7^ 



1885.1 [Brinton. 



The study of this group of tongues becomes, therefore, of pecu- 

 liar importance to my present topic. 



Since Mr. Gabb published his memoir, some independent ma- 

 terial, grammatical as well as lexicographical, has been furnished 

 by the Rt. Rev. B. A. Thiel, Bishop of Costa Rica,* and I have 

 obtained, in addition, several MS. vocabularies and notes on the 

 languages prepared by Prof. P. J. J. Valentini (now of New 

 York City) and others. 



The stock is divided into three groups of related dialects, as 

 follows : — 



I. The Brunka, Bronka or Boruca,now in Southwestern Costa 

 Rica, but believed by Gabb to have been the earliest of the stock 

 to occupy the soil, and to have been crowded out by later 

 arrivals. 



II. The Tiribi and Terraba, principally on the head-waters of 

 the Rio Telorio and south of the mountains. 



III. The Bri-Bri and Cabecar on the head-waters of the Rio 

 Tiliri. The Biceitas (Yizeitas^) or Cachis, near the mouth of the 

 same stream, are one of the off-shoots of the Bri-Bris ; so also are 

 the small tribes at Orosi and Tucurrique, who were removed 10 

 those localities bj' the Spaniards. 



The Bri-Bri and Cabecar, although dialects of the same 

 original speech, are not sufficiently alike to be mutually intelligi- 

 ble. The Cabecars occupied the land before the Bri-Bris, but 

 were, conquered and are now subject to them. It is probable 

 that their dialedt is more archaic. 



The Bri-Bri is a language of extreme poverty, and as spoken 

 at present is plainly corrupt. Gabb estimates the total number 

 of words it contains as probably not exceeding fifteen hundred. 

 Some of these, though Gabb thinks not very many, are borrowed 

 from the Spanish ; but it is significant, that among them is the 

 pronoun " that," the Spanish ese. 



* Apuntes Lexicograficos de las Lenguas y Dialeclos de los Indicts de Costa-Hica. 

 Por Bernardo Augusto Thiel, Obispo de Costa-Rica (San Jos6 de Costa-Rica, 

 1882. Imprenta Nacional). 



