PEOPLE OF VANCOUVER ISLAND. 



89 



VOCABULARY 



Of about Seven Hundred Words of the Kwakiool Languaoe. 



[FVom Ya-a-kotle-a-lcallos (Tom) of the Kom-o-yawt, a subdivision or sept of tlie Kiuâ'-ki-ool orKwâ'-kutl tribe, now 

 inhabiting the vicinity of Fort Rupert, Beaver Harbour, Vancouver Island.) 



The subjoined vocabulary is based on the schedules of words given by Major J. W. Powell in his 

 " Introduction to the Study of Indian Languages." Having been obtained from an educated Indian, 

 with the additional assistance of a good interpreter, it is much more complete than those given for 

 several tribes of the Kwakiool people by Dr. Tolmie and the writer, in the " Comparative Vocabu- 

 laries of the Indian tribes of British Columbia." The rendering of many of the words differs from that 

 of those in the nearest coixesponding list in the " Comparative Vocabularies," but is believed in most, if 

 not in all cases, to be here more exact. The difficulties in the way of obtaining a strictly accurate 

 vocabulary of a language of which the grammatical construction is not fully known, are obvious, and 

 these, having already been touched on in the introduction to the "Comparative Vocabularies," need 

 not here again be referred to in detail. It will also be observed, in many cases, that what are 

 evidently the same root-woi'ds appearing in various combinations, are not always represented by 

 identical letters. No attempt is made to unify these, as this would imply the introduction of hypo- 

 thesis and the alteration of the words as written down at the time with all the care possible. Striking 

 instances of this occur among the numerals. The alphabet employed is identical with that of the 

 " Comparative Vocabularies," and is as follows : — 



Vowels. 



a as in English fat. 



a 



e 

 c 

 i 



Î 







Ô 

 u 



y 



ai 



ei 



00 



eu 



OU) 



.. father. 

 .... met. 



t}iey. 



.... pin. 

 . marine. 

 .... pot. 

 go, show. 

 . nu(, but. 

 . . . year. 

 . . . aisle. 

 rein. 



" pool, fool. 



French peu (seldom used). 



English now. 



The distinction of long and short vowels (following Gibbs) is noted as far as possible, by the divi 

 sion into syllables — the consonant that follows a vowel being joined immediately to one intended to 

 be pronounced short, whereas a long vowel is left open, being followed by a hyphen. Where this is 

 insufficient, or a nicer distinction is desirable, the usual long and short marks are supplied. 



Explosive or klicking sounds are represented by the letters k, f, etc., in combination with an 

 apostrophe, thus — 'k 't. 



An acute accent (') at the end of a syllable indicates its accentuated character, when this is very 

 distinct. In some cases certain syllables are run very hurriedly over and almost whispered, and 

 though really forming a part of the word, might easily be omitted by a careless listener. Where 

 this has been noted it is indicated by the use of smaller type. Strongly guttural syllables are printed 

 in small capitals, thus — law-KB. 



Sec. ii, 1887. 12. 



