Educational Reform . Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1900, p. 125-128 (English, [1] ).
  4. ^ Jan Václav Novák: Jan Amos Komenský, jeho život a spisy . Dědictví Komenského, Praha 1932, p. 164–165 (Czech, 722 pp., Online in the digital repository of Městská knihovna v Praze [accessed April 27, 2019]).
  5. ↑ a b January Kumpera: Jan Amos Comenius, Poutník na rozhraní věků . Amosium Servis, Ostrava 1992, ISBN 80-85498-03-0 , p. 68, 296-298, 309 (Czech, 372 pp.).

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