ELT UNDER THE SUN: WILLIAM CASEY AND FLT IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY SPAIN Alberto Lombardero Caparrós

1. ELT UNDER THE SUN: WILLIAM CASEY AND FLT IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY SPAIN Alberto Lombardero Caparrós Universitat Rovira I Virgili (SPAIN) alberto.lombardero@urv.cat AILA 2013 Arts and Science as a means of economic growth Casey became an English teacher at the Board of Commerce of Barcelona (BCB) in 1826 and remained there until 1851. At a time when there was no university in Barcelona, the BCB took on the challenge to provide higher education by creating different schools in Marine studies (1769), Chemistry, Arts, etc., in an attempt to catch up with the latest technologies heralded by the Industrial Revolution in northern European countries such as England and Germany. William Casey Moore (Galway , 179? - Barcelona 1857) Hewas presumably born in Galway, Ireland, at the turn of the 19th century. Little is known about his private life. He soon became a teacher of English, first in Maó, then in Madrid and eventually in Barcelona. Along with his teaching in primary schools , in private institutions and as a private tutor, Casey wrote several didactical books to learn English. One of Casey’s major concerns was to kindle a fondness towards the study of modern languages among the Spanish people at a time when the ubiquitous presence of the classical languages still lingered on in nineteenth-century Spain. A populariser of science In this book (see first one left), Casey translates on the earlier stages of the construction of The Thames Tunnel in London. A breath-taking engineering achievement started in 1825 and finished in 1843. Casey’s longest book (see second one left) was a translation on Ross, John, and James Clark Ross. Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-West Passage, And of a Residence in the Arctic Regions During the Years 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833. Including the Reports of Commander, Now Captain, James Clark Ross, and the Discovery of the Northern Magnetic Pole. London: A.W. Webster, 1835. A momentous picture This daguerreotype picture of the Llotja School was taken in 1848. Here is where Casey gave his English lessons for 25 years. Classes started in October and finished in June. All the schools were free. The only requirements to attend the language school were: . To know the Spanish grammar rules. . To be over 12 years of age. A major recent discovery in the Public library of Maó, Minorca. The booklet is called Ortology or Principles of English Pronunciation. This 13-page booklet is attributed to William Casey since its year of publication coincided with Casey’s stay on Minorca as an English teacher. There is no record of it in any bibliography on the historiography of ELT in Spain, which may mean that though published it never sold in the market. A multilingual language school Other FL taught at the BCB included French and Italian. The attendance rates (see below) for each language give us a clue about students’ main choices. Clearly, French stood out from the rest as it was the most popular FL in 19th-century Spain and it would continue so until the 1980s. However popular French was, Catalan people showed a steady although minority interest in learning English. Casey’s Methodology largely drew on his personal experience as an English teacher. That is, his eclectic methodology encompassed: the teaching of pronunciation and prosody, syntax, translation combined with grammar analysis, writing and dictating. As he mostly worked for an economic institution, some rudiments of what today is known as English for Specific Purposes (ESP) were also taught and included in his didactical works (see below). By and large, his eclectic methodology can be best described as a ‘Utilitarian Grammar-Translation Method’. Casey’s main didactical books: Thankful students The most outstanding last-year students, up to a maximum of five, had the chance to take part in an official, open-door exam ceremony. Casey was the examiner of English and after his students’ examination, they were given some presents, mainly English books. It was a way for the BCB to publicize its educational task. The document below, which bears no date on it but, presumably, dates from the 1840s, is unique in its nature. It is an acknowledging letter written by Casey’s students addressed to the BCB which reads as follows: • Acknowledgements • This research has received financial support from the Intercultural Studies Group (Rovira i Virgili University, Tarragona). • I would specially like to thank the following people for their help with some of the books mentioned in this poster: Mr Juan Fancisco Sánchez Nistal, Director of the Public Library of Maó and Mr Gebran Jamal, Librarian at the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya. • Special thanks to the staff at the Biblioteca de Catalunya for their help with the BCB archives