Ancient Inhabitants of the Canary Islands. 



385 



Of late years it has justly been looked upon as one of the most 

 important languages hi Ethnography. 



Such is the family to which the languages of six out of seven 

 of the Canary Islands belong. 



The isolation of the Teneriffe tongue is rather apparent than 

 real. Of its vocabulary we have but thirty-nine words ; of which 

 only fifteen are the names of common objects. 



English cloak 



Teneriffe ahico 



Skillah tahayck 



English knife or sharp stone 



Teneriffe tavonas 



Lanccrota taffiaque 



The general affinities of the Guanchee or Canary languages (the 

 Teneriffe being included) are, of course, those of the Berber 

 tongues in general. 



Respecting these the present writer unwillingly differs from 

 several distinguished philologists. It is not his opinion that 

 the Berber tongues have a place with the Hebrew, Syriac, 

 Arabic, and ^Ethiopic languages, in the great Semitic class. 

 He inclined to connect it rather with the true Negro languages, 

 (or the African Proper) ; although his data for so doing are 

 deficient in fulness and definitude. Finally, he believes that 

 the Tibboo language has been improperly connected with the 

 Berber tongues, and consequently, through them, with the 

 Guanche. 



The word Facyan = priest, if connected with the Arabic 

 Fakir, is remarkable ; inasmuch as it indicates the probability 

 of the population of the Canary Isle having left the Continent 

 of Africa subsequent to the Mahommedan conquest. 



VOL. XXXIX. KO. LXXVllI. — OCTOBER 1846. 2 B 



