NOTES ON THE NORMAN VOCABULARY. 



By Hermann B. Ritz, M.A. 



(Read October loth, 1910.) 



The Norman Manuscript, containing- a vocalnilary 

 and notes on customs in use among Tasmanian 

 Aboriginals, was recently discovered among the archives 

 deposited in the Tasmanian Museum, Hobart, and is now 

 pubHshed in full in the Transactions of the Royal Society 

 of Tasmania. 



It is of great value, as containing what is probably 

 the only vocabulary now extant in the original manu- 

 script, and also a num]:)er of incidental notes written by 

 the same hand. 



The authenticity of the document is clearly established 

 by the quality and appearance of the paper and ink, by 

 the peculiar style of handwriting and spelling displayed,, 

 and by the nature of the discrepancies between the 

 vocabulary given there from that professedly pul)lishcd 

 from a copy taken from the original manuscript. 



The evidence concerning the first and second points 

 becomes convincing on inspection, and on inspection 

 alone. The discrepancies alluded to may, however, 

 properly be touched upon here. 



On the first page of the MS. we read an inscription 

 written in pencil by a different hand: — " By the Rev. J. 

 Norman, Sorell, 332 words and y2 names of men and 

 w^omen." 



This was probably done by J. E. Calder, to whom the 

 first publication of this vocabulary seems to be due. We 

 read in E. M. Curr's "The Australian Race" (1887), p. 

 611: — "Norman's Vocabulary. — The following vocabu- 

 lary, which has never been in print, was forwarded to me 

 by the late J. E. Calder. It was collected by the late Rev, 

 James Norman at Port (?) Sorell, Tasmania, at which 

 place he resided for many years as minister. In what 

 tribes the words recorded were in use is not known." 



