Brinton.] "* [Oct. 17, 



Comments on the Vocabulary. 



Man. Jumu. In the Xicaque language of Honduras Jowie = man, but as 

 this is the only close similarity in a comparison of thirty seven words, 

 I attribute it to accident ; jurac has a faint resemblance to Cakchiquel 

 hurt uinak, one man . 



Father, tataj, is evidently the universal baby word for father, and its 

 analogies are worthless for tracing affinities. The same is true of 

 utaj, mother. Compare Germ. Vater, Mutter, Cakchiquel iata. 



Son. najuum, in Pokomchi akun, probably an accidental resemblance. 



Daughter, jaya najuun, jaya evidently from aya, woman, female, hence 

 "female child," the combination showing that najuun does not mean 

 son, but child, offspring. 



Brother, xuyam and keruke are evidently wholly different words, and 

 are either used by the different sexes, or apply the one to an elder the 

 other to a younger brother. 



Hair, mux jumatan {the last word no doubt an error {or jamatan, liter- 

 ally "the fingers of the head" or more properly " the extremities, 

 the small branches of the head"). See Fingers, musal is apparently 

 a synthesis of mux, and gesalia, with the same signification. Such 

 compounds indicate that the Xinca is more synthetic than the Maya 

 dialects. 



Nose, narin, narica, may be the Spanish nariz, nose. 



Teeth. The words xa'jan and sajac, mean mouth. Tlie prefix jari seems 

 to mean either bone, or front part, as it reoccurs in jaricomon, knee 

 (knee-cap ?). 



Breast, tutu may be Spanish teta, but in the Maya dialects we find Cak- 

 chiquel and Quiche tu, tit, mamma, Pocoman, tuj, Choi., txu; ziquim 

 may be related to Quiche tz'um, mamma. 



Hand, jixipum, probably "the end of the arm." In none of the Maya 

 dialects is there any separate word for "hand." The hand and arm 

 are included in one term, the proper translation of which is "the 

 upper extremity." When it is desired to distinguish between hand 

 and arm, a compound must be formed, or the distinction be left to the 

 hearer. Jixi is also given for stone ; perhaps the stone point or end 

 of the arrow explains the identity of the expressions. 



Fingers. On inux, see teeth, pere pu, from pum, upper extremity, and 

 a prefix probably signifying ends, tips, or branches. 



Leg. uapi, means foot, q. v. 



Knee. See teeth. The two words given evidently mean different things. 



Foot, uapan. Comp. Cakchiquel akan. 



Town, machiname. This is plainly the Pipil cJdnamitl, town, with a 

 prefix ma. 



Mortar. Span, piedra de moler, the hollowed stone on which the 

 women pound the corn. 



Plate, in the original, comal, from Nahuatl comalU, a shallow earthen dish 

 used to prepare tortillas. 



