1892.] *^^ [Boas. 



The Gospel according lo Saint John, translated into the Qagutl Lan- 

 guage. London, 1834 (by Rev. A. F. Hall). 



The Gospel according to Saint Matthew, translated into the Qa gutl 

 (or Quoquols) Language. By Rev. A. F. Hall. London, 1882. 



The following alphabet has been used ; the vowels have their conti- 

 nental sounds : 



a = aw in law. 

 E = e in flower. 



Consonants. — The following consonants require a special description : 



k-, g-, 



k, g, 



ky (kH), gy. 



This is a series of k sounds beginning with the posterior guttural k', 

 passing through the ordinary k to the anterior palatal ky. There is a ten- 

 dency in the Heiltsuk" dialect to transform ky and gy into k and g. The 

 distinction between sonans and media is here, as in many other Indian 

 languages, exceedingly difficult, and it may be that to the Indian ear 

 there is no real distinction between both classes. The same is true in the 

 case of labials and dentals, s and c (= English sIl) are evidently modi- 

 fications of the same sound ; s is always pronounced with open teeth and 

 post-alveohir position of the tip of the tongue. Thus it obtains a simi- 

 larity witii c, while the latter partakes in the same way of the character- 

 istics of s. 



q, Q, H correspond to k, k, ky, the first being the German guttural ch 

 in ach, the last the German palatal ch in ich, the q an intermediate sound 

 like ch in the Westphalian dialect. 



The vowels of the Kwakiutl language are extremely variable, and I 

 have not been able to ascertain satisfactorily the meaning of lengthening 

 and shortening, of apparent contractions and diaeresis. I had, therefore, 

 to confine myself to give the various forms which I obtained from the 

 Indians. We find a series of very indistinct vowels which are not articu- 

 lated, but indicated by position of the mouth. The most frequent among 

 these is u following a terminal k, for which I have used the sign ' ; for 

 instance, in the passive participle — k'. In compounds, when a syllable 

 follows the — k' the u is often articulated. 



Pauses in "words are very frequent, and are almost always accom- 

 panied by an increased stress of the preceding consonant. I have found 

 it impossible in this language to distinguish clearly between consonants 

 articulated with ordinary stress and increased stress, although the latter 

 are undoubtedly found, p. e., ky'e, no. 



