es 
ETHNOLOGICAL INQUIRY. ; 247 
a person quite ignorant of the language, and with no other guide than the 
vocabulary, shall be able from it alone to pronounce each word with accu- 
racy, sufficient for philological researches. 
If elementary sounds peculiar to the language, as the clicks of the Kaffirs, 
or the sounds represented by _» and of the Persian alphabet, occur in the 
words of the vocabulary, it is obvious that no alphabetic notation will enable 
one who is ignorant of the language to reproduce those words even though 
the compiler invents characters to represent them. Mr. Ellis’s Ethnic Al- 
phabet is a useful stock of characters to those whose lingual knowledge is 
sufficient to use it. Our own alphabet, however, is found to be sufficient to 
write many vocabularies, including both Kaffir and Persian, with an accuracy 
sufficient for our purpose. 
In writing the vocabulary it is of great importance to mark the accented 
syllable of the word. The mark! of the acute accent is commonly adopted 
for this purpose, and is recommended to be continued by future compilers. 
21. Ascertain the extent of the geographical area over which the lan- 
guage is spoken. _ 
22. Ascertain what languages it comes in contact with at the periphery of 
its area: and if unknown, or but partially known languages occur, collect 
vocabularies of them also. 
23. Ascertain if the same language without dialectic variations be spoken 
over the whole lingual area. If variations occur, give examples of them; 
always bearing in mind that Facts are of greater value than opinions. 
Grammar. 
In giving an outline of the Grammar, the following hints may be useful. 
24. Give the various forms which words assume, as-— 
a. The plural forms of Nouns, and the Dual if it exist. 
. The cases of Nouns. 
y: Adjectives, their inflections and modes of concord. 
6. Pronouns, their various forms, with the Dual if it exist. 
25. Exhibit the formation of compound words. 
26. What is the order of words in a sentence? 
27. Beyond the mere order of words, observe -if the subject take pre- 
cedence of the predicate: the cause of the effect, and of any peculiarity in 
the statement of propositions. 
Individual and Family Life. 
28. Are there any ceremonies connected with the birth of a child? Is 
there any difference whether the child be male or female ? 
29. Does infanticide occur to any considerable extent, and if it does, to 
what causes is it to be referred, want of affection, deficient subsistence, or 
superstition ? > 
30. Are children exposed, and from what causes, whether superstition, 
want of subsistence or other difficulties, or from deformity, general infirmity, 
or other causes of aversion ? 
31. What is the practice as to dressing and cradling children, and are 
there any circumstances connected with it calculated to modify their form; 
for example, to compress the forehead, as amongst the western Americans; 
to flatten the occiput, as amongst most Americans, by the flat straight board 
to which the child is attached ; to occasion the lateral distortion of the head, 
