ANTHROPOLOGY. 841 



From these rude begiuuiugs language pursues a law of evolution which 

 we may study quite apart from the people who use it, in the same man- 

 ner and through the same methods as the zoologist studies coni[)iira- 

 tive anatomy. M. Hovelacque relegates language to the class of physi 

 ological science, and studies it in its formation, growth, maturity and 

 aecay. Monosyllabism is the youth of language, agglutination charac- 

 terizes its adolescence, flexion its manhood and decrepitude. 



An ingenious example of linguistic criticism is that to which Dr. 

 Brinton has subjected the Taensa grammar and dictionary of M. J. 

 Parisot. After scrutinizing the structure of the grammar and exam- 

 ining the errors in climatic and other allusions in the text. Dr. Brinton 

 comes to the conclusion that the whole thiug is a forgery. After cor- 

 respondence with Lucien Adam and F. Miiller it seems more probable 

 that the young author had really gotten hold of an ancient manuscript, 

 but that he had so doctored it that he is ashamed to reveal the original. 

 Meanwhile these savants have decided ui)on a most praiseworthy course, 

 viz, to say nothing about the Taensa grammar until the author i)ro- 

 duces the original manuscript. 



Dr. Daniel G. Brinton appealed to American students to devote them- 

 selves to our aboriginal languages, quoting in conclusion the words 

 of Professor Whitney : " The study of American languages is the most 

 fruitful and the most important branch of American archaeology." 



Philologists are frequently at a loss to see how collectors of vocabu- 

 laries can have listened so dififerently to the pronunciation of words of 

 savages. Much of the difference in their vocabularies is doubtless due 

 to a want of uniformity in alphabet and to the nationality of the tran- 

 scriber. More subtle than either of these causes is that pointed out by 

 Mr. Hale, namely, the existence of elementary sounds of an intermediate 

 character which seem to float between two, and sometimes even three 

 or four, divers articulations. 



The linguistic stocks of all the tribes of North America are gradually 

 being worked out by the Bureau of Ethnology. The strip of west coast 

 from Alaska to Mexico, crowded v.ath different languages, is the last to 

 yield to classification. Mr. Dorsey has succeeded in unraveling the 

 little bands on the Siletz Agency with the following result: 



Athapascan or Tinyie family. — South liiver; Chetcoe dialect of the 

 Tutu ; Joshua and cognate dialects of the Lower Eogue Eiver Indians ; 

 Naltunnetunns ; Mekwunutunns; Yukwitee or Euchre dialect; Kwatami 

 or Sixes; Upper Coquille ; Applegate Creek; Galice Creek; Chasta 

 Costa (Shista Khwu-sta). 



Siuslaw. — Siuslaw; Umpqua; Alsea; Yaquina. 



MulluJc. — Lower Coquille. 



TaJcebna. — Upper Eogue Eiver. 



Sasti. — Shasta. 



Klikitat, 



