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Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish
Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Joseph Rocchietti • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish
Context Illustration Reading 1/13 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
POLITICS AND LAWS.
Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.
A statesman would be a good lawyer, and a lawyer a good statesman.
The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.
The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish is here in full — 69 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/13 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
POLITICS AND LAWS.
/ˈpɑːlətɪks ənd lɔːz/
Line 2
Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.
/wɜːr ˈpɑːlətɪks ənd lɔːz lʊkt æz ðeɪ ɔːt tuː biː ˈnʌθɪŋ wʊd biː mɔːr ˈɑːnərəbəl ðæn ə ˈsteɪtsmən ɔːr ə ˈlɔːjər ənd ðiːz tuː ˈnoʊbəl ˈsaɪənsəz ðoʊ dɪˈstɪŋktli ˈsepəreɪtɪd wʊd biː rəˈduːst tuː wʌn/
Line 3
A statesman would be a good lawyer, and a lawyer a good statesman.
/ə ˈsteɪtsmən wʊd biː ə ɡʊd ˈlɔːjər ənd ə ˈlɔːjər ə ɡʊd ˈsteɪtsmən/
Line 4
The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.
/ðə ˈsaɪəns ʌv ə ˈsteɪtsmən ɪz tuː ˈrendər ˈhæpi ðə ˈneɪʃən ɪn wɪtʃ hiː lɪvz ənd biː dʒʌst riˈspektɪŋ ðə ˈʌðər ˈneɪʃənz/
Line 5
The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.
/ðə ˈsaɪəns ʌv ðə ˈlɔːjər ɪt ɪz tuː ɪkˈspleɪn ðə ˈdʒʌstəs wɪtʃ ʃʊd ɪɡˈzɪst bɪˈtwiːn ðə ˈsɪtəzənz ʌv hɪz ˈhæpi ˈkʌntri/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

citizens noun US /ˈsɪtəzənz/

plural of “citizen” — a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community

From this reading “The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
exist verb US /ɪɡˈzɪst/

have an existence, be extant

From this reading “The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
honorable adjective US /ˈɑːnərəbəl/

not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent

From this reading “Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reduced adjective US /rəˈduːst/

made less in size or amount or degree

From this reading “Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
render verb US /ˈrendər/

cause to become

From this reading “The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
respecting verb US /riˈspektɪŋ/

-ing form of “respect” — regard highly; think much of

From this reading “The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sciences noun US /ˈsaɪənsəz/

plural of “science” — a particular branch of scientific knowledge

From this reading “Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
statesman noun US /ˈsteɪtsmən/

a man who is a respected leader in national or international affairs

From this reading “Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

exist between verb + particle

In this reading “The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.”

3,000 times in 225,867 chapters
other nations adjective + noun counted as “other nation”

In this reading “The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.”

2,298 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 53

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading POLITICS AND LAWS.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
citizensnounUS /ˈsɪtəzənz/

plural of “citizen” — a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community

From this reading The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
distinctlyadverbUS /dɪˈstɪŋktli/

clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
existverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪst/

have an existence, be extant

From this reading The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
explainverbUS /ɪkˈspleɪn/

make plain and comprehensible

From this reading The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading A statesman would be a good lawyer, and a lawyer a good statesman.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
honorableadjectiveUS /ˈɑːnərəbəl/

not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
justicenounUS /ˈdʒʌstəs/

the quality of being just or fair

From this reading The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LAWSnounUS /lɔːz/

the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit

From this reading POLITICS AND LAWS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lawyernounUS /ˈlɔːjər/

a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
livesnounUS /lɪvz/

plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nationnounUS /ˈneɪʃən/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nationsnounUS /ˈneɪʃənz/

plural of “nation” — a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nobleadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊbəl/

impressive in appearance

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
oughtmodal verbUS /ɔːt/

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
POLITICSnounUS /ˈpɑːlətɪks/

social relations involving intrigue to gain authority or power

From this reading POLITICS AND LAWS.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reducedadjectiveUS /rəˈduːst/

made less in size or amount or degree

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
renderverbUS /ˈrendər/

cause to become

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
respectingverbUS /riˈspektɪŋ/

-ing form of “respect” — regard highly; think much of

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sciencenounUS /ˈsaɪəns/

a particular branch of scientific knowledge

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sciencesnounUS /ˈsaɪənsəz/

plural of “science” — a particular branch of scientific knowledge

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
separatedadjectiveUS /ˈsepəreɪtɪd/

being or feeling set or kept apart from others

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading The science of the lawyer it is to explain the justice, which should exist between the citizens of his happy country.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
statesmannounUS /ˈsteɪtsmən/

a man who is a respected leader in national or international affairs

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The science of a statesman is to render happy the nation in which he lives; and be just, respecting the other nations.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Were politics, and laws looked as they ought to be, nothing would be more honorable than a statesman, or a lawyer: and these two noble sciences, though distinctly separated, would be reduced to one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 8 of Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish by Joseph Rocchietti holds 69 sentences, grouped into 14 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 8 of Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish contain?

Chapter 8 holds 69 sentences of Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish by Joseph Rocchietti exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 69 sentences, grouped into 14 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 8 of Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish?

Work through the 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 14 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 can be played aloud in United States English.

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Vocabulary met early in Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish

Words and structures a reader meets early in Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Celui
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Crivant
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Songe
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Personne
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.