BARBAROUS LANGUAGES. G7 



of this name, on the northern, and north-eastern coasts of America ; 

 including Greenland. It is said to resemble that of the eastern 

 Siberians ; but to have no resemblance to the languages of Europe. 

 The Iroquois language, in several dialects, is, or was spoken by the 

 Six Nations, so called ; as also by the Wyandots, or Hurons. It is 

 said to be wanting in labials ; but very sonorous. The Delaware, 

 called also Mohegan, Algonkin, or Lenape, was diffused, with slight 

 variations, from Nova Scotia to the Mississippi; north of the Ohio 

 River, and the Potomac. Dialects of it, are still spoken, by the 

 Chippeways, Shawnees, Ottawas, and Winnebagoes. The Floridian 

 languages, were those spoken in our Southern States ; including the 

 Creek, Cherokee, and Choctaw. The original and recent alphabet, 

 mostly syllabic, invented by Guest, or See-quah-yah, a native Che- 

 rokee, is a literary curiosity, which we have no room to transcribe. 



As a specimen of the Ind-American languages, the following copy 

 of the Lord's Prayer, in the Massachusetts language ; taken from 

 the translation of the Bible by Eliot, the devoted and early missionary 

 to the Massachusetts tribe of Indians, near Boston, is the most 

 interesting that we can offer. Nooshun kesukqut quttianatamunach 

 koowesuonk. Peyaumooutch kukketassootamoonk, kuttenanta- 

 moonk nen nach ohkeit neane kesukqut. Nvmmeetsuongash ase- 

 kesukokish assamainnean yeuyeu kesukok. Kali ahquoantamaiiti- 

 ncan nummatcheseongash, neane matchenehukqueagig nutahquon- 

 tamounnonog. Jlhque sagkompagunaiinnean en qutchhuaouganit* 

 webepohquohwussinnean wu+ch matchitut. Newutche kutahtaunn 

 ketassootamoonk, kah menuhkesuonk, kah sohsumoonk micheme 

 flmen. The translation of the above, commences as follows. 

 Nooshun, our father ; (from noo, our) ; kesukqut, in heaven : quttia- 

 natamunach, be hallowed ; koowesuonk, thy name, (from koo, thy). 

 Peyaumooutch, may it come ; kukketassootamoonk, thy kingdom ;: 

 kuttenantamoonk, thy will ; nen nach ohkeit, on the earth ; neane, 

 as ; kesukqut, in heaven. Thus much must .suffice, to give some 

 idea of the structure of the languages, formerly spoken, in the goodly 

 land which we now inhabit. 



The Mexican languages, are numerous; but the Jlztec or ancient 

 Mexican, and the Tarascan, are the most prominent. ThePoconchi 

 was spoken in Guatemala ; and the Caribbee was the native language 

 of the West Indies, and the northern parts of S. America. The 

 Qitichua, was the language of Peru and her Incas ; and is said to have 

 abounded in vowels and soft sounds. A specimen of the sounds, in 

 some of these languages, will be found in the names of some of the 

 Indian deities, in the subsequent chapter on Paganism. The Jlrau- 

 canian, or native language of Chili, is also described as a distinct 

 one, very rich and harmonious. 



2. The African languages are very imperfectly known, and 

 important only as the means of introducing civilization and Chris- 

 tianity into that benighted region. Adelung estimates their number at 

 270 ; and Seetzen at 150 ; but not more than 70 or 80 of them have 

 been studied by learned men. The Coptic, Arabic, and Turkish, 

 spoken in Egypt and the Barbary states, and the Ethiopic, in Abys- 

 sinia, we have already described among the Oriental languages. The 



