498 



BRINTON — ETPINIC AFFINITIES OF THE GUETARES. [Dec. 3, 



the fray.^ This is clearly in the Talamancan tongue compounded 

 of era or wa-re, woman, and probably i/uk, to shoot, chop or strike.'^ 



To this evidence may be added that of some geographical names. 

 It is considered by local antiquaries that the names of several 

 mountains in the region referred to belong to the extinct Guetar 

 dialect. Examples of these are Excasu, Atarazu and Irazu. Here 

 the termination 2?/ cannot be else than the Cabecar fsu (Gabb), 

 meaning hill or mountain. 



Finally, I have a vocabulary taken at least forty years ago from 

 some natives surviving near San Jose de Costa Rica, in the ancient 

 Guetar territory. It is called Talamanca, but Mr. Gabb, who 

 saw it, pronounced it to be of a different dialect ; and Dr. 

 Berendt, from whose collection it came, marked it as '^ antigua 

 Talamanca." I believe it to be the only specimen of the Guetar 

 dialect known, and as such I quote from it the list of words I 

 used in my Amen'ca/i Race, adding their similars in some other 

 dialects of the stock. 



Vocabulary of " Ancient Talamanca" or Guetar. 



This comparison leaves no room for doubt that this modern dia- 

 lect, supposed to represent the ancient Guetar, is Talamancan, and 

 closely allied to the Cabecar still spoken in Costa Rica ; and from 

 all the evidence above brought forward, the identification of the 

 Guetares as a branch of the Talamancan linguistic group is suffi- 

 ciently conclusive. 



1 Juan Vazquez de Coronado, in Peralta, U. S., p. 775. 



^ Gabb, Indian Tribes and Languages of Costa Rica, p. 533. 



